NSF Award
2331610
Many features of the 21st century global economy – interconnectedness, globalization, widely circulating commodities, and cash crop agriculture increasingly oriented towards foreign export – were shaped by long-term historical processes that trace back at least to the early modern period. This project investigates one key commodity and cash crop of that period: cochineal. This vibrant red insect-based dye played a central role in prehispanic Mexican economies, artistry, and knowledge production for centuries, if not millennia. Following the Spanish invasion and establishment of colonial New Spain, cochineal revolutionized emerging globalized economies, artistic movements, and scientific discovery. Cochineal made its way onto the red coats of British military officers, the canvases of Europe’s celebrated painters, and even the newly developed hypotheses of Enlightenment scientists. Yet, far less is known about how colonial Spain’s demand for this dye changed pre-existing production systems within Mexico. Cochineal producers left behind few written records, and thus archaeology is particularly well suited to investigating how Spanish colonization impacted their lives and the industry in which they participated. By investigating Mexican cochineal production on an archaeological time scale, this project contributes to broader efforts to understand how globalization has impacted and continues to impact local agricultural systems and economies. <br/><br/>The researchers use organic chemical analysis to identify tools that were once used to produce cochineal. By analyzing the change over time in the frequency of these tools, they investigate various questions about the antiquity of cochineal production in Mexico. More specifically, how widespread was the economic practice of cochineal production, and how did it change over time? Additionally, how did this economic practice intersect with the broader context of the Spanish conquest, including demographic decline, incorporation into transatlantic economies, and ecological change? This project’s methods rely upon recent developments in archaeo-chemical analysis that make possible the identification of chemical compounds preserved in ancient artifacts. These methods have the potential to greatly expand the scope of what is considered possible to learn about the past; however, they have been both underutilized and underdeveloped due to the lack of training in organic chemistry most archaeologists receive. This project advances scientific techniques in archaeology by refining existing methodologies so that they are capable of detecting a wider range of chemical compounds, and therefore, a wider range of human behaviors. This project analyzes existing artifact collections from archaeological sites in the central Mexican state of Tlaxcala, one of the largest centers of colonial Mexican cochineal production. By building one robust case study of local production, this project will strengthens analytical methods that can be applied to future research projects examining the intersections between local dye production and global trade.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
