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13 Archaeological Distribution of Chinese Porcelain in Mexico 221

13.3 Archaeological Distribution of Chinese Porcelain
in New Spain

Our goal is to present an overview of the archaeological evidence that attests to the
distribution of Chinese porcelains from the late 1500s to the early 1800s, when New
Spain became an independent nation. This spatial distribution of ceramic shards
reflects the commerce and consumption of Asian wares as “fragments of global-
ization” (e.g. Li 2014). Shipwreck assemblages no matter how fascinating they are
as time capsules, are not considered in detail in this study since our main interest
focus on consumption trends; underwater collections evidence trade but the ceramic
materials did not reach consumers since they were lost when the ships sank, albeit
the cargo was destined for the market and eventually for its use by consumers.
One problem we faced is that historical archaeology in Mexico has been largely
neglected by the government institution in charge of the archaeological heritage: the
Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH). After 1972, a law that
protects this heritage was implemented and since then most research projects have
focused on pre-Columbian sites. Urban investigations usually detect historical
components but the architectural features tend to be the main focus, so colonial
ceramic collections do not receive the same attention as collections of pre-Hispanic
wares (e.g. Fournier and Velasquez 2014). The law has forced archaeologist to
include in their reports any post-conquest material culture that was found. But the
level of interest and of expertise of those who study colonial artifact assemblages
are not comparable to those dedicated, for example, to the Aztec or Maya and their
majestic cultural achievements, such as monumental architectural, sculpture, tombs,
offerings, and polychrome earthen wares. Thus we found only brief mentions of
Chinese porcelains and a tendency to mix French porcelains with Asian shards. As
a result, we decided to present the information available on a distribution map
(Fig. 13.1) and to provide a list of sites, except when detailed information was
included in archaeological reports and publications.
Archaeological data are available from numerous excavations conducted in
urban centers, mostly from Mexico City, a few examples from Puebla, and so far
one published study from Oaxaca, one for Cuernavaca and another for Veracruz
that includes several localities in this port; all were carried out by archaeologist
working for the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia. These include sal-
vage operations and the stabilization of colonial buildings (e.g. Charlton and
Fournier 1993: 213). In the case of rural settings, data are extremely limited. All the
sites and regions where Asian wares were found, were connected through a com-
plex system of roads that radiated from the metropolitan capital to the newly created
provincial capitals and principal seaports (e.g. Brown and Fournier 2014).
As aforementioned, the most thorough study was carried out by Fournier (1990),
based on a collection of more than 18,000 fragments of Asian tablewares, orna-
mental vessels and sculptures found during the excavations of the former convent of
San Jerónimo, founded in 1585. This is probably the largest sample ever studied in
Latin America. All vessels and fragments were recovered from architectural !lls