The Organization of Chipped-Stone Economies at Piedras Negras ...

to such transfer of knowledge was incorporation of world views and mythologies, as
important aspects of ritualized production. World views and myths can become tied to the
production process as a form of charter and authority.
2.3.2: Mythological Charter and the Creation of Social Identity
Although he did not explicitly argue that elite craftwork was ritualized, Inomata
(2001) contended that ancient Maya craft specialization was a potent form of
ideologically-loaded production. The manufacture of particular goods, such as those
featuring hieroglyphic inscriptions, had the effect of creating social distance between the
royal family and the rest of society (Inomata 2001). Reents-Budet (1998) took a similar
stance in her description of Late Classic polychrome vessel production. Both argued that
craft producers might have couched their work in terms of creation mythology, thus
connecting the producer and their products to sacred space and time. I describe this form
of privilege and authority gained by virtue of supernatural association as mythological
charter. For elite or royal status groups, the guarding of esoteric production knowledge
should be considered an important aspect of royal control. This understanding should not
only be applied to elite artisans, but also other status groups in society that situate their
social role in relation to local mythologies.
It is argued here that forms of craft specialization other than writing also were
ideologically loaded, but perhaps without the same level of politicization as that of royal
craft specialists. The role of mythology is important because it not only sanctions the
production practices of the elites (Inomata 2001) but also, at least according to contact
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