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

some residential groups feature more of one kind of production evidence, then alternate
interpretations may be necessary. The specificity in the proposed analysis may help to
determine: (1) whether chipped-stone production in both obsidian and chert were
connected activities, or conversely, whether artisans adhered closely to a set of materials
or technologies; (2) how widespread a particular reduction system was practiced; and (3)
whether raw material availability affected the restricted or open nature of production.
Some aspects of the recently excavated lithic-sample from Piedras Negras reveal
its importance for understanding the lithic economy at Piedras Negras. First, all special
deposits and household excavations were thoroughly recorded. Second, all lithic artifacts
were collected for analysis, and finally, it is the largest lithic sample from the western
lowlands to crosscut royal and nonroyal contexts. Even though all time periods are
addressed in this study, the Late Classic period sample is substantially larger than that of
the Early Classic or Preclassic samples, and remains the central focus of investigation.
The relatively high frequency of caches containing large amounts of lithic materials
provides new opportunities for discussing the role of royal groups in the procurement and
distribution of lithic goods at Piedras Negras. One advance of this research is to place the
production of chipped-stone goods from royal, ostensibly ritual, contexts within the same
theoretical and methodological framework as those created in “utilitarian” production
systems from household contexts. As discussed in Chapters 6 and 7, the production of
chipped-stone tools in residential groups may be related to the production of elite cache
and burial goods.
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