Field clays in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico have been sampled in over 300 locations and characterized via INAA and petrography.
A regional reference map of clay composition has been developed for use in ceramic provenance determination.
Based on a sample of 500 ceramics, at least 12 different areas were producing Formative pottery.
Provenance data are used to examine the scale and organization of exchange relative to the rise of the Zapotec state.