Description:
This study presents compositional data on eighty four samples of tin enameled wares (majolica) from Spanish colonial periods contexts of two regions (north coast and south-central highlands) in the Peruvian Andes. Through Laser-Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), we investigate how production groups reflect the circulation of majolica ceramics in the Colonial Andes, focusing on the role of Indigenous exchange and use of majolica ceramics. The compositional data shows four production groups, with most of the material linked to Panamá la Vieja. However, the presence of three additional groups likely Peruvian in origin suggests a more complex network of overlapping production zones. We suggest that this geographically expansive ability to acquire majolicas is indicative of the ways in which Indigenous labor structured colonial economic networks