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Emiliano Gallaga and Marc G. Blainey have neatly joined a series of thematically linked articles in this volume with as much sophistication as the ancient craftspeople that skillfully left minute spaces between polished mosaic mirror tesserae. Spanning experimental archaeology, anthropology or ethnography of religion, and iconography, the chapters illuminate technical and symbolic aspects of mirror production and use. From a chaîne operatoire or production sequence perspective, the volume is successful because it draws a wealth of examples from across Mesoamerica, giving a sense of the diverse approaches to mirror technology. The argument that sequence and horizontal separation of manufacturing tasks and workshop locations should be followed to the final disposition or lateral recycling of parts of finished products is important for understanding social roles of craftspeople through to end users.
Brigitte Kovacevich's (Chapter 4) reference to a string-saw anchor, a grooved stone found among unfinished sawn pyrite plaques, a pyrite bead, pyrite nodules, perforated limestone mirror backs, and other workshop debris in Structure K6–34, Cancuén, Guatemala, is an example of a distinctive fabrication tool. Julie Gazzola, Sergio Gómez Chávez, and Thomas Calligaro (Chapter 5) address the difficulty of recognizing the...