Differential access to resources and the emerging elite: obsidian at La Blanca

This thesis presents the results of a comparative analysis of obsidian artifacts recovered from five household contexts at La Blanca. Although situated in the shadow of Guatemala's volcanic mountains, the inhabitants of La Blanca had limited access to obsidian; this presents a unique opportunity to examine differences in access to this valuable resource. The distribution of obsidian at La Blanca reflects the emerging dominance of the elite as well as the resistance of non-elites to the loss of household autonomy. This paper explores this dichotomy and its effects on the development of regional complex social systems.