Old World Methods, New World Pots. The Introduction of the Potter’s Wheel to the Spanish Colonies of Concepción de la Vega and Cotuí (Dominican Republic 1495–1562)

as European imports. This paper challenges that assumption, as the intercultural interactions within
colonies in the New World have led to the creation of new social identities and changing material
culture repertoires. Macro-trace ceramic analysis from the sites of Concepción de la Vega and Cotuí
(Hispaniola, present-day Dominican Republic) show that the potter’s wheel was in fact introduced to
the Spanish colonies at an early stage. The evidence of RKE (rotative kinetic energy) on sherds and the
discovery of parts of a potter’s wheel are the earliest traces of the potter’s wheel found in the Americas.
Here we aim to present how the potter’s wheel was introduced within the context of transcultural
pottery forming. This paper will show that traditional coiling techniques were supplemented with
finishing techniques on the wheel. The transformation processes within ceramic repertoires are
assessed through theories of colonialism and learning processes, combined with archaeological and
ethnoarchaeological assessment of the ceramic chaîne opératoire. Evidence from ceramic analysis is
combined with historical sources to understand social processes surrounding the technological changes
behind the introduction of the potter’s wheel to the New World colonies.