Symmetry Analysis of Step Fret Patterns on Ceramics and Other Media from Mesoamerica and the American Southwest

Abstract

The step fret motif is pervasive in ceramic design and other media throughout Mesoamerica and the American Southwest. Through both design structure and symmetry analysis, I show how the plane pattern symmetries that repeat the step fret motif reveal contact between the two areas from the Formative through the Postclassic periods in the form of shared pattern systems. The analysis highlights a profound change at the end of the Classic from one-color, one-dimensional designs to two-color, two-dimensional patterns that seems to correlate with changes in the nature of spheres of political dominance.