Costly signaling with ceramic tablewares in Spanish colonial America

• The social value of majolica for costly signaling decreased over time. • Porcelain surpassed majolica in its social value for costly signaling. • Transportation costs added to the cost and social value of ceramics. • Vessel form and other attributes contributed to the cost of ceramics. We examine the social value of porcelain and European-style tableware – particularly majolica – for costly signaling. Signaling theory postulates that for objects to be of value for signaling wealth or status those objects must be restricted and costly. To investigate restriction, we compare the distribution of these wares between settlements in West Florida and the Port of Veracruz. In aggregate, these sites allow for the archaeological consideration of temporal changes from the 16th to the 18th century and in two regions. We then use documentary evidence, including 311 ceramic prices found in 50 documents from across Spanish North America, to examine the changing cost of majolica and porcelain. These data facilitate a quantitative analysis of ceramic prices for the Spanish American empire. Analyses reveal that while majolica was initially restricted and costly, over time it declined in value for costly signaling. Meanwhile, porcelain better retained its value. Geographically, transportation costs added to the price of ceramics, further contributing to the regional variability observed by archaeologists. In some locations, such as Mission Escambe in Florida, Indigenous peoples chose not to acquire ceramic tableware regardless of their cost and availability, reinforcing the importance of local interpretations contextualized by broader imperial trends.