Common salt, or sodium chloride, has always been a strategic resource of primary importance throughout the world. In pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica, salt was used primarily for human consumption, as the native diet had little chloride or sodium, two chemical components that are indispensable for human health and nutrition. Here I discuss the traditional salt industries of Michoacán, Colima, Guerrero, the Basin of Mexico and Puebla, paying special attention to the production sites and the tool assemblages linked to salt production in these areas of Mesoamerica. This article sheds light on salt's role in the culture and history of the ancient Mesoamerican ecumene through the lens of ethnoarchaeology and ethnohistory.

食盐或氯化钠一直是全世界最重要的战略资源。在前西班牙裔中美洲，盐主要用于人类消费，因为当地人的饮食中几乎没有氯化物或钠，而这两种化学成分对人类健康和营养来说是不可或缺的。在这里，我讨论了米却肯州、科利马州、格雷罗州、墨西哥盆地和普埃布拉州的传统制盐业，特别关注了中美洲这些地区与制盐业相关的生产地点和工具组合。本文通过民族考古学和民族历史学的视角，阐明了盐在古代中美洲大地文化和历史中的作用。