Collaborative Research: Early State Formation Processes: TheAztec City State of Otumba, Mexico

在一个合作研究项目中，黛博拉·尼科尔斯博士和托马斯·查尔顿博士将在位于墨西哥特奥蒂瓦坎山谷的奥通巴阿兹特克遗址进行考古研究。在一季的实地考察之后，将进行一年的分析。奥通巴城邦包括一个大的中心“城市”区域和较小的周边“农村”区域。调查人员将对城市地区进行系统的地面调查和采样，以收集文物样本，以了解遗址是如何随着时间的推移而发展的。然后，他们将在大约三个农村地区重复这一过程，以确定他们与中心之间的经济互动程度。然后，他们将在中心进行挖掘，以了解这座城市是如何在经济上发挥作用的，以及它与其他类似的城邦之间的关系。由于阿兹特克人实行灌溉农业，尼科尔斯博士和查尔顿博士将挖掘运河系统，以重建其形态、发展及其对农业生产的重要性。在哥伦布发现新大陆的时候，阿兹特克人已经建立了一个庞大、复杂、中央管理的帝国。虽然历史记载为这个帝国的运作提供了一些洞察，但考古学家们对导致它发展的过程存在争议。这项研究应该有助于回答这个问题，并为复杂社会是如何产生的提供更全面的见解。

In a collaborative research project Dr. Deborah Nichols and Dr. Thomas Charlton will conduct archaeological research at the Aztec site of Otumba which is located in the Teotihuacan Valley, Mexico. One season of fieldwork will be followed by a year of analysis. The Otumba city-state includes a large central "city" area and smaller surrounding "rural" sites. The investigators will conduct a systematic surface survey and sampling of the city area to collect artifactual samples in order to understand how the site developed over time. They will then repeat the process at ca. three rural sites to determine the degree of economic interaction between them and the center. They will then conduct excavations at the center to learn how the city functioned economically and how it related to other similar city-states. Since the Aztec practiced irrigation agriculture, Drs. Nichols and Charlton will excavate the canal system to reconstruct its morphology, development and its importance for agricultural production. At the time Columbus discovered the New World, the Aztec had established a large, complex and centrally administered empire. While historical accounts provide some insight into how this empire functioned, archaeologists have argued about the processes which led to its development. This research should help to answer the question and provide more general insight into how complex societies arise.