Emergence of the Tarascan State: The Urichu, Xaracuaro and Pareo Polities

在国家科学基金会的支持下，海伦·波拉德博士将在墨西哥中西部高地的帕兹夸罗湖盆地进行两个考古研究季节。这个项目延续了以前的工作，旨在记录后古典时期（公元900-1520年）出现的塔拉斯坎国家的兴起和性质。尽管塔拉斯坎帝国是当时欧洲人接触的第二大和最强大的国家，但可获得的考古数据非常少，目前已知的大部分福尔斯都属于传说。波拉德博士将关注精英在国家崛起中的作用，并将确定在与国家崛起相关的政治和经济转型时期，这一群体可利用的人口、经济和政治资源。为了实现这些目标，该项目将：对该地区进行100%的地表调查，包括农业相关地区;在较大的中心进行有限的测试挖掘;制作详细的地图;对调查区域内的所有考古材料进行现场实验室分析。在此基础上，应该可以：确定人口规模和定居点性质的变化;确定土地资源的位置和潜在意义;确定不同中心内精英社会认同的变化以及社会边界随时间的变化。 塔拉斯坎国家的特点是将三个不同的政治实体合并为一个团体。波拉德博士假设，这是因为环境变化导致干旱，增加了对可用农业土地的压力。因此，她希望审查气候变化的过程和人类的反应。考古证据表明，精英社会群体的出现与复杂社会的发展密切相关，塔拉斯坎的案例提供了研究精英行为的机会，在这一时期的环境波动和融入更大的国家之前，期间和之后。 这项研究之所以重要，有几个原因。它将为许多考古学家提供感兴趣的数据。它将增加我们对环境变化与社会复杂性发展之间关系的理解，并为参与该项目的学生提供培训。

With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Helen Pollard will conduct two field seasons of archaeological research in the Lake Patzcuaro basin in the west-central highlands of Mexico. This project follows on previous work designed to document the rise and nature of the Tarascan state which emerged during the Postclassic period (AD 900-1520). Despite the fact that the Tarascan Empire was the second largest and most powerful state at the time of European contact, extremely little archaeological data is available and most of what is currently known falls within the realm of legend. Dr.Pollard will focus attention on the role of elites in state emergence and will determine the demographic, economic and political resources available to this group during the period of political and economic transformation associated with the emergence of the state. To accomplish these goals the project will: conduct a 100% surface survey of the region, including agriculturally related areas; conduct limited test excavations at larger centers; produce detailed maps; conduct field laboratory analysis of all archaeological material within the survey region. On this basis it should be possible to: determine changes in population size and the nature of settlements; determine the location and potential significance in the use of agrarian resources; determine changes in elite social identification within different centers and changes in social boundaries over time. The Tarascan state is marked by the incorporation of three distinct political entities into a single group. Dr. Pollard has hypothesized that the reason for this rests with environmental changes which resulted in drought and increased pressure on available agricultural lands. She thus wishes to examine the process of climate change and human response. Archaeological evidence indicates that the emergence of elite social groups is closely tied to the development of complex societies and the Tarascan case offers the opportunity to study elite behavior before during and after this period of environmental fluxuation and incorporation into the larger state. This research is important for several reasons. It will provide data of interest to many archaeologists. It will increase our understanding of the relationship between environmental change and the development of social complexity and provide training for the students who will participate in the project.