Archaeological Survey in the Central Mixteca Alta, Mexico

在美国国家科学基金会的支持下，Stephen Kowalewski博士、Andrew Kowalansky博士和他们的合作者将对800公里的区域进行考古调查。墨西哥瓦哈卡州米斯特卡阿尔塔高地的一个主要为山地的正方形地区。先前的研究表明，该地区至少从公元前1,300年开始就一直被占领，从而记录了墨西哥中部各州的兴起及其在后古典时期的扩张。虽然今天该地区被侵蚀和贫穷，西班牙征服者在十六世纪描述米斯特卡阿尔塔作为一个人口稠密，富裕和繁荣的土地。瓦哈卡是整个中美洲史前史的焦点地区。阿尔班山成为主要的史前国家之一，大约在公元前。公元1,000年发展成为米斯特克王国，其影响力远远超出了瓦哈卡。然而，与此同时，在这个地区存在着较小的半独立的权力中心，考古学家希望了解中央集权和较小的部分自治地区之间的复杂关系和不断变化的平衡。研究人员已经认识到，要深入了解技术简单的史前国家和帝国的组织，就必须采取非常广泛的区域方法，并在这个更广泛的框架内设置单独的主要遗址。Kowalewski博士的研究正是朝着这一目标进行的。 该团队将对Achiutla地区100%的可居住区域进行系统的足部调查。两人一组将系统地走过所有山脊和较大的溪流底部。所有考古材料和特征，如建筑物和梯田将被记录和绘制。将收集主要由陶瓷组成的表面材料。由于设计风格随着时间的推移而变化，陶器提供了一个敏感的时间指标，通过它的使用，将有可能绘制随着时间的推移不断变化的地点位置和人口密度和分布。这些数据将在环境背景下进行解释。 Achiutla研究将填补瓦哈卡的一个重要调查空白。当该项目完成后，考古学家将有大约140公里的信息。这提供了一个独特的机会，允许在大区域范围内详细检查人类行为。这项工作有可能提供一个独特的见解如何中美洲国家和帝国的发展和维护。

With National Science Foundation support Drs. Stephen Kowalewski, Andrew Balkansky and their collaborators will conduct an archaeological survey of an 800 km. square region of mostly mountainous terrain in the Mixteca Alta highlands in the state of Oaxaca Mexico. Prior research indicates that the region has been continuously occupied since at least 1,300 BC and thus documents the rise of Central Mexican states and their expansion in the Postclassic period. While today the region is eroded and poor, the Spanish conquerors in the sixteenth century described the Mixteca Alta as a well-populated, rich and prosperous land. Oaxaca was a focal area throughout much of Middle American prehistory. Monte Alban emerged as one of the major prehistoric states and at ca. 1,000 AD developed into a Mixtec Kingdom whose influence extended well beyond Oaxaca. However, at the same time smaller apparently semi-independent centers of power existed within this region and archaeologists wish to understand the complicated relationships and changing balances between centralized authority and smaller partially autonomous regions. Researchers have come to realize that to gain insight into the organization of technologically simple prehistoric states and empires it is necessary to adopt a very broad regional approach and set individual major sites within this broader framework. Dr. Kowalewski's research is directed towards this goal. The team will conduct a systematic foot survey over 100% of the habitable area in the Achiutla region. Two person teams will walk systematically over all ridge crests and larger stream bottoms. All archaeological materials and features such as buildings and terraces will be noted and mapped. Surface materials, which consist largely of ceramics, will be collected. Because design styles change over time, pottery provides a sensitive time indicator and through its use it will be possible to plot changing site location and population density and distribution over time. These data will then be interpreted in an environmental context. The Achiutla study will fill an important survey gap in Oaxaca. When the project is completed, archaeologists will have information on a ca 140 km. contiguous area and this provides a unique opportunity which allows detailed examination of human behavior at a large regional scale. The work has the potential to provide a unique insight into how Mesoamerican states and empires developed and were maintained.