Archaeological Survey in the Central Mixteca Alta, Mexico

在国家科学基金会的支持下，史蒂芬·科瓦列夫斯基博士、安德鲁·巴尔甘斯基和他们的合作者将进行一项800公里的考古调查。墨西哥瓦哈卡州米克斯特卡阿尔塔高地的一个方形地区，主要是山区。先前的研究表明，该地区至少自公元前1300年以来一直被占领，从而证明了墨西哥中部各州的崛起及其在后古典时期的扩张。虽然今天该地区被侵蚀，贫穷，但16世纪的西班牙征服者将米克斯泰卡阿尔塔描述为一片人口稠密、富裕繁荣的土地。瓦哈卡在整个中美史前的大部分时间里都是一个重点地区。蒙特阿尔班成为主要的史前国家之一，并在公元1000年左右发展成为一个影响远远超出瓦哈卡的Mixtec王国。然而，与此同时，该地区存在着较小的看似半独立的权力中心，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。研究人员已经意识到，为了深入了解技术上简单的史前国家和帝国的组织，有必要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。科瓦列夫斯基博士的研究就是为了这个目标。该团队将对阿基乌特拉地区100%的宜居面积进行系统的足部调查。两个人的队伍将系统地走过所有的山脊和更大的溪底。所有考古材料和特征，如建筑物和梯田，都将被记录和绘制成地图。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示器，通过它的使用，可以绘制出随着时间的推移而变化的遗址位置、人口密度和分布。然后，这些数据将在环境背景下进行解释。阿基乌特拉的研究将填补瓦哈卡州的一个重要调查空白。当该项目完成后，考古学家将掌握大约140公里的信息。这提供了一个独特的机会，可以在大区域范围内对人类行为进行详细检查。这项工作有可能提供一个独特的洞察力，了解中美洲国家和帝国是如何发展和维持的。

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.