Dissertation: Social Complexity, Religious Organization, and Mortuary Ritual at the Prehispanic Site of Paquime', Chihuahua, Mexico

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Under the direction of Dr. Jane Buikstra Mr. Gordon Rakita will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. The goal of his research is to examine the role of religious control and associated ritual in the organization of prehistoric complex societies. Archaeologists have recognized that as groups changed from a hunting and gathering to an agricultural subsistence base a more abundant food supply resulted in increase in group size and population density. This pattern occurs on a world wide basis. In the Southwest early complex societies had relatively short life spans. Villages lasted for only several generations and were followed by population redistribution. Only when evidence for religious activity increases does longer term stability appear. It is unclear however what control such religious structures held over individuals and to what degree religious practice affected daily life. Based on ethnographic data and theoretical work Mr. Rakita believes that religious specialists fostered a uniform structure of beliefs and practices which served to incorporate individuals into a controlled functioning unit. He believes that the result was a hierarchical structured society with defined divisions between levels and uniformity within each. To test this idea he will study a large group of human burials from the US Southwest and adjacent Northern Mexico. Excavated my multiple researchers the largest group derives from the prehispanic site of Paquime in Chihuahua Mexico. This large complex city represents the height of Southwest complexity. Mr. Rakita will add to this sample earlier as well as post contact materials from adjacent regions to monitor change over time. He will examine records in relevant depositories in both Mexico and the U.S. and record a range of variables such as position and treatment of the body as well as associated grave offerings. By examining variation it should be possible to determine whether distinct in site groupings emerge over time and whether variation within each decreases as he predicts.This research is important for several reasons. It will help to understand the role of religion and ritual in the organization of prehistoric societies and how this changes as group size increases. It will provide insight into the archaeology of the New World and yield a useful analytic tool of potential applicability in many archaeological situations. It will also assist in training a promising young scientist.