The Ancestors of Parita: Pre-Columbian Settlement Patterns in the Lower La Villa River Valley, Azuero Peninsula, Panama

帕里塔的祖先：巴拿马阿苏埃罗半岛拉维拉河谷下游的前哥伦布时代定居模式

• 批准号: 0206939
• 负责人: Patricia McAnany
• 金额: $ 1.2万
• 依托单位: Trustees of Boston University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2002
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2002-06-01 至 2004-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0206939&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Ancestors; Parita; Pre; Columbian; Settlement

The legendary chiefdoms of Panama have loomed large in anthropological theories of political power within small-scale polities. First recorded by sixteenth-century Spanish conquistadores, Panamanian chiefs were noted for their keen, entrepreneurial interest in the acquisition and trade of exotic imports, particularly finely crafted gold ornaments. Despite pronounced anthropological interest in the early historical accounts of Spanish chroniclers, the physical "on-the-ground" reality of Panamanian chiefdoms, as well as their antiquity, has never been established-rendering this political form more apparent than real. Proposed research will remedy this situation by conducting archaeological research at one of the historically documented chiefly seats of power-Parita or Antatara-in the lower La Villa valley on the Azuero Peninsula of Panama.This research builds on a long-term program of investigation sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution and directed by archaeologist, Richard Cooke. Focusing on the hilltop site of Cerro Juan Diaz, Cooke has documented that the site was an important regional center from ca. 200 BC until the period immediately following the Spanish conquest. Current data suggest, however, that the site's function changed through time, from settlement, to ritual center, and then back to settlement. What is not clear is the total size of Cerro Juan Diaz, its relationships with other Pre-Columbian settlements in La Villa valley, and whether or not it was a seat of power within the historically described Parita chiefdom.In order to expand our base of knowledge beyond the hilltop center, Ms Isaza will conduct an archaeological investigation of the lower La Villa valley that will be pursued in three stages: (1) survey and surface collection, (2) remote sensing of subsurface deposits in selected areas, and (3) limited excavation. Within the first stage of survey, topographic maps and commercial-grade aerial photographs will help to guide the survey and to select tracts of land where artifacts will be collected. Archaeological sites, indicated by mounded architecture and the presence of artifacts (primarily sherds, lithics, and worked shell) will be mapped with a hand-held GPS receiver. This phase of field research will yield data relevant to the relative dating of sites (via ceramic style), the presence of site hierarchies (a pattern of one or more large sites surrounded by many small villages), and the presence of locales of specialized production. During the second phase, selected locales will be subjected to a resistivity and a magnetic survey using a GEOHM 3 Resistivity Meter and a Cecium-vapor Gradiometer. These instruments have the potential to detect subsurface anomalies-such as fire hearths, structure walls, and burial pits-which will then be targeted for excavation during the third and final stage of the investigation. Overall, these methods will permit the systematic documentation of the spatial distribution and temporal depth of archaeological remains in the lower La Villa valley. Preliminary reconnaissance and identification of scattered polychrome ceramics, marine shell, and polished manos and metates (grinding stones) suggest that most sites in the valley were occupied between AD 300 and 1300. The observation of sites with dramatically different artifact inventories also suggests the possibility of specialized workshop locales for artisans working within the chiefly realm.This investigation will advance our knowledge of the deep history of Panama in two critical ways. First, this study will establish the first "footprint" of a historically known Panamanian chiefdom by providing a body of physical evidence to complement Colonial chronicles. Second, this investigation will provide seminal evidence with which to evaluate the antiquity of chiefdoms in Panama. That is, if a site hierarchy similar in structure to contact-period settlement patterns can be established for much earlier periods, then it is likely that chiefly governance enjoyed great antiquity in the Central American isthmus. On the other hand, if the distribution of earlier sites is one of dispersed small villages, then an earlier acephalous political organization is more likely. Either way, this investigation will have a profound impact on both anthropological and political theories of the integration of small polities and on the cultural heritage of Panama.

在人类学关于小规模政体中的政治权力的理论中，巴拿马传奇酋长的形象显得尤为突出。 最早记录于16世纪的西班牙征服者，巴拿马的酋长们以热衷于收购和交易异国进口品（尤其是精雕细琢的金饰）而闻名。 尽管人类学对西班牙编年史家的早期历史记载有着明显的兴趣，但巴拿马酋长的“实地”现实以及他们的古老性从未得到确立--这使得这种政治形式比真实的更明显。 拟议中的研究将通过在巴拿马阿苏埃罗半岛的拉维拉山谷下游的一个历史上记载的主要权力中心-帕里塔或安塔塔拉进行考古研究来纠正这种情况。这项研究建立在史密森学会赞助并由考古学家理查德库克指导的长期调查计划的基础上。 库克把注意力集中在塞罗胡安迪亚兹的山顶遗址上，他记录了该遗址是一个重要的区域中心。公元前200年，直到西班牙征服之后。 然而，目前的数据表明，该网站的功能随着时间的推移发生了变化，从定居点，仪式中心，然后回到定居点。 目前尚不清楚的是Cerro Juan迪亚兹的总面积，它与La Villa山谷中其他前哥伦布时期定居点的关系，以及它是否是历史上描述的Parita酋长领地内的权力中心。为了扩大我们的知识基础，超越山顶中心，Isaza女士将对La Villa山谷下游进行考古调查，将分三个阶段进行：（1）调查和表面收集，（2）对选定地区的地下矿床进行遥感，（3）有限的挖掘。 在调查的第一阶段，地形图和商业级航空照片将有助于指导调查，并选择收集文物的土地。 将用手持GPS接收器绘制由土墩式建筑和人工制品（主要是碎片、石器和加工过的贝壳）表示的考古遗址的地图。 这一阶段的实地研究将产生与遗址的相对年代（通过陶瓷风格），遗址等级（一个或多个大型遗址被许多小村庄包围的模式）的存在以及专业生产场所的存在相关的数据。 在第二阶段，将使用GEOHM 3电阻率计和铯蒸汽密度计对选定地点进行电阻率和磁力调查。 这些仪器有可能检测地下异常，如火炉，结构墙，和埋葬坑，然后将有针对性的挖掘在第三和最后阶段的调查。 总体而言，这些方法将允许系统的文件的空间分布和时间深度的考古遗迹在较低的La Villa山谷。 对散落的彩色陶瓷、海洋贝壳、抛光的马诺斯石和金属石（磨石）的初步勘察和鉴定表明，山谷中的大多数遗址都是在公元300年至1300年之间被占领的。 对具有显著不同的人工制品库存的遗址的观察也表明，在主要领域内工作的工匠可能有专门的车间场所。这项调查将从两个关键方面促进我们对巴拿马深厚历史的了解。 首先，这项研究将建立一个历史上已知的巴拿马酋长领地的第一个“足迹”，提供了一个身体的物理证据，以补充殖民地编年史。 其次，这项调查将提供开创性的证据，以评估巴拿马酋长的古老性。 也就是说，如果可以在更早的时期建立结构上与接触时期定居模式相似的遗址等级制度，那么中美洲地峡的主要治理很可能享有悠久的历史。 另一方面，如果早期遗址的分布是一个分散的小村庄，那么更可能是一个早期的无头的政治组织。 无论如何，这项调查将对小政体一体化的人类学和政治理论以及巴拿马的文化遗产产生深远影响。