The Pachacamac Project: Excavations at Pilgrims' Plaza, 2004-05

在国家科学基金会的支持下，Izumi Shimada博士和他的专家和学生团队将在秘鲁中部海岸利马市南部著名的前西班牙宗教中心pachacamac进行两季（2004年和2005年）的考古实地考察。帕查卡马克是安第斯地区最受尊敬和最持久的史前宗教/朝圣中心之一，可以说是美洲的麦加。今天，它与马丘比丘一样，是秘鲁最著名和最受欢迎的古迹之一。这个中心强大的守护神甚至连强大的印加人都非常害怕，他们经常咨询它的神谕。在西班牙人征服安第斯世界和天主教的强制推行之后，这位神被变成了紫基督，直到今天仍然指挥着利马及其周边地区数百万现代居民的狂热崇拜。在来自德国、日本、秘鲁和美国的考古学家、植物学家、化学家、历史学家和动物学家的参与下，本研究旨在澄清(1)该中心居民的身份、组织和角色，以及(2)环境条件在其非凡的长寿、恢复力和力量中所起的作用。为了实现第一个目标，我们将挖掘帕查卡马克神庙底部附近的三个区域。2003年使用探地雷达（GPR）对该地区进行的调查显示，在地表以下6至7米深处，存在被认为是住宅和车间的叠加遗迹，这些遗迹是在1500多年来几乎连续的史前占领期间建造的。在二零零四年，该小组将进行一项辅助探地雷达调查，以加深对地下建筑的了解。第二个目标将通过分析从帕查卡马克内外的两个小池塘中提取的沉积物岩心来实现。沉积物叠合层中的花粉、硅藻、沉积物和动植物残骸的组成和相对频率应该能够重建当地的气候和生态，包括干旱和厄尔尼诺事件的影响。这项研究的重要性在于：它将(1)促进我们对古代宗教中心在社会整合和政治集中中的作用的理解，(2)完善理解其运作和维护的方法，以及(3)阐明宗教中心和相关意识形态的兴衰与环境条件之间的关系。这项研究对促进国际和跨学科合作以及培养美国和外国学生也至关重要。

With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Izumi Shimada and his team ofspecialists and students will conduct two seasons (2004 and 2005) ofarchaeological fieldwork at the famed pre-Hispanic religious center ofPachacamac just south of the city of Lima on the central coast of Peru.Pachacamac was one of the most revered and durable prehistoricreligious/pilgrimage centers in the Andean region, arguably the Mecca ofthe Americas. Today, along with Macchu Picchu, it is one of the best-knownand oft-visited monuments of Peru. The powerful patron deity of this centerwas much feared even by the mighty Inkas, who often consulted its oracle.Following Spanish conquest of the Andean world and the imposition ofCatholicism, the deity was transformed into the Purple Christ andcontinues today to command the fervent devotion of millions of modernresidents of Lima and surrounding areas. With the participation of archaeologists, botanists, chemist, historian, and zoologist from Germany,Japan, Peru and the U.S., this research aims to clarify the (1) identity,organization, and roles of the residents of this center, and (2) the roleenvironmental conditions played in its remarkable longevity, resilience andpower. To attain the first goal, we will excavate three areas near the baseof the sacred Temple of Pachacamac. The 2003 survey of this area usingground-penetrating radar (GPR) revealed the presence of superimposed remainsof what are thought to have been residences and workshops down to depths of6 to 7 m below surface that were built over the 1500 plus years of nearlycontinuous prehistoric occupation. In 2004, the team will conduct a supplementaryGPR survey to improve understanding of buried architecture. The secondaim will be achieved through analysis of sediment cores to be extracted fromthe two small ponds situated within and just outside of Pachacamac.Composition and relative frequencies of pollens, diatoms, sediments, andanimal and plant remains in the superimposed layers of sediments shouldallow reconstruction of local climate and ecology, including the effects ofdroughts and El Nino events. This research is important for a number ofreasons: It will (1) advance our understanding of the role of ancientreligious centers in social integration and political centralization, (2)refine approaches to understanding their operation and maintenance, and (3)elucidate the relationship between the ebb and flow of religious centers andassociated ideology, on the one hand, and environmental conditions, on theother. The research is also critical in promoting international andinter-disciplinary collaboration, as well as the training of American andforeign students.