Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Tepango Valley Archaeological Project

在Christopher A. Pool博士的监督下，Wesley D. Stoner将在墨西哥韦拉克鲁斯州南部的Tepango河谷进行90平方公里的考古调查和人工制品分析。这项研究的主要目的是确定在古典时期（公元300-1000年），这个山谷的居民和邻近的卡特马科山谷之间存在的政治、经济和社会关系的类型。Matacapan是一个位于Catemaco山谷的大型区域政治中心，它有可能与墨西哥中部城市特奥蒂瓦坎（Teotihuacan）相互作用。然而，在邻近的特潘戈山谷的皮卡尤大遗址进行的有限研究没有发现这种关系的证据。因此，对这些相邻山谷的比较可以阐明：1)长距离政策之间的相互作用可能对当地发展产生的潜在影响；2)这个过程如何影响受影响的政体与其邻国之间的关系。该调查将产生定居数据，以评估政治边界，并比较两个河谷的定居内部结构。虽然古代人类住区是根据许多环境和社会问题而被放置在景观上的，但考古学家主要利用这些数据来推断区域政治组织。定居点的模式可以揭示一个区域中心对其附属居民的控制有多强。此外，政治建筑的建筑风格提供了一种比较不同政体统治精英身份的方法。交换关系将通过对工件的技术和成分分析来重建。具体来说，仪器中子活化分析（INAA）将用于检查特潘戈山谷陶器的化学成分。如果这种陶器是由当地无法获得的材料制成的，就可以推断出交换。最后，对人工制品风格的分析将有助于重建河谷内部和河谷之间的社会边界和/或社会互动，包括特奥蒂瓦坎和当地的风格元素。手工工艺品的风格反映了制作它们的工匠的文化。Tepango山谷考古项目通过圣地亚哥Tuxtla的Tuxteco博物馆为国家人类历史研究所和肯塔基大学提供了合作的机会。Tuxteco博物馆接待了稳定的国内外游客和学校团体，目前没有任何关于距离博物馆不到1公里的重要遗址El Picayo的信息。美国国家科学基金会支持的实地和实验室工作还将为一名墨西哥学生考古学家、一名来自美国的学士学位后志愿者和当地公民提供培训和就业机会。这位刚从肯塔基大学毕业的志愿者将把这段经历带进研究生院，并可能把它作为她自己研究的跳板。这项初步研究将为在埃尔皮卡约和特潘戈山谷内的其他地点开展更深入的研究奠定基础，这将为本科生和研究生提供额外的教育和研究机会。最后，研究结果将通过同行评议的期刊文章和会议报告传播给科学界。

Under the supervision of Dr. Christopher A. Pool, Wesley D. Stoner will conduct an archaeological survey, and artifact analyses, of 90-km2 in the Tepango River Valley, southern Veracruz, Mexico. The main objective of this research is to determine the types of political, economic, and social relationships that existed between inhabitants of this valley and the neighboring Catemaco Valley during the Classic period (A.D. 300-1000). Matacapan, a large regional political center situated in the Catemaco Valley, potentially developed in response to interaction with the great central Mexican city of Teotihuacan. However, limited research conducted at the large site of El Picayo in the neighboring Tepango Valley has produced no evidence of such a relationship. A comparison of the of these neighboring valleys can therefore elucidate: 1) the potential effect that interactions between polities over long distances can have on local development; and 2) how this process impacts relationships between the affected polity and their neighbors.The survey will generate settlement data to evaluate political boundaries and compare the internal structure of settlement in both river valleys. While ancient human settlements were placed on the landscape according to many environmental and social concerns, archaeologists have largely used these data to infer regional political organization. The patterning of settlements can reveal how strongly a regional center controls their dependants. Additionally, the architectural styles of political buildings provide a way to compare the identities of the ruling elite in different polities. Exchange relationships will be reconstructed through technological and compositional analyses of artifacts. Specifically, instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) will be used to examine the chemical composition of pottery in the Tepango Valley. If this pottery was made from materials not available locally, exchange can be inferred. Finally, analysis of artifact style will facilitate reconstruction of social boundaries and/or social interaction within and between river valleys, attending both Teotihuacan and local stylistic elements. The style of hand made crafts reflects the culture of the artisan that makes them. The Tepango Valley Archaeological Project offers the chance for collaborations between the Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia and the University of Kentucky via the Museo Tuxteco in Santiago Tuxtla. The Museo Tuxteco, which receives a steady flow of national and international tourists and school groups, does not currently contain any information about the important site of El Picayo, located less than 1 km from the museum. NSF supported field and laboratory work will also provide training and employment opportunities for a Mexican student archaeologist, a post-baccalaureate volunteer from the USA, and local citizens. The volunteer, who recently graduated from the University of Kentucky, will carry this experience into graduate school and possibly use it as a springboard for her own research. This initial study will establish a base to launch more intensive research at El Picayo and other sites within the Tepango Valley, which will provide additional educational and research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students. Finally, the results will be disseminated to the scientific community through peer-review journal articles and presentations at conferences.