Doctoral Dissertation Research: Social Change in Pre-Columbian San Ramon de Alajuela, Costa Rica, and Its Relation with Adjacent Regions

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Under the supervision of Dr. Robert D. Drennan, Mauricio Murillo-Herrera will carry out a regional systematic survey in San Ramon de Alajuela, Costa Rica, to explore the role of interregional relationships in the sociopolitical development of the precolumbian societies of the region. Connections between regions within Central America and with regions outside Central America have been a major research focus in Central America archaeology. The actual impact that these interregional relationships had on the processes of social change, however, is highly controversial. While some argue strongly that the course of prehistoric social development was pervasively affected by interregional relationships, others recognize the existence of contacts, but argue that their sociopolitical impact was very weak, compared to that of very local factors.What is written on the archaeology of Mesoamerica, the Andes, and Central America makes interregional relationships seem much more important forces of change for Central America than for its neighbors. This impression might arise because interregional relationships actually were more important in Central America, but one worries that it is due only to the fact that local processes have not been as fully investigated in Central America as they have been elsewhere. Mr. Murillo's research will help evaluate the role of interregional relationships in the dynamic of prehistoric social change in Central America. In particular, it focuses on the relative weight of interregional relationships as compared to that of purely local factors. San Ramon de Alajuela has been chosen because it is situated among several better-known regions, and fuller knowledge of the nature and timing of social transformations there will especially facilitate the kinds of comparisons that are the key to determining whether the trajectories of social change in these regions are linked together or operate largely independently of each other. Determining the local or interregional scale at which the forces of prehistoric social change were most strongly felt will provide focus for future research aimed at further delineation of the nature of the factors that led to the emergence of prehistoric chiefdoms across Central America.This research will have broader impact beyond its social science aims as well. It will be a crucial element in the training of the doctoral candidate, and it will further the training of Costa Rican students who will participate in the fieldwork. It will also provide documentation of cultural remains currently threatened with destruction by agricultural development, and will strengthen ties of international scholarly collaboration, since it will cooperate closely with research efforts in the region by the Universidad de Costa Rica. Public outreach associated with the project will enhance the level of public understanding of science in San Ramon communities. These outreach efforts will include school visits, and collaboration with the local museum.