Archaeological Survey of Coistlahuaca

史蒂芬·科瓦列夫斯基博士将在墨西哥进行考古田野工作，研究古代人口增长、崩溃和环境退化。这项工作将解决以下问题：高人口密度是否导致了环境的破坏(主要是由于土壤侵蚀)，或者恰恰相反，高人口实际上维持了稳定的地貌，是被遗弃和随之而来的缺乏维护导致了环境退化？Coixtlahuaca的研究区域至关重要，因为它是一个重要的领悟王国，一个农业粮仓，一个在中美洲享有盛誉的贸易中心，以及一个被阿兹特克人征服的省份。它在考古学上鲜为人知。以前对附近地区的考古研究表明，大约在公元1年左右，人口减少，一些地方被遗弃，大约在公元600年左右，几个地区出现了大规模的遗弃，就在西班牙征服之前(公元1521年)，人口水平非常高。根据研究小组在2008年和2009年进行的试点研究，Coixtlahuaca可能经历了类似的增长和崩溃周期。该项目将研究增长和遗弃，不仅是在上一次人口高峰和殖民时期的崩溃，还包括之前的两次收缩：早期的人口增长是否导致了环境退化，或者在被遗弃之前，景观是否相对稳定？该项目将使用来自多个学科的方法来衡量人口、土地利用和环境变化。地貌学将描述山坡侵蚀和谷底沉积的循环。非破坏性的地球物理和地球化学技术将有助于追踪掩埋地点和估计人口密度。该项目将对整个Coixtlahuaca盆地(约400平方米)进行系统的考古调查。英里)，以找到所有可见的居住地和其他地点。该项目将使用放射性碳、光激发发光和陶瓷式年代测定方法。该项目将系统收集数百个以前未知的考古遗址的数据，其中许多遗址规模很大，保存完好。这些信息将在很长一段时间内对文化遗产管理以及评估新的科学假设有用。该项目还将就区域调查、地球物理应用和当地社区关系的现行标准对年轻考古学家进行培训。这项研究将回应当地公民对科伊斯特拉瓦卡和米克斯特卡阿尔塔的人民和环境历史的极大兴趣。

Dr. Stephen Kowalewski will conduct archaeological fieldwork in Mexico to study ancient population growth, collapse, and environmental degradation. The work will address the following question: did high population density lead to the destruction of the environment (chiefly though soil erosion), or was it the opposite, that high populations actually maintained a stable landscape and that it was abandonment and the consequent lack of maintenance that led to environmental degradation? The study area of Coixtlahuaca is crucial because it was a major prehispanic kingdom, an agricultural breadbasket, a trading center of Mesoamerica-wide renown, and a province conquered by the Aztecs. It is little-known archaeologically. Previous archaeological studies of nearby regions show a slow-down and some local abandonments about 1 AD, a major abandonment in several areas about AD 600, and very high population levels just before the Spanish conquest (AD 1521). Based on the pilot studies by the research team in 2008 and 2009, Coixtlahuaca may have gone through similar cycles of growth and collapse. The project will study growth and abandonment, not just at the last population peak and the Colonial-period collapse, but for the two earlier contractions: Did population growth in those earlier times lead to degradation of the environment or was the landscape relatively stable until abandonment? The project will use methods from multiple disciplines to measure population, land use, and environmental change. Geomorphology will describe cycles of hillside erosion and valley-floor deposition. Non-destructive geophyscial and geochemical techniques will aid in tracing buried sites and in estimating population density. The project will carry out a systematic archaeological survey of the whole Coixtlahuaca basin (about 400 sq. miles) to find all visible habitation and other sites. The project will use radiocarbon, optically stimulated luminescence, and ceramic style dating.This project will result in systematically collected data on hundreds of previously unknown archaeological sites, many of them large and well preserved. This information will be useful for a long for cultural heritage management as well as for evaluating new scientific hypotheses. The project will also train young archaeologists in current standards for regional survey, geophysical applications, and local community relations. The study will respond to the considerable interest among local citizens in the history of the people and the environment in Coixtlahuaca and the Mixteca Alta.