Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Late and Terminal Classic Power Shifts in Central Yucatan: The View from Popola

博士论文改进补助金：尤卡坦半岛中部晚期和最终的经典权力转移：波波拉的观点

• 批准号: 1103533
• 负责人: E. Wyllys Andrews
• 金额: $ 2万
• 依托单位: Tulane University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-02-15 至 2012-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1103533&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Improvement; Grant; Late

Scott Johnson, a graduate student at Tulane University under the direction of Dr. E. Wyllys Andrews V, will undertake an archaeological study of the small site of Popola, Yucatan, Mexico. Although Popola is small, it is near the large site of Chichen Itza and will likely provide information about how the larger site's political power affected the region. Chichen Itza became the most powerful political center of the northern Yucatan Peninsula in the late 800s or early 900s CE. Around the year 900 CE, Chichen Itza is believed to have defeated the site of Yaxuna, a large regional center located 18 km SSW of Chichen Itza. The pattern of artifacts, architecture, and iconography at Yaxuna and Chichen Itza are quite different. Popola, which likely interacted with Yaxuna and Chichen Itza, should provide important clues as to how this change of political power affected the region's small sites and the average person. Artifacts and architectural information will be gathered by excavations of structures and should produce a picture of changing regional interactions as Chichen Itza grew in importance.To help organize and interpret the data collected at Popola, Johnson will examine research questions in terms of community organization. Communities are central units of study in anthropology and archaeology because they are identifiable social groups. Communities often share traits, such as beliefs, subsistence practices, architectural ideals, construction techniques, and artifact types. By identifying and tracing the change of the community at Popola, it will be possible to identify major changes associated with changes in the regional power structure. In the past, questions of politics and power have been focused on the elite segments of society: rulers and power-brokers. Although the individuals at Popola had little influence on Chichen Itza's rise to power, they would have been affected by the choices and actions of the new capital's rulers and elite. Research at Popola is concentrated on understanding how the non-elite portions of society, such as farmers, potters, and small-time tradesmen, fared during this time.The archaeological project at Popola is committed to maintaining its positive relationship with the modern pueblo of Popola and continuing to support the training of other graduate students. For the last three years, archaeological work at the site of Popola has been supported by the local town of the same name. The project has become a major source of income for modern Popola, as the entire workforce is drawn from the local community. Project members are encouraged to discuss with workers the research process and how their labor helps illuminate the history of their town, region, and culture. The project holds town meetings throughout the season to explain what has been accomplished and learned from the work at the site. Over three years, seven students have been taught field methods such as surveying, mapping, and excavation at Popola, a tradition that will be continued in the 2011 season. The project at Popola is focused not only on research goals but also the education of professionals and the local community.

杜兰大学研究生斯科特·约翰逊 (Scott Johnson) 在 E. Wyllys Andrews V 博士的指导下，将对墨西哥尤卡坦半岛波波拉 (Popola) 小型遗址进行考古研究。 尽管波波拉很小，但它靠近奇琴伊察的大型遗址，并且可能会提供有关较大遗址的政治权力如何影响该地区的信息。 奇琴伊察在公元 800 年代末或 900 年代初成为尤卡坦半岛北部最强大的政治中心。 据信，公元 900 年左右，奇琴伊察击败了亚苏纳 (Yaxuna) 遗址，这是一个位于奇琴伊察西南偏南 18 公里处的大型区域中心。 亚苏纳和奇琴伊察的文物、建筑和图像图案截然不同。 波波拉可能与亚苏纳和奇琴伊察有过互动，应该提供重要线索，说明这种政治权力的变化如何影响该地区的小遗址和普通人。 文物和建筑信息将通过挖掘建筑物来收集，并应产生一幅随着奇琴伊察的重要性日益增长而变化的区域相互作用的图景。为了帮助组织和解释在波波拉收集的数据，约翰逊将从社区组织方面研究研究问题。 社区是人类学和考古学研究的中心单位，因为它们是可识别的社会群体。 社区通常具有共同的特征，例如信仰、生存实践、建筑理想、施工技术和文物类型。 通过识别和追踪波波拉社区的变化，将有可能识别与区域权力结构变化相关的重大变化。 过去，政治和权力问题一直集中在社会精英阶层：统治者和权力掮客。 尽管波波拉的个人对奇琴伊察的崛起影响不大，但他们会受到新首都统治者和精英的选择和行动的影响。 波波拉的研究重点是了解农民、陶工和小商人等社会非精英阶层在这一时期的生活状况。波波拉的考古项目致力于保持与波波拉现代普韦布洛的积极关系，并继续支持其他研究生的培训。 在过去的三年里，波波拉遗址的考古工作得到了当地同名城镇的支持。 该项目已成为现代 Popola 的主要收入来源，因为所有劳动力都来自当地社区。 鼓励项目成员与工作人员讨论研究过程以及他们的劳动如何帮助阐明他们的城镇、地区和文化的历史。 该项目在整个季节举行城镇会议，解释现场工作所取得的成就和经验教训。 三年来，波波拉 (Popola) 向七名学生教授了测量、制图和挖掘等实地方法，这一传统将在 2011 年延续。 Popola 的项目不仅关注研究目标，还关注专业人士和当地社区的教育。