Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Indigenous Responses to Colonialism at Achiutla, Oaxaca, Mexico

博士论文改进补助金：墨西哥瓦哈卡州阿丘特拉的土著对殖民主义的反应

• 批准号: 1158651
• 负责人: Arthur Joyce
• 金额: $ 1.94万
• 依托单位: University of Colorado at Boulder
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-01-01 至 2014-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1158651&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Improvement; Grant; Indigenous

Under the direction of Dr. Arthur Joyce, Mr. Jamie Forde will conduct archaeological excavations of households at the site of Achiutla, Oaxaca, Mexico. These date to the Early Colonial period (A.D. 1521-1600). Achiutla is located in the western highlands of the modern state of Oaxaca, in the region known as the Mixteca Alta, which has been inhabited by speakers of the Mixtec language since early pre-Hispanic times. Just prior to the Spanish conquest, Achiutla was known to have been one of the most sacred sites in the region - it was believed to have been the home of a solar oracle, and indigenous nobles from throughout the Mixteca Alta and beyond made religious pilgrimage there. Shortly after the conquest, Spanish missionaries took up residence at the site and aggressively sought to eliminate pre-Hispanic religious practice. Historical records suggest that conflict broke out at times between native residents of the site and the clergy, yet we have little sense of how this abrupt shift in social dynamics affected indigenous peoples' daily lives. The Achiutla Archaeological Project (AAP) will shed light on this issue, examining how aspects of native lifeways changed or were maintained amidst this rather dramatic upheaval. Results are expected to contribute to broader social scientific understandings of the effects of culture contact and colonialism, and long-term processes of cultural change.Although archaeological in nature the research is relevant to the present day in which similar disparities exist between adjacent political entities. Understanding such interactions provide insight into the bonds which hold states together and the forces which undermine unity. In many societies religion plays an important role in either establishing social bonds or the reverse. At Achiutla religious interaction was a major factor making the site a particularly appropriate study venue. Archaeological data because of the long term perspective they can provide allows researchers to track such interactions across periods which may span multiple centuries.Archaeological investigations at Achiutla will entail careful excavations of indigenous residential areas, examining aspects of day-to-day life that are largely unaccounted for in historical records. Attention will particularly focus on three main categories of daily activity: 1) household craft production, 2) consumption of trade goods and foodstuffs, and 3) domestic ritual practice. Depending on the type of activity under consideration, native residents may have variously accepted, resisted, or otherwise adapted to new demands imposed by the Spanish. Careful recovery of material data and subsequent analyses will allow for detailed reconstruction of indigenous lifeways and social change at colonial Achiutla. Such insights, based on material evidence, will not only help fill in gaps in the historical record, but also serve as a potential check against biases in such documents as well, providing a more holistic and objective account of how the Spanish conquest was experienced by natives of Mesoamerica. Data from Achiutla will also be compared to other colonial contexts throughout Mesoamerica and beyond, to examine broader patterns and variability in local responses to colonialism.The AAP is designed to have impacts beyond the academic arena. Not only will the project assist in the graduate training of Forde, but also local residents of the modern town of Achiutla will assist with excavations, and be trained in archaeological research methods. The project will collaborate closely with local authorities seeking to raise awareness of the community's history and preserve its cultural patrimony. Community outreach will be undertaken, as Forde will give public talks in Achiutla and give tours of the site as the excavations progress. Results will not only be disseminated in scholarly literature, but also in more accessible forms designed specifically for residents of the local community, and via the internet for any and all interested parties.

在亚瑟乔伊斯博士的指导下，杰米福尔德先生将在墨西哥瓦哈卡的阿丘特拉遗址进行家庭考古发掘。这些日期到早期殖民时期（公元1521-1600）。阿丘特拉位于现代瓦哈卡州的西部高地，在被称为米斯特卡阿尔塔的地区，自早期前西班牙时代以来，米斯特卡语的使用者一直居住在该地区。就在西班牙征服之前，阿丘特拉被认为是该地区最神圣的地方之一-它被认为是太阳神谕的所在地，来自米斯特卡阿尔塔和其他地区的土著贵族在那里进行宗教朝圣。征服后不久，西班牙传教士在该地点定居，并积极寻求消除前西班牙裔的宗教习俗。历史记录表明，该遗址的土著居民与神职人员之间有时会爆发冲突，但我们对这种社会动态的突然转变如何影响土著人民的日常生活几乎一无所知。Achiutla考古项目（AAP）将揭示这个问题，研究土著生活方式的各个方面如何在这场相当戏剧性的剧变中改变或保持。结果预计将有助于更广泛的文化接触和殖民主义的影响，以及文化变迁的长期进程的社会科学的理解。虽然考古性质的研究是相关的今天，在相邻的政治实体之间存在类似的差距。理解这种相互作用有助于深入了解将国家团结在一起的纽带和破坏团结的力量。在许多社会中，宗教在建立社会联系或建立社会联系方面发挥着重要作用。在Achiutla宗教互动是一个主要因素，使该网站成为一个特别合适的研究场所。考古数据可以提供长期的视角，使研究人员能够追踪可能跨越多个世纪的时期之间的这种相互作用。Achiutla的考古调查将需要仔细挖掘土著居民区，研究历史记录中基本上没有考虑到的日常生活方面。将特别关注三大类日常活动：1）家庭手工艺生产，2）贸易商品和食品消费，3）家庭仪式实践。根据所考虑的活动类型，当地居民可能会以不同的方式接受，抵制或以其他方式适应西班牙人强加的新要求。仔细恢复材料数据和随后的分析将允许详细重建土著生活方式和社会变革在殖民Achiutla。这种基于物证的见解不仅有助于填补历史记录中的空白，而且还可以作为对这些文件中偏见的潜在检查，为中美洲土著人如何经历西班牙征服提供更全面和客观的描述。来自Achiutla的数据也将与整个中美洲及其他地区的其他殖民背景进行比较，以研究当地对殖民主义的反应中更广泛的模式和变化。AAP旨在产生超越学术竞技场的影响。该项目不仅将协助福尔德的研究生培训，而且现代城镇Achiutla的当地居民将协助挖掘，并接受考古研究方法的培训。该项目将与地方当局密切合作，努力提高对社区历史的认识，保护其文化遗产。社区外联将进行，因为福尔德将在Achiutla举行公开演讲，并随着挖掘的进展图尔斯遗址。研究结果不仅将以学术文献的形式传播，而且还将以更容易获得的形式传播，这些形式是专门为当地社区居民设计的，并通过互联网向任何和所有感兴趣的各方传播。