Archaeological Survey in the Mountains of Oaxaca, Mexico

史蒂芬·科瓦列夫斯基博士和劳拉·芬斯顿博士将对墨西哥南部瓦哈卡山谷和诺奇克斯特兰山谷毗邻的约1000平方公里的山区进行区域考古调查。他们将试图定位和描述所有重要的考古遗址，以及环境背景(地形、土壤、水、植被等)。他们中的一员。然后，这些遗址将使用相邻山谷中现有的陶瓷年代学进行年代测定。陶器和石器将被收集和分析，以提供随着时间的推移不断变化的生活方式和政治派别的信息。虽然这一山区的考古学并不为人所知，但在毗邻的瓦哈卡山谷和诺基斯特兰山谷进行了多年的广泛研究。在这两个地方，都出现了大规模的独立政治，其影响力扩大到包括周边地区。然而，这两个项目如何相互作用还不是很清楚，而且由于本项目将侧重于中间区域，因此它应该提供这种信息。它将允许更广泛的宏观区域分析，并填补调查项目中的一个重要空白，该项目取得了巨大成功，已持续多年。尽管山区具有潜在的重要性，但在过去的工作中，不仅在墨西哥，而且在世界许多地区，山区都被忽视了。如此复杂的地形使系统的调查变得困难。网站也可能很难找到。科瓦列夫斯基和芬斯顿博士开发的方法可能适用于许多其他地区。这项研究之所以重要，有几个原因。首先，它将填补考古地图上的一个重大空白。其次，它将测试一种新的调查技术，具有潜在的广泛适用性。最后，它将为复杂社会的崛起和相互作用提供新的见解。在对这种状态的考察中，考古学家倾向于将注意力集中在“心脏地带”上。通过检查“边缘”，这项研究提供了必要的纠正方法。

Drs. Stephen Kowalewski and Laura Finsten will conduct a regional archaeological survey of approximately 1000 square kilometers of mountainous land adjoining the Valleys of Oaxaca and Nochixtlan in southern Mexico. They will attempt to locate and describe all substantial archaeological sites, as well as the environmental contexts (topography, soils, water, vegetation, etc.) of them. These sites will then be dated using existing ceramic chronologies from adjacent valleys. Pottery and stone artifacts will be collected and analyzed to provide information on changing lifestyles and political affiliation over time. While the archeology of this mountainous region is not well known, extensive work has been conducted over many years in the adjoining Oaxaca and Nochixtlan Valleys. In both, large independent polities arose, and their influence expanded to encompass surrounding areas. However, how the two interacted with each other is not well understood, and because the present project will focus on the intervening region, it should provide such information. It will permit a broader level of macroregional analysis and fill an important gap in a survey project which, with great success, has continued for many years. While of potential importance, mountainous regions have been slighted in past work not only in Mexico but in many regions of the world. Such difficult terrain makes systematic survey difficult. Sites also can be hard to find. The methodology which Drs. Kowalewski and Finsten have developed may be applicable in many other regions. This research is important for several reasons. First, it will fill a major blank in the archaeological map. Secondly, it will test a new survey technique of potential widespread utility. Finally, it will provide new insight into the rise and interactions among complex societies. In the examination of such states archaeologists have tended to focus attention on the "heartlands." By examining the "edges" this research provides a needed corrective.