Emergence of the Tarascan State: The Urichu, Xaracuaro and Pareo Polities

在国家科学基金会的支持下，海伦·波拉德博士将在墨西哥中西部高地的帕茨夸罗湖盆地进行两个考古季节的实地研究。这个项目延续了以前的工作，旨在记录塔拉斯坎国家的崛起和性质，出现在后古典时期(公元900-1520)。尽管塔拉斯坎帝国在欧洲接触时是第二大和最强大的国家，但可获得的考古数据非常少，目前所知的大部分都属于传说领域。波拉德博士将关注精英在国家崛起中的作用，并将确定在与国家崛起相关的政治和经济转型期间，这一群体可获得的人口、经济和政治资源。为实现这些目标，该项目将：对该地区进行100%的地面调查，包括与农业有关的地区；在较大的中心进行有限的试掘；制作详细的地图；对调查区域内的所有考古材料进行实地实验室分析。在此基础上，应该有可能：确定人口规模和住区性质的变化；确定土地资源利用的位置和潜在意义；确定不同中心内精英社会认同的变化以及社会边界随时间的变化。塔拉斯坎州的特点是将三个不同的政治实体合并为一个集团。波拉德博士曾假设，造成这种情况的原因在于环境变化，这导致了干旱和可用农田压力的增加。因此，她希望研究气候变化的进程和人类的反应。考古证据表明，精英社会群体的出现与复杂社会的发展密切相关，塔拉斯坎案件为研究这段环境变迁之前、期间和之后的精英行为提供了机会，并融入了更大的国家。这项研究之所以重要，有几个原因。它将提供许多考古学家感兴趣的数据。它将增加我们对环境变化和社会复杂性发展之间的关系的理解，并为将参与该项目的学生提供培训。

With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Helen Pollard will conduct two field seasons of archaeological research in the Lake Patzcuaro basin in the west-central highlands of Mexico. This project follows on previous work designed to document the rise and nature of the Tarascan state which emerged during the Postclassic period (AD 900-1520). Despite the fact that the Tarascan Empire was the second largest and most powerful state at the time of European contact, extremely little archaeological data is available and most of what is currently known falls within the realm of legend. Dr.Pollard will focus attention on the role of elites in state emergence and will determine the demographic, economic and political resources available to this group during the period of political and economic transformation associated with the emergence of the state. To accomplish these goals the project will: conduct a 100% surface survey of the region, including agriculturally related areas; conduct limited test excavations at larger centers; produce detailed maps; conduct field laboratory analysis of all archaeological material within the survey region. On this basis it should be possible to: determine changes in population size and the nature of settlements; determine the location and potential significance in the use of agrarian resources; determine changes in elite social identification within different centers and changes in social boundaries over time. The Tarascan state is marked by the incorporation of three distinct political entities into a single group. Dr. Pollard has hypothesized that the reason for this rests with environmental changes which resulted in drought and increased pressure on available agricultural lands. She thus wishes to examine the process of climate change and human response. Archaeological evidence indicates that the emergence of elite social groups is closely tied to the development of complex societies and the Tarascan case offers the opportunity to study elite behavior before during and after this period of environmental fluxuation and incorporation into the larger state. This research is important for several reasons. It will provide data of interest to many archaeologists. It will increase our understanding of the relationship between environmental change and the development of social complexity and provide training for the students who will participate in the project.