Human Ecology of the Rio Verde Drainage Basin, Oaxaca, Mexico

在美国国家科学基金会的支持下，亚瑟·乔伊斯博士和他的合作者将在墨西哥瓦哈卡州的里约热内卢verde流域进行一个考古和古生态学的实地研究季节。河流的上游流域位于瓦哈卡高原，起源于见证了阿尔班山崛起的山谷，阿尔班山是中美洲最大和最复杂的史前国家之一。在它的下游，佛得角河穿过沿海平原，流入太平洋。在之前对低地地区的研究中，乔伊斯博士注意到，与墨西哥太平洋沿岸的许多其他地区相比，公元前500年之前的居住极为稀少。公元前500年以后，人口密度和土地利用程度急剧增加。乔伊斯博士对这一现象提出了环境方面的解释。他注意到，就在低地扩张之前，有一段明显的严重高地侵蚀期，他认为这是由于蓬勃发展的高地群体为农业生产清理了大片地区而造成的森林砍伐。他认为，上游的沉积物沉积在下游，从而增加了沿海平原的肥力。这反过来又促进了低地人口密度的增加。尽管考古学家和古生态学家多年来已经认识到史前中美洲农业对环境有重大的负面影响，但这个里约热内卢Verde案例特别有趣，因为它具有广泛的区域规模，而且高地退化可能在低海拔地区产生相反的影响。该地区为研究人类与环境相互作用的复杂性提供了一个极好的案例。乔伊斯博士和他的同事将进行协调的环境和考古研究。在里约热内卢Verde上游，考古序列是众所周知的，该小组将重点收集地质和生态数据。他们将检查河流切口，以建立地质序列。他们还将收集花粉以监测植被变化。利用这些数据，应该可以重建侵蚀时间和顺序，并确定气候和人为因素的相对输入。在沿海地区，研究包括考古和环境两个部分。通过一系列岩心，研究土壤形成，重建古海岸线。考古地表调查与聚落挖掘相结合，将有助于深入了解人口规模和社会复杂性随时间的变化。这项研究很重要，因为它为史前人类与环境的相互作用提供了一个极好的案例研究。在中美洲，人口增长和复杂性增加（或减少）的时间因地区而异，乔伊斯博士的研究应该能深入了解潜在的原因。

With National Science Foundation support Dr. Arthur Joyce and his collaborators will conduct one field season of archaeological and paleoecological research in the Rio Verde drainage in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. The upper watershed of the river is situated in the Oaxaca highlands and derive from valleys which witnessed the rise of Monte Alban, one of the largest and most complex prehistoric Mesoamerican states. In its lower reaches the Rio Verde crosses the coastal plain and empties into the Pacific Ocean. In prior research in the lowland region, Dr. Joyce has noted that before 500 B.C. habitation is extremely scarce in contrast to many other areas along the Pacific coast of Mexico. After 500 B.C. population density and degree of land utilization increase dramatically. Dr. Joyce has suggested an environmental explanation for this phenomenon. He has noted an apparent period of heavy upland erosion just prior to the lowland expansion and believes it was caused by deforestation as burgeoning highland groups cleared extensive areas for agricultural production. Upstream sediments were deposited, he believes, downstream thereby increasing the fertility of the coastal plain. This in turn fostered an increase in lowland population density. Although archaeologists and paleoecologists have recognized for many years that prehistoric Mesoamerican agriculture had major negative environmental impacts, this Rio Verde case is particularly interesting because of its broad regional scale and the possibility that upland degradation had just the opposite effect at lower altitudes. The region provides an excellent case study into the complexity of human environment interaction. Dr. Joyce and his colleagues will conduct coordinated environmental and archaeological studies. In the Rio Verde headwaters the archaeological sequence is well known and the team will focus on the collection of geological and ecological data. They will examine river cuts to construct a geological sequence. They will also collect pollen to monitor vegetation change. With these data it should be possible to reconstruct erosional timing and sequence and determine the relative inputs of climatically and humanly induced factors. In the coastal area the research includes both archaeological and environmental components. Through a series of cores, soil formation will be studied and paloecoastline reconstructed. Archaeological surface survey combined with settlement excavation will provide insight into the changes in population size and social complexity over time. This research is important because it with provide an excellent case study in prehistoric human-environmental interaction. The timing of population growth and increase (and decrease) in complexity varies from region to region in Middle America and Dr. Joyce's research should provide insight into potential causes.