The Chunchucmil Regional Economy Program: Phase 11: Trade and Specialized Production

在国家科学基金会的支持下，布鲁斯达林博士和特雷西·雅顿博士将在位于墨西哥尤卡坦半岛的春丘米尔考古遗址进行三个季节的研究。该遗址可追溯到古典玛雅时期，是一个谜，在同时代人中是独一无二的。虽然它是非常大的一个中心，包括约。45公顷，非常单调，缺乏玛雅主要定居点的标志。遗址中心缺乏容易辨认的市民和公共宗教建筑。缺少的是明显的结构，如精心设计和引人注目的卫城和宫殿建筑群，这将暗示行政职能或重点寺庙金字塔，这将有助于提高神圣的权力。遗址中心也缺乏典型的经典玛雅时期雕塑，雕刻和刻有石碑，祭坛，门楣和其他传统玛雅等级制度的装饰。达林和雅顿认为，由于该遗址位于墨西哥湾沿岸（一条活跃的史前晚期和早期历史商业路线），它可能是一个贸易中心，有来自不同玛雅群体的商人飞地，并规范了沿着海岸和内陆的商业。他们和他们的合作者已经在现场进行了初步的绘图和调查，现在将采取后续行动，采取一项重大的实地举措。除了收集基本的时间和空间数据外，该计划还包括测绘和调查、垃圾测试、密集挖掘和古生态学工作。中央6平方公里。并绘制4条10公里长的十字形样带。该小组将对住宅单位、专门生产区、可能的市场和可能的市民区进行分层随机抽样。古生态学工作将包括土壤分析和浮选筛选中的大型植物遗骸，花粉和植硅体材料。实验室分析将包括对陶瓷的分析和对研磨石上淀粉残留物的研究，这将提供饮食方面的见解。虽然相当多的考古研究集中在个别玛雅遗址上，许多小规模的区域系统也被重建，但科学家们并不了解这些个体单位在玛雅文明鼎盛时期结合在一起并相互作用的程度。在接下来的后古典时期，广泛的贸易网络存在，但在前古典时期没有发现。如果Dahlin博士和Adren在他们的假设中认为Chunchucmil是一个多民族的贸易中心，这将为玛雅社会如何运作提供重要的见解。

With National Science Foundation support Drs. Bruce Dahlin and Traci Arden will conduct three seasons of research at the archaeological site of Chunchucmil located in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. Dating to the Classic Maya period, the site is an enigma and unique among its contemporaries. Although it is extremely large with a center encompassing ca. 45 ha, it is remarkably drab and lacks the hallmarks of a major Mayan settlement. The site center lacks easily recognizable civic and public religious architecture. Missing are the obvious structures such as elaborate and conspicuous acropolises and palace complexes which would suggest administrative functions or focal temple pyramids which would serve to enhance sacred power. The site center also lacks typical Classic Mayan period sculpture, carved and inscribed stelae, altars, lintels and other trappings of traditional Mayan hierarchy. Dahlin and Arden believe that because of the site's location near the Gulf Coast (an active late prehistoric and early historic commerce route,) it may have served as a trading center with enclaves of merchants from various Mayan groups and regulated commerce both along the coast and inland. They and their collaborators have conducted preliminary mapping and survey at the site and will now follow up with a major field initiative. In addition to gathering basic temporal and spatial data, the program includes mapping and survey, midden testing, intensive excavation and paleoecological work. The central 6 km sq. and four 10 km long cruciform transects will be mapped. The team will excavate a stratified random sampling program of residential units, specialized production areas, possible marketplaces and possible civic areas. Paleoecological work will include soil analysis and flotation of screened midden materials for macrobotanical remains, pollen and phytoliths. Laboratory analyses will include analyses of ceramics and the search for starch residues on grinding stones which will provide dietary insight.While considerable archaeological research has focused on individual Mayan sites and many small scale regional systems have been reconstructed, scientists do not understand the extent to which these individual units were bound together and interacted during the height of Mayan civilization. In the following Post Classic period extensive trade networks existed but none have been identified during the preceding Classic. If Dr. Dahlin's and Adren in their hypothesis that Chunchucmil was a multi-ethnic trade center, this will provide important insight into how Mayan society functioned.