The Pachacamac Project: Excavations at Pilgrims' Plaza, 2004-05

在国家科学基金会的支持下，岛田泉和他的专家和学生团队将在秘鲁中部海岸利马市南部著名的前西班牙裔宗教中心帕查卡马克进行两个季节(2004年和2005年)的考古田野调查。帕查卡马克是安第斯地区最受尊敬和最持久的史前宗教/朝圣中心之一，可以说是美洲的麦加。今天，它和马丘比丘一样，是秘鲁最著名和最受欢迎的古迹之一。这个中心强大的守护神甚至也被强大的INKAS所敬畏，他们经常咨询它的神谕。在西班牙征服安第斯世界和强加天主教之后，神被转变为紫色基督，今天继续指挥着利马和周围地区数百万现代居民的狂热虔诚。来自德国、日本、秘鲁和美国的考古学家、植物学家、化学家、历史学家和动物学家参与了这项研究，旨在澄清(1)该中心居民的身份、组织和角色，以及(2)环境条件在其非凡的寿命、韧性和力量中所起的作用。为了实现第一个目标，我们将挖掘帕查卡马克神庙底部附近的三个区域。2003年使用探地雷达(GPR)对该地区进行的调查显示，在1500多年的几乎连续的史前占领期间，存在着被认为是地下6至7米深的住宅和车间的叠加遗迹。2004年，该小组将进行一次补充的探地雷达调查，以增进对埋藏建筑的了解。第二个目标将通过分析从位于帕查卡马克内外的两个小池塘中提取的沉积物岩芯来实现。沉积物叠加层中的花粉、硅藻、沉积物和动植物遗骸的组成和相对频率应该能够重建当地的气候和生态，包括干旱和厄尔尼诺事件的影响。这项研究之所以重要，是因为：(1)它将增进我们对古代宗教中心在社会融合和政治集中中的作用的理解，(2)完善理解其运行和维持的途径，以及(3)阐明宗教中心及其相关意识形态的兴衰与环境条件之间的关系。这项研究在促进国际和跨学科合作以及培养美国和外国学生方面也至关重要。

With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Izumi Shimada and his team ofspecialists and students will conduct two seasons (2004 and 2005) ofarchaeological fieldwork at the famed pre-Hispanic religious center ofPachacamac just south of the city of Lima on the central coast of Peru.Pachacamac was one of the most revered and durable prehistoricreligious/pilgrimage centers in the Andean region, arguably the Mecca ofthe Americas. Today, along with Macchu Picchu, it is one of the best-knownand oft-visited monuments of Peru. The powerful patron deity of this centerwas much feared even by the mighty Inkas, who often consulted its oracle.Following Spanish conquest of the Andean world and the imposition ofCatholicism, the deity was transformed into the Purple Christ andcontinues today to command the fervent devotion of millions of modernresidents of Lima and surrounding areas. With the participation of archaeologists, botanists, chemist, historian, and zoologist from Germany,Japan, Peru and the U.S., this research aims to clarify the (1) identity,organization, and roles of the residents of this center, and (2) the roleenvironmental conditions played in its remarkable longevity, resilience andpower. To attain the first goal, we will excavate three areas near the baseof the sacred Temple of Pachacamac. The 2003 survey of this area usingground-penetrating radar (GPR) revealed the presence of superimposed remainsof what are thought to have been residences and workshops down to depths of6 to 7 m below surface that were built over the 1500 plus years of nearlycontinuous prehistoric occupation. In 2004, the team will conduct a supplementaryGPR survey to improve understanding of buried architecture. The secondaim will be achieved through analysis of sediment cores to be extracted fromthe two small ponds situated within and just outside of Pachacamac.Composition and relative frequencies of pollens, diatoms, sediments, andanimal and plant remains in the superimposed layers of sediments shouldallow reconstruction of local climate and ecology, including the effects ofdroughts and El Nino events. This research is important for a number ofreasons: It will (1) advance our understanding of the role of ancientreligious centers in social integration and political centralization, (2)refine approaches to understanding their operation and maintenance, and (3)elucidate the relationship between the ebb and flow of religious centers andassociated ideology, on the one hand, and environmental conditions, on theother. The research is also critical in promoting international andinter-disciplinary collaboration, as well as the training of American andforeign students.