Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Santiago Tuxtla Archaeological Project

在Christopher A. Pool博士的监督下，Marcie L. Venter将在墨西哥韦拉克鲁斯州的Tuxtla进行考古研究。Totogatl是图克斯特拉的原址，它是托赫特佩克阿兹特克省的主要城镇之一，也是现代圣地亚哥图克斯特拉的早期殖民前身。遗址上可见的遗迹包括几个前哥伦布时期的金字塔丘，以及一座殖民地建筑的石头地基，据信这是一座修道院，是西班牙征服者埃尔南·科尔特斯下令建造的。文特尔的调查将包括绘制遗址地图，系统地收集文物和挖掘关键区域。总之，这些数据集将使她能够确定当地和外国占领的地区，并记录与阿兹特克帝国互动的定居点，工艺生产和人工制品库存的变化。图克斯特拉特别重要，因为它位于阿兹特克帝国的东部边缘。虽然人们对阿兹特克人在墨西哥中部的核心地区有很多了解，但对他们与帝国边境的互动却知之甚少。在其他地方，前资本主义世界的边界互动往往是多维的，有不同程度的控制、和平联盟和抵抗。图克斯特拉可能也是如此，据记载，它曾向阿兹特克帝国进贡，但在当时，它也是一个以商业成功和相对自治而闻名的地区的一部分。此外，据记载，图克斯特拉的一些居民说当地版本的阿兹特克语言纳瓦特尔语，而另一些人说当地的波波卢卡语。文特尔的调查将测试阿兹特克-图斯特拉互动的不同模式，包括(1)阿兹特克对图斯特拉的统治，(2)图斯特拉与阿兹特克帝国的独立和竞争，以及(3)与帝国代表的权力共享。她还将调查图克斯特拉与阿兹特克人的关系是否随着时间的推移在这些选择中发生了变化。了解阿兹特克人和塔克斯特克人如何处理彼此之间的关系，可以帮助我们了解阿兹特克边境其他地方的帝国关系，以及前资本主义边界的总体动态。除了社会科学家感兴趣的研究问题之外，这个项目将通过加强公众对科学的理解产生更广泛的影响，特别是通过它与墨西哥机构正在翻新的Tuxtla地区博物馆的合作。博物馆接待了源源不断的当地居民和学生，以及前往该地区其他考古和生态景点的外国游客。该项目提供的考古标本和教育资源将加强博物馆的收藏和公众宣传活动。此外，该项目将为墨西哥大学学生提供培训机会，并为当地公民提供就业机会。

Under the supervision of Dr. Christopher A. Pool, Marcie L. Venter will conduct archaeological research at Tuxtla, Veracruz, Mexico. Totogatl is the original location of Tuxtla, which was one of the principal towns in the Aztec province of Tochtepec, and the early colonial predecessor to modern Santiago Tuxtla. The visible ruins at the site include several pre-Columbian pyramid mounds, as well as the stone foundations of a colonial building believed to have been a convent, which the Spanish conquistador, Hernan Cortes, ordered to be built. Venter's investigations will consist of mapping the site, conducting systematic surface collections of artifacts and excavating key areas. Together, these sets of data will allow her to identify areas of local and foreign occupation, and to document changes in settlement, craft production, and artifact inventories as a result of interaction with the Aztec Empire.Tuxtla is particularly important because it lay on the eastern edge of the Aztec empire. Whereas a great deal is known about the Aztecs in their core region of central Mexico, interactions with the imperial frontiers are much less understood. Elsewhere, boundary interactions in the precapitalist world were often multidimensional, with different degrees of control, peaceful alliance, and resistance. The same may have been true of Tuxtla, which is recorded as having paid tribute to the Aztec Empire, but which was also part of a region renowned in its time for its commercial success and relative autonomy. In addition, some of Tuxtla's inhabitants are recorded as having spoken a local version of the Aztec language, Nahuatl, while others spoke the indigenous Popoluca language. Venter's investigation will test different models of Aztec-Tuxtla interaction, including (1) Aztec domination of Tuxtla, (2) Tuxtla independence and competition with the Aztec Empire, and (3) sharing of authority with the Empire's representatives. She will also investigate whether Tuxtla's relations with the Aztecs shifted among these alternatives over time. Understanding how the Aztecs and Tuxtecos managed their relationships with one another may provide insights into imperial relations elsewhere on the Aztec frontier and precaptialist boundary dynamics in general.Beyond the research questions of interest to social scientists, this project will have a broader impact by enhancing public understanding of science, particularly through its cooperation with the Tuxtla Regional Museum, which is currently being refurbished by Mexican agencies. The museum hosts a steady stream of local residents and schoolchildren as well as foreign tourists traveling to the region's other archaeological and ecological attractions. Archaeological specimens and educational resources provided by the project will enhance the museum's collections and public outreach activities. In addition, the project will provide training opportunities for students from Mexican universities and employment for local citizens.