High Risk Archaeological Reconnaissance of Unconquered Maya Settlements in Lowland Peten, Guatemala, and Chiapas, Mexico

乔尔·帕尔卡博士和来自墨西哥、危地马拉和美国的同事将在美国国家科学基金会的资助下寻找未被征服的玛雅人的考古遗址。西班牙征服者报告说，从16世纪到19世纪，在墨西哥恰帕斯州的热带雨林和邻近的危地马拉的佩滕地区发现了自由的玛雅人，但与他们的接触有限。这些玛雅人居住在广阔的低地地区，对欧洲人来说吸引力不大，因此他们一直被隔离在偏远的村庄里。这些玛雅人奉行自己的土著宗教和习俗，他们与逃离西班牙统治的低地的其他玛雅人互动。然而，人们对未被征服的玛雅人知之甚少，也没有关于他们的生活如何受到征服影响的信息。由于很少有关于未被征服的玛雅人的记录，考古学是了解他们的社会及其如何转变的唯一手段。这个项目在历史上和智力上都很重要，因为人类学家试图审视殖民地边界以外的社会。很少有人听说过未被征服的玛雅人，因为他们关注的是殖民地地区，因为他们的地区被视为“无人居住”。考古学家将研究有多少自由的玛雅人存在过，他们在这里呆了多久，以及他们是如何受到他们领土边缘的外国入侵者的影响的。他们不仅会在一个人烟稀少的地区发现考古遗址，还会提供新的数据，解释这里是如何感受西方商品、疾病和生活方式的传入的。从理论上讲，未被征服的玛雅人基本上没有受到西班牙征服的影响。他们很可能生活在大型定居点，政治领袖们从事战争、仪式和地区间贸易。西班牙人表示，自由的玛雅人位于河流和湖泊附近，该项目将开始调查有历史悠久的玛雅村庄的湖泊附近的遗址。墨西哥的纳加湖和门萨巴克湖以及危地马拉的特克斯科科和波隆查克的遗址将被挖掘出来，以确定它们的大小和日期。研究人员还将观察他们的居民是依赖当地的石器和陶瓷，还是广泛交易金属工具和欧洲陶器。这项研究的广泛影响是众多和重要的。它将汇集来自不同国家和机构的核心专业人员和学生，他们将继续共同努力。项目成员有机会了解拉丁美洲并参与国际合作。他们将以英文和西班牙文在学术和公共论坛上发表文章。研究生和本科生将接受人类学和考古学的培训，并在科学和文化多样化的环境中开始他们的职业生涯。项目成员还将与未被征服的玛雅人的后裔一起工作和生活，并将从这些土著人民那里获得宝贵的见解。这些玛雅人也将通过研究项目了解他们的历史和遗产。此外，研究区域位于墨西哥和危地马拉的公园，吸引了众多游客，他们将了解这些神秘的热带雨林人民，以及他们如何在其他土著社会消失后幸存下来。

Dr. Joel Palka and colleagues from Mexico, Guatemala, and the United States will search for archaeological sites of unconquered Maya with funding from the National Science Foundation. The Spanish conquerors reported free Maya in the rainforests of Chiapas, Mexico, and in adjacent Peten, Guatemala, from the 16th to the 19th centuries, but there was limited contact with them. These Maya resided in a vast lowland zone considered less attractive for European settlement, thus they remained isolated in their remote villages. These Maya practiced their native religion and customs, and they interacted with other Maya in the lowlands fleeing Spanish rule. However, little is known about the unconquered Maya and there is no information on how their lives were affected by the conquest. Since there are few records concerning the unconquered Maya, archaeology is the only means to acquire insights into their society and how it was transformed. This project is important historically and intellectually since anthropologists seek to scrutinize societies beyond colonial frontiers. Few people have heard of the unconquered Maya due to the focus on colonized areas and because their region was viewed as 'uninhabited.' The archaeologists will study how many free Maya existed, how long they were here, and how they were impacted by foreign invaders at the edges of their territory. Not only will they discover archaeological sites in a poorly explored area, but will provide new data explaining how the introduction of Western goods, diseases, and ways of life was felt here. It is theorized that the unconquered Maya were essentially untouched by the Spanish conquest. They most likely lived in large settlements with political leaders practicing warfare, rituals, and interregional trade. The Spanish stated that free Maya were located near rivers and lakes, and the project will begin surveying for sites near lakes with historic Maya villages. Sites at Lakes Naja and Mensabak in Mexico and Texcoco and Bolonchac in Guatemala will be excavated to determine their size and dates. The researchers will also observe whether their inhabitants relied on native stone tools and ceramics or traded extensively for metal tools and European pottery.The broader impacts of the study are numerous and important. It will bring together a core group of professionals and students from different countries and institutions who will continue working together. Project members have the opportunity to learn about Latin America and engage in international collaborations. They will publish in academic and public forums both in English and Spanish. Graduate and undergraduate students will be trained in anthropology and archaeology and begin their careers in a scientific and culturally diverse setting. Project members will also work and live with descendants of unconquered Maya and will receive valuable insights from these native peoples. These Maya will also learn about their history and heritage through the research program. Additionally, the study area lies in Mexican and Guatemalan parks that draw numerous tourists who will learn about these enigmatic rainforest people and how they survived the conquest after other indigenous societies disappeared.