Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Late and Terminal Classic Power Shifts in Central Yucatan: The View from Popola

斯科特·约翰逊是杜兰大学的研究生，在E.Wyllys Andrews V博士的指导下，他将对墨西哥尤卡坦的波波拉小遗址进行考古研究。尽管Popola很小，但它靠近Chichen Itza的大遗址，可能会提供更大遗址的政治权力如何影响该地区的信息。在公元800年代末或公元900年代初，奇琴伊萨成为尤卡坦半岛北部最强大的政治中心。公元900年左右，奇琴伊察被认为击败了亚克苏纳遗址，亚克苏纳是一个大型的区域中心，位于奇琴伊察西南18公里处。亚克苏纳和奇琴伊扎的文物、建筑和肖像图案截然不同。Popola可能与亚克苏纳和奇琴伊察互动，应该提供重要线索，说明这种政治权力的变化如何影响该地区的小遗址和普通人。文物和建筑信息将通过挖掘建筑来收集，并应产生一幅随着奇琴伊萨变得越来越重要而改变地区互动的图景。为了帮助组织和解释在波波拉收集的数据，约翰逊将从社区组织的角度研究研究问题。社区是人类学和考古学研究的中心单位，因为它们是可识别的社会群体。社区通常有共同的特点，如信仰、生存实践、建筑理想、建筑技术和文物类型。通过确定和跟踪波波拉社区的变化，将有可能确定与地区权力结构变化有关的重大变化。过去，政治和权力的问题一直聚焦于社会的精英阶层：尺子和权力掮客。尽管波波拉的个人对奇琴伊萨上台的影响很小，但他们会受到新首都尺子和精英阶层的选择和行动的影响。波波拉的研究集中于了解社会中的非精英阶层，如农民、陶匠和小商贩在这段时间内的表现。波波拉的考古项目致力于保持与现代波波拉的积极关系，并继续支持其他研究生的培训。在过去的三年里，波波拉遗址的考古工作一直得到当地同名城镇的支持。该项目已成为现代波波拉的主要收入来源，因为整个劳动力都来自当地社区。鼓励项目成员与工作人员讨论研究过程，以及他们的劳动如何帮助照亮他们所在城镇、地区和文化的历史。该项目在整个季节举行城镇会议，解释从现场工作中所取得的成就和所学到的东西。在三年多的时间里，七名学生在波波拉学习了测量、测绘和挖掘等野外方法，这一传统将在2011年的赛季中继续下去。Popola的项目不仅侧重于研究目标，还侧重于专业人员和当地社区的教育。

Scott Johnson, a graduate student at Tulane University under the direction of Dr. E. Wyllys Andrews V, will undertake an archaeological study of the small site of Popola, Yucatan, Mexico. Although Popola is small, it is near the large site of Chichen Itza and will likely provide information about how the larger site's political power affected the region. Chichen Itza became the most powerful political center of the northern Yucatan Peninsula in the late 800s or early 900s CE. Around the year 900 CE, Chichen Itza is believed to have defeated the site of Yaxuna, a large regional center located 18 km SSW of Chichen Itza. The pattern of artifacts, architecture, and iconography at Yaxuna and Chichen Itza are quite different. Popola, which likely interacted with Yaxuna and Chichen Itza, should provide important clues as to how this change of political power affected the region's small sites and the average person. Artifacts and architectural information will be gathered by excavations of structures and should produce a picture of changing regional interactions as Chichen Itza grew in importance.To help organize and interpret the data collected at Popola, Johnson will examine research questions in terms of community organization. Communities are central units of study in anthropology and archaeology because they are identifiable social groups. Communities often share traits, such as beliefs, subsistence practices, architectural ideals, construction techniques, and artifact types. By identifying and tracing the change of the community at Popola, it will be possible to identify major changes associated with changes in the regional power structure. In the past, questions of politics and power have been focused on the elite segments of society: rulers and power-brokers. Although the individuals at Popola had little influence on Chichen Itza's rise to power, they would have been affected by the choices and actions of the new capital's rulers and elite. Research at Popola is concentrated on understanding how the non-elite portions of society, such as farmers, potters, and small-time tradesmen, fared during this time.The archaeological project at Popola is committed to maintaining its positive relationship with the modern pueblo of Popola and continuing to support the training of other graduate students. For the last three years, archaeological work at the site of Popola has been supported by the local town of the same name. The project has become a major source of income for modern Popola, as the entire workforce is drawn from the local community. Project members are encouraged to discuss with workers the research process and how their labor helps illuminate the history of their town, region, and culture. The project holds town meetings throughout the season to explain what has been accomplished and learned from the work at the site. Over three years, seven students have been taught field methods such as surveying, mapping, and excavation at Popola, a tradition that will be continued in the 2011 season. The project at Popola is focused not only on research goals but also the education of professionals and the local community.