Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: A Community Archaeology of Ancient Maya Household Identity in the Toledo district of southern Belize

在Patricia A.McAnany博士的监督下，Claire Novotny将研究古代玛雅家庭建筑和相关文物，以评估伯利兹南部托莱多区农村玛雅家庭的社会、政治和经济认同战略。伯利兹南部地区位于玛雅地区主要遗址之间的地理位置，加上政治中心在古典晚期(公元570-850年)相对快速的崛起，带来了身份和从属关系的问题：腹地家庭和政治中心之间的互动是什么性质？互动是否有助于构建一种地区性认同，还是强化了一种地方性认同？对位于Aguacate社区土地上的五户农村家庭的挖掘为了解农村人口社会复杂性的性质提供了一个独特的机会。基于从全球各地收集的关于农村复杂性的丰富考古数据，本论文旨在扩大关于谈判的人类学知识，这些谈判构成了一个社会宇宙。在伯利兹南部，普遍的假设是，鲁班顿、乌克斯本卡、普西利亚和尼姆·利普尼特等政治中心是区域政治、社会和经济进程背后的组织力量。以前的考古研究主要集中在这些中心，而对农村家庭的作用知之甚少。从位于普西利亚和乌克斯本卡之间的晚期古典民居中提取的挖掘数据将包括建筑、陶瓷器皿、石器、特别制作的文物和土壤化学特征。地区性生产或获取材料的频率较高可能表明，地区性认同对一个家庭来说变得更有意义。通过比较多个家庭的区域进口频率，诺沃特尼将能够评估这种社会变化是否发生在研究区域内，以及这种变化在分布上是普遍的还是有限的。此外，土壤分析可以洞察日常家庭活动，以及这些活动如何有助于伯利兹南部的社会生活和身份认同。总之，选择用于分析的考古残留物将为古代农家的日常活动提供信息。这项研究的更广泛影响包括美国研究人员和土著人民之间的国际合作，以及当地社区参与考古研究进程。与图穆尔金学习中心的学生一起举办的实地学校将促进玛雅人创造历史知识。在实地考察期间，数据将通过社区会议和学生项目介绍向Aguacate村民传播；Tumul Kin每周广播将更新周围玛雅村庄的研究进展情况。研究报告将以硬拷贝和数据光盘的形式提供给Aguacate Village和Tumul Kin。来自美国的志愿者还将接受考古方法和社区考古方面的培训。研究成果将在国际(伯利兹考古研讨会)和国家(美国考古学会、美国人类学协会)学术会议上公布，并作为专著出版，增进国际上对中美洲玛雅家庭考古和基于社区的考古方法的了解。

Under the supervision of Dr. Patricia A. McAnany, Claire Novotny will examine ancient Maya household architecture and associated artifacts in order to evaluate social, political, and economic strategies of identity among rural Maya households in the Toledo district of southern Belize. The geographical location of the southern Belize region within the Maya area between major sites combined with the relatively rapid rise of political centers during the Late Classic period (AD 570 - 850) brings questions of identity and affiliation to the fore: what was the nature of interaction between hinterland households and political centers? Did interactions work to construct a regional identity or reinforce a local one? Excavations of five rural households located on Aguacate community land present a unique opportunity to understand the nature of social complexity in rural populations. Stemming from rich archaeological data on rural complexity collected from across the globe, this dissertation aims to expand anthropological knowledge of the negotiations that comprise a social universe. In southern Belize, the prevailing assumption has been that the political centers of Lubaantun, Uxbenká, Pusilhá, and Nim Li Punit were the organizing forces behind regional political, social, and economic processes. Previous archaeological research has focused on these centers, while little is known about the role of rural households. Excavation data drawn from Late Classic dwellings located midway between Pusilhá and Uxbenká will include architecture, ceramic vessels, stone tools, specially crafted artifacts, and soil chemistry signatures. Higher frequencies of materials produced or acquired regionally could suggest that a regional identity became more meaningful to a household. By comparing frequencies of regional imports across multiple households, Ms. Novotny will be able to evaluate whether or not this kind of social change occurred within the study area and whether it was prevalent or restricted in distribution. Additionally, soil analysis can provide insight into daily household activities and how they may have contributed to social life and identity in southern Belize. All together, the archaeological residues selected for analysis will inform daily practices performed by ancient farming households.The broader impacts of this study include international cooperation between American researchers and indigenous peoples, and the engagement of local communities with the process of archaeological research. A field school conducted with students from Tumul K'in Center of Learning will promote the creation of historical knowledge by Maya people. During the field season data will be disseminated to Aguacate villagers through community meetings and presentations of student projects; a weekly radio broadcast from Tumul K'in will update surrounding Maya villages on research progress. Research reports will be made available to Aguacate village and Tumul K'in in hard copy as well as on a data CD. Volunteers from the United States will also receive training in archaeological methods and community archaeology. Results of the research will be presented at international (Belize Archaeological Symposium) and national (Society for American Archaeology, American Anthropological Association) academic meetings and published as a monograph, enhancing international understanding of Maya household archaeology and community-based archaeology methodologies in Mesoamerica.