With National Science foundation support Dr. Christina Elson and an international team of colleagues will conduct three field seasons of archaeological research at Jalieza, a prehistoric site near the town of Santo Tomas Jalieza in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico. The project, bringing together U.S., Swiss, and Mexican researchers, will help complete a picture of over 1700 years of sociopolitical development in the Valley of Oaxaca. Long-term archaeological research headed primarily by U.S. and Mexican institutions in the Oaxaca Valley already has documented the rise of one of the earliest state societies in the New World by 100 BC. This state, founded by ethnic Zapotec people, endured until about AD 700. Then, the political power of the state declined and it broke apart into small city-states ruled by local lords. Prior regional archaeological survey in Oaxaca has shown that during the florescence of the Zapotec state (about AD 200-500), the site of Jalieza was founded. This secondary center or subregional capital grew rapidly to cover over 4 km and have a population estimated at 13,000 people. During the same time-period, the Zapotec capital of Monte Alban covered 6.5 km and had a population estimated at 16,500 people. After AD 700, Jalieza grew even larger (with a population estimated at 16,000 people) while Monte Alban declined and eventually was abandoned. These regional data suggest that archaeological excavations at Jalieza are vital if we are to understand the collapse of the unified Zapotec state. Over the course of three field seasons, research at Jalieza will include (1) the creation of a detailed map of the site, (2) horizontal excavations of residences and public buildings in order to uncover their architectural plans and associated features like activity areas, middens, offerings, and burials, and (3) analysis of the data for publication and public dissemination.
The project is designed to provide structured research opportunities to train graduate and undergraduate archaeology students in the field. In addition, data from the project will be used to participate in the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) Precollege Collaborative Program and Anthropology Intern Program. The project director and her collaborators work with both programs. The first pairs high school students traditionally under-represented in the sciences with a mentor. The second provides structures research opportunities for college and graduate students to help them hone their analytical and practical skills. In addition, the project director and her collaborators are currently involved in a project linking the town of Jalieza, the Instituto Nacional de Anthropologia e Historia (INAH), and AMNH staff in the preparation of a community museum. The museum will document the area's history through exhibits and accompanying text and will provide an important resource for Jalieza's citizens and visitors to the town.
