With support from the National Science Foundation Dr. Michael E. Smith will conduct the first stage of a project to construct an archaeological laboratory and storage facility in the Mexican state of Morelos. This facility will store artifacts and other materials from fieldwork in Morelos by U.S. and Mexican archaeologists. The state of Morelos has some of the richest, best-preserved, and most-important archeological sites in Mexico. Starting in 1972 the National Science Foundation funded a series of major archaeological projects in the state. Dr. David C. Grove conducted excavations at the famous site of Chalcatzingo (900-400 B.C.) that clarified the nature of Olmec influence and chiefdom development in central Mexico. Dr. Kenneth G. Hirth undertook mapping and excavations at the hilltop urban center Xochicalco (A.D. 200-900), where he found exciting new evidence on the nature of early economics, technology, and urban planning. Dr. Michael E. Smith excavated Aztec city, town, and village sites (A.D. 1100-1520), revealing for the first time the nature of life in the provinces of the Aztec empire. In addition, graduate students working with Grove, Hirth, and Smith have conducted archaeological research in Morelos with NSF funds.
The collections of artifacts from these fieldwork projects form an important and irreplaceable body of scientific evidence. As new methods and issues arise, archaeologists frequently return to collections from previous fieldwork to produce new insights and research advances. By law, collections of artifacts must be stored in facilities owned by the Mexican government. The Morelos Regional Center of Mexico's National Anthropology Institute initially provided storage for this material. Starting in the 1990s, however, a combination of continuing fieldwork and declining space availability resulted in a crisis in the storage and curation of archaeological collections in Morelos. If this crisis were not addressed, the Regional Center would be forced to begin discarding the research collections from NSF projects in the state. The present project addresses this crisis by providing permanent storage for the artifact collections from the projects described above as well as collections from other projects by U.S. and Mexican archaeologists.
The new building will be constructed on the property of the Morelos Regional Center in Cuernavaca. It will have three large storage rooms filled with sturdy shelving. Two of the rooms will house collections by U.S. projects, with space available for material from future projects. The third storage room will be dedicated to material from fieldwork by staff archaeologists at the Regional Center. There will also be a laboratory room with tables for the study of these and other collections. The building has been designed and will be built by a noted Mexican architect-Rolando Dada-who has also designed a built other buildings for the Regional Center. The Regional Center will be in charge of maintenance, upkeep, and security.
This project will safeguard scientifically important but threatened collections of archaeological materials from a long series of NSF-funded projects in Morelos. This will enable these collections to continue to yield new insights and findings long after completion of the initial fieldwork. The facility will also support scientific research by Mexican archaeologists on the staff of the Morelos Regional Center by providing space for analysis and storage. This project makes significant contributions to both research and the development of scientific infrastructure in Mexico.
