Under the supervision of Dr. Patricia Crown, Ms. Dorothy Larson will conduct research on prehistoric pottery from Albuquerque, New Mexico. The collections date from ~AD 1100-1300, a period that spans significant social changes in the region. During this era, people moved from many smaller, scattered pueblos to fewer, larger villages. These social changes are accompanied by notable shifts in ceramic technology and design. Archaeologists have put forth two different hypotheses to explain these developments: (1) migration of new people into the area, or (2) shifting sociopolitical alliances. Ms. Larson will use ceramic analysis to test these alternate hypotheses. Low-visibility attributes of pottery can be used to identify migration of people. While migrant potters may easily copy highly visible attributes of local pottery, typically, the way that potters manufacture a pot,their "learned tradition" is resistant to change. Therefore, migrant pottery can be distinguished from local traditions through intensive research, including chemical and geologic analyses to help pinpoint the location where the pottery was produced.
The research is significant both to the academic community and the public. Despite the fact that Albuquerque is New Mexico's most populous city, there has been surprisingly little archaeological work in the region, particularly for the time period in question. Therefore, this research will fill a major void in the understanding of New Mexico's rich cultural heritage. This project is also important because it relies exclusively on artifacts recovered from federally-mandated cultural resource management projects (such as those required prior to road construction). The purpose of these projects is to preserve information about the past, as well as to preserve the objects that may yield additional information in the future. Museum collections constitute a virtual treasure trove of these publicly funded archaeological materials. This research will tap into this under-utilized resource.
The project will have a significant impact on public education. An exhibit and website, targeting middle to high school age students, will be developed at the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, and students will participate in development. Ms. Larson has built a partnership with Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA). The mission of New Mexico MESA is to provide the state's culturally diverse student body with science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) enrichment. Sixty-two percent of New Mexico MESA students receive free or reduced lunch, 56% are female, and 72% are targeted minorities. Therefore, the project will reach groups that are under-represented in science careers. MESA students will participate in a summer enrichment program, which will follow artifacts from the field through the lab to the museum. The program will focus on how archaeologists use techniques from the physical sciences, as well as the scientific method.
