Archaeological research in Mesoamerica has traditionally focused on the highland valleys of central Mexico and the Maya lowlands ignoring coastal zones. This research project will begin to redress this bias. The student will study human ecology and interregional interactions in the Rio Verde valley on the coast of Oaxaca, Mexico. He will excavate three Late Formative sites and conduct sedimentological sampling in the floodplain. Patterns of resource exploitation will be examined to determine how the coastal region differed from highland populations in resource use and how this affected interactions between the two ecological zones. Specifically, the student will address the important issue of how late Preclassic highland population growth and agricultural intensification affected coastal areas. This study will provide crucial information on the prehistory of the Mixteca Costa and its relationship to other areas of Oaxaca. Collecting data concerning both social and geomorphological interactions between the Rio Verde valley and the highland populations centered at Monte Alban will add to our understanding of highland-lowland and primary state-secondary state interactions.
