Household and Social Change in Ancient Puerto Rico

Field Museum Of Natural History, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

With the support of the National Science Foundation, an interdisciplinary team of Puerto Rican and American archaeologists, geomorphologists, paleoethnobotanists, and zooarchaeologists will conduct a two-year program of research at the Ceremonial Center of Tibes, Puerto Rico. The ultimate purpose of the research is a more refined understanding of the processes involved in ancient social changes seen in Puerto Rico, an understanding which may then be applied to the development of social inequality in other regions of the world. At the time of European conquest, many of the indigenous peoples of Puerto Rico were organized in stratified societies that have been described by modern anthropologists as chiefdoms. These stratified societies had developed locally in Puerto Rico from earlier egalitarian groups through a series of socio-cultural changes that took place over more than 4000 years of occupation. As social inequality was established in an institutionalized manner, ceremonialism and differential access to resources, status, and power intensified. To develop a robust picture of past social organization and change in Puerto Rico, this project will focus on studying ancient households' economy, organization, composition, and meaning. As the dynamics of social inequality play out on the scale of both individuals and societies, the present study aims to take a "bottom up" rather than "top down" approach and examine the development of social inequality from the perspective of individuals and households In order to accomplish these goals, a rigorous field methodology will be employed to uncover domestic areas by excavating extensive areas of the site. As excavations proceed, archaeological material and soil samples will be collected for the analysis of various kinds of artifacts and the identification of botanical and faunal remains. Moreover, geomorphological studies will be conducted to better understand how soils formed and how humans impacted the general landscape of the site. The intellectual merit of this project is twofold: First, it seeks to study the in situ development of social stratification in a part of the world that has traditionally received short shrift. While a great deal of research has been directed at understanding the causes and consequences of increasing social hierarchization in regions like Mesopotamia, Mexico, and the Andes, comparatively little effort has been expended in regions such as the Caribbean. Second, by using a rigorous methodology, the project will provide more fine-grained data that can be used for both theory-building and testing. The proposed project will have a broad impact at least in two ways. First, the project will include an educational component allowing Puerto Rican and American students to participate during the sampling and analytical stages. Second, educational activities will also be extended to the general public since the site is in an archaeological park with a museum and it is visited by thousands of people every year. The information obtained will be incorporated in their exhibits, brochures, and catalogs. Lectures and small temporary exhibits will also be offered.