PostDoctoral Research Fellowship

Delucia Kristin, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

The proposed archaeological research will explore variation in economic strategies employed by commoner households in order to better understand and characterize the emergence of larger-scale economic and social systems in Early/Middle Postclassic (A.D.900-1350) central Mexico. The goal of this research is to examine variation in household economic activities and social interactions under varying political and economic conditions in order to better understand household decision-making strategies and the influence of those strategies on regional change and development. The Fellow (PI) asks the following questions: What makes some households more successful than others? Do households seek to minimize risk or maximize production yields? Do households act as unified entities with harmonious goals, or are they political arenas characterized by internal power struggles? How do differences in household economic strategies influence social interaction and gender roles at the domestic and regional levels? To address these questions the PI takes a comparative perspective, contrasting households at the prominent city-state of Cerro Portezuelo, with the rising city-state center at Xaltocan, and a subordinate tribute-paying village in the northern Valley of Mexico. This research will be carried out in three main phases: (1) library research and archaeological survey to identify the locations of houses on the landscape, (2) excavation of test pits to characterize variation in household production and consumption, (3) full-scale excavation of houses to document activity areas and social organization. Intellectual Merit: This research highlights the importance of households, women, and children to the development of complex societies. The household and its domestic products are often deemed the "private" domain of women (as opposed to "public" sphere and craft products associated with men) and, consequently, are often dismissed by archaeologists as irrelevant to regional-level change and development. My research argues that household economies are central to the development of ancient economic and political systems. Methodologically, the strength of this research is its integration of multiple lines of evidence, including micro-artifacts, soil chemistry, and the analysis of space to document activity patterns associated with house floors. In addition, the PI integrates multiple methods of materials and data analysis, including Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) of ceramics and ICP-AES analysis of house floors. The goal is not simply to reconstruct where activities took place, but rather to characterize household economies and divisions of labor. Moreover, by studying production and consumption in conjunction, rather than as distinct processes, this research sheds considerable light on individual household decision-making strategies, which are essential to understanding broader economic and political growth. By focusing on households as strategic actors in broader political and economic events, we can gain a more comprehensive picture of change and stability in ancient civilizations. Broader Impacts: This research will provide undergraduates and graduate students with opportunities to learn artifact analysis including micro-artifact and soil chemistry analysis. In addition, this research will ultimately become a field project that will train students in archaeological methods. These excavations will provide educational opportunities for children and adults in Mexico through tours of the excavations and working with local schools to develop lesson plans based on my research. The PI will consult with the local community to find out their interests and desires for my research and hire members of the community to work on the project so that local people will at all times be involved in the project, instilling an appreciation for archaeological research, preserving cultural heritage, and fostering local group identity. Finally, this research will be disseminated broadly through multiple venues, including papers presented at professional meetings and articles published in peer-review journals. In addition, to make the research results accessible to the general public, the PI will create a project website. The PI also intends to publish data in an electronic online database to make the results widely accessible to the academic community.