Chapter 3 Project Analyzing a Systematic Site Survey
Background: On pp. 97–99 of your book you learned about the Teotihuacan Mapping Project. “Teo”, as Mesoamerican archaeologists affectionately call the city, was one of the largest urban areas in the world during its heyday (
AD
200 to 650), but until recently very little was known about the layout and growth of this metropolis. How can an archaeologist even begin to study such a large site?
The researchers on the Teotihuacan Mapping Project found their answer in reconnaissance survey,
specifically relying heavily on surface survey
. From the location of artifacts collected through systematic surface collection
, the archaeologists were able to construct a picture of what different areas at “Teo” were used for. They also were able to see how the city grew over time. After systematically surveying over 10 square miles of the site, they determined that the central 4.5 square miles of “Teo” was extensively planned on a grid pattern and that parts of the city had been subjected to a sort of “urban renewal” to bring them in line with the planned grid. The archaeologists were able to define this remarkably planned city with almost no costly excavation.
References:
Million, René. 1964. “The Teotihuacan Mapping Project.”
American Antiquity 29(3):345–352
Millon, René, R. Bruce Drewitt & George L. Cowgill. 1973.
Urbanization at Teotihuacan, Mexico
. Volume 1. Austin: University of Texas Press
Your Project: You have been asked to evaluate a newly discovered archaeological site outside Mexico City. As a starting point, you decide it is best to engage in reconnaissance survey
(see p. 76), choosing to perform a systematic surface survey
(see pp. 77, 79) of the site and recording your findings in a grid. From your results you hope to understand some basic information about the site and decide where it is best to begin excavations.
