PROYECTO ARQUEOLÓGICO CHAPOPOTE

I have recently completed the second phase of a long-term investigation of Olmec processing techniques and organization, exchange networks, and intra/inter-regional interaction. This project developed out of my doctoral research in the same area, and is unique because it is the first to focus on the processing and exchange of bitumen (asphaltum, tar), an item that has received little consideration in Mesoamerica. The first phase of the project was a pilot study conducted in 2004 and supported by a grant from the Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc. The second phase of the project was funded by a 2-year (2007-2009) grant from the National Science Foundation (BCS-0636107) (Scott Hewitt, co-PI).

The current project is divided into three parts: (1) an investigation into the organization of bitumen processing activities by conducting microanalyses of archaeological bitumen and experiments on processing techniques, (2) a study of intra-regional exchange and interaction by tracing bitumen exchange patterns by way of a sourcing analysis, and (3) a preliminary investigation into patterns of interregional exchange and interaction by investigating long-distance exchange of archaeological bitumen using sourcing techniques.

Processing experiments were recently featured on an episode of the "Digging for the Truth" aired on the History Channel in September 2007. In the episode, "Kings of the Stone Age" I also discussed my work on sourcing Olmec bitumen artifacts.

For the source analysis part of the research, bitumen samples are being analyzed using high-tech geochemical analytical procedures (GC/MS), and compared to archaeological specimens likewise collected from a wide range of Olmec sites. Preliminary results of this research are quite positive and show the utility of applying geochemical analytical techniques in Mesoamerican archaeology.

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