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The Interpretation of Survey Data: Two Case Studies from the Maya Area

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Julia A. Hendon
Julia A. Hendon*
Affiliation:
Tozzer Library, Harvard University, 21 Divinity Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138
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Abstract

This paper explores certain methodological issues relevant to the interpretation of archaeological data derived from surface survey. Recognizing the significance of survey to the study of regional settlement patterns, I argue that how we classify these data bears directly on our ability to reconstruct the past. Comparison of site typologies created by the Seibal and Copán projects with their excavation results provides a way to evaluate the accuracy of site classifications based on surface features. I discuss the effectiveness of the typologies in capturing variation pertinent to the study of social organization and site function, and consider the importance of variation within sites, within types, and across types not expressed in the typologies to suggest that such elaborate typologies assume a higher degree of data visibility than is generally possible. The analysis underscores the critical role excavation plays in mesoamerican archaeology as a source of data unavailable through survey.

Se examinan algunos cuestiones metodológicas con relación a la interpretación de datos arqueológicos que provienen del reconocimiento de superficie. Reconociendo la importancia que el reconocimiento tiene para el estudio de los patrones regionales de asentamiento, se sostiene que la manera en la cual clasificamos estos datos tiene implicaciones graves para la reconstrucción de sociedades antiguas. La comparación de las tiplogías de asentamientos, creadas por los proyectos arqueológicos de Seibal y Copán, con los resultados de las excavaciones, provee una forma de evaluar la veracidad de clasificaciones de sitios basadas en características de la superficie. Se discute la efectividad de las tipologías para capturar la variación pertinente al estudio de la organización social y de la función del sitio. Se considera también la importancia de la variación no incluida en las tipologías—por ejemplo, la que existe dentro de los sitios, dentro de los tipos, y entre los tipos. Se propone que tales tipologías complicadas asumen que los datos son más visibles que lo que es normalmente el caso. El análisis hace hincapié en el papel crítico de la excavación en la arqueología mesoamericana, como fuente de información inaccesible para el reconocimiento de superficie.

Type
Articles
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 3 , Issue 1 , March 1992 , pp. 22 - 42
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 1992

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