Proyecto Arqueologico La Mixtequilla Image Archive
Introduction
The Proyecto Arqueológico La Mixtequilla (PALM) involves archaeological survey and excavations in the south-central Gulf lowlands of Veracruz, Mexico, under the direction of Professor Barbara Stark. The project began in 1984 and the most recent field season was in 2002. Support for the research was provided by the National Science Foundation (BNS 85-19167, BNS 87-41867, and SBR-9804738), the National Geographic Society, and Arizona State University, and permission was granted by the Consejo de Arqueología, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, México.
Goals
One aim of the Project is a visual archive of artifact photographs and project methods taken during laboratory work in Mexico, with dissemination to scholars via the web. This is particularly pertinent for figurines which are three-dimensional, complex figural representations, often with considerable stylistic variability and detail. Publishing costs are such that abundant photographic illustrations or drawings of figurines are prohibitive, which is one reason for the visual archive as a form of internet publication. The other reason is that the international scale of scholarship makes it difficult for all interested investigators to consult the collections directly. They are stored in Mexico, under the authority of the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia. A number of ceramic figurine fragments were recovered as part of the collections, and these are currently under study. Photographs of figurine fragments are the first part of the image archive to be available, and the figurines are currently under study.
The Photos
The photographs taken of figurines (and other artifacts) were done under less than ideal conditions by project staff members, not by non-professional photographers, so their quality is highly variable. The original photographs have been scanned or were taken with a digital camera. Only a selection of figurines has been photographed, as time has allowed. Development of the image archive has relied on ASU volunteers, Angela Ruggles, Lara Lloyd, and especially Meagan Ruble.
For the visual archive, a "thumbnail" version with reduced detail accompanies summary information about the object, such as the photograph number, archaeological feature number, and comments. A figurine codebook used for classification is currently being further elaborated, but an index of figurine categories is available at present, so that scholars can query the archive to see particular kinds of figurines. A list of PALM publications is also available for additional information about project investigations.
Online Archive
The web page with the figurine archive is undergoing testing evaluation but is temporarily available and subject to modification. All images and archive information are copyrighted by Barbara Stark. Scholars with a particular research project may apply to have access to a more detailed photograph in certain cases.
Contact
Comments about the archive can be sent to Barbara Stark, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, but time constraints are such that individual responses are not guaranteed.
All data, text, and images copyrighted by the Proyecto Arqueologico La Mixtequilla, Barbara L. Stark, Arizona State University.
PALM Image Archive Documents
| Index of figurine categories |
| List of PALM publications |
| Figurine Image Archive |
| Documentation of Image Archive Variables |
Date of posting 29 March 2006
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