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Comparative Archaeology Database, University of Pittsburgh
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Sauce and its Hinterland Dataset |
The data files MOUNDINFO.TXT and MOUNDINFO.XLS provide information about domestic mounds within the Sauce center and its hinterland, including the collection number associated with each mound, its area, volume, and location. MOUNDINFO.TXT is a comma delimited ASCII text file. MOUNDINFO.XLS contains the same data in the form of an Excel spreadsheet. Each line in the ASCII file represents one mound. There are 66 lines in the text file, each with 20 variables separated by commas. The variables are listed in the following order:
| 1 | The collection number associated with the mound. |
| 2 | Mound area (m²). 0 = Missing data |
| 3 | Mound volume (m³). 0 = Missing data |
| 4 | Zone - the sampling ring where the collection was located. |
| 5 | Sample population - the name of one of two sampling groups. The first is labeled "main" and was made up of mounds that had high amounts of middle postclassic materials. The second is labeled "poor" with the intention of identifying lower socioeconomic residents by sampling for mounds that dated to the postclassic period, had excellent visibility, and small amounts of materials. |
| 6 | Length of the mound taken in meters (typically longest part). 999.9 = Missing data |
| 7 | Width of the mound taken in meters. 999.9 = Missing data |
| 8 | Height of the mound as recorded during the 1986, 1987, 1989, and 2000 field seasons of the Proyecto Arqueológico La Mixtequilla (meters). 999.9 = Missing data |
| 9 | The collection area or carea (if one was carried out) as paced off on the ground. In square meters, rounded to nearest integer. In some cases it is the whole mound, in others it is a collection square.
99999 = No data |
| 10 | The method used to obtain the mound height. |
| 11 | Height of the mound as recorded in 2008 by the Sauce Archaeological Project (meters). Height measurements were re-taken by the Sauce Archaeological Project to correct any potential difference in the intervening 20 plus years between data collection from the Proyecto Arqueológico La Mixtequilla and the current analysis. |
| 12 | Mound type- a variable used to indicate the overall topology of the mound shape.
1 = Individual mound, reasonably symmetrical in shape. 2 = Mound with terrace or ramp. (If the mound and terrace are on a platform, then the mound is coded as a mound on a platform (code 5, not code 2). Ramps were not given separate numbers if they are only a slight bulge in the mound contour. Ramps were only given a separate number if they protruded as a distinct footprint. 3 = Terrace (attached to mound or platform). 4 = Platform with structures on top. Platform may also have a ramp. If a platform was dubious in regard to whether it is artificially constructed or simply ambient field level "cut out" by bajos, it was designated as a “platform” only if it has a distinctly regular formal arrangement. 5 = Mound on platform. Also applies to mounds on causeway platforms. 6 = Modern surface area (i.e., no mound, etc.) 7 = Other (ramps/stairs, various "odd" shapes such as "L" arrangements, "bra mounds", causeway, round or oval soil color changes designated as possible plowed down mounds, irregular "amoeba", lobed, etc). Included here are any platforms which do not have a structure on them. |
| 13 | The year that mound was originally mapped and identified for the Proyecto Arqueológico La Mixtequilla. |
| 14 | Locale - A general location indicator for different survey blocks from different years and from different projects including PALM I, II, and Stuart Speaker's project. These survey block names were used to differentiate areas sampled for different environmental characteristics but they do not serve much analytical purpose beyond their original organizational use.
The codes are as follows: AZ=Azuzules block CB=Central Block (1984-88) MO=El Moral block MX=Mixtequilla block Z7=Palma de Coco Z8=Salto |
| 15 | Total number of Postclassic ceramics collected from mound. |
| 16 | Mound volume weighted by amount of Postclassic ceramics. |
| 17 | Wvolume Order - weighted volume order (1 thru 66, total mounds). |
| 18 | Rank Order New - mound size order used in the dissertation analysis. |
| 19 | X coordinate of the mound centroid in UTMs |
| 20 | Y coordinate of the mound centroid in UTMs |
The first line of the ASCII text file, for example, looks like this:
114,0,0,1,Poor,28,999.9,0.5,99999,vertical reading,0.49,7,86,CB,22.22222222,0,61,5,810417.79,2071067.24
This means that the collection number associated with the mound is 114. Its area and volume are 0 (missing, due to either length or width not measurable). The collection was carried out within Zone (Ring) 1. This collection belongs to the "poor" category of households. The mound is 28 meters long, but no width measurement is available. It is .5 meters in height. Because of the missing width variable, the carea cannot be calculated. Through a vertical reading, the height was determined to be .49 meters. The mound type is 7 (corresponding to "other'). The mound was originally mapped by the PALM project in 1986. The locale code is CB (or "Central Block (1984-88)"). The total number of Postclassic ceramics collected from the mound is 22.22222222. Because of the missing width variable, the mound volume weighted by amount of Postclassic ceramics could not be calculated. The Wvolume order is 61. The new Rank order is 5, and the mound centroid is located at X=810417.79 and Y=2071067.24.
The last, or 66th line of the ASCII text file is:
6818,3936.07,7868.81,5,Main,75,65.5,3.2,400,angle measurement,4.13,1,0,AZ,50.50505051,3974.146465,2,1,819962.26,2066315.52
This means that the collection number associated with the mound is 6818. Its area and volume are 3936.07 m² and 7868.81 m³, respectively. The collection was carried out within Zone (Ring) 1. This collection belongs to the "Main" category of households. The mound is 75 meters long, 65 meters wide, and 3.2 meters in height. The carea is 400. Through an angle measurement, the height was determined to be 4.13 meters. The mound type is 1 (corresponding to "Individual mound, reasonably symmetrical in shape"). No year designation is provided. The locale code is AZ (or "Azuzules block"). The total number of Postclassic ceramics collected from the mound is 50.50505051. The mound volume weighted by amount of Postclassic ceramics is 3974.146465. The Wvolume order is 2. The new Rank order is 1, and the mound centroid is located at X=819962.26 and Y=2066315.52.
Click here to download the file MOUNDINFO.TXT (8 KB) or the file MOUNDINFO.XLS.