  We investigate the existence of higher order \ell^1-spreading models in
subspaces of mixed Tsirelson spaces. For instance, we show that the following
conditions are equivalent for the mixed Tsirelson space X=T[(\theta
_n,S_n)_{n=1}^{\infty}]
  (1)Every block subspace of $X$ contains an \ell^1-S_{\omega}-spreading model,
  (2)The Bourgain \ell^1-index I_b(Y) = I(Y) > \omega^{\omega} for any block
subspace Y of X,
  (3)\lim_m\limsup_n\theta_{m+n}/\theta_n > 0 and every block subspace Y of X
contains a block sequence equivalent to a subsequence of the unit vector basis
of X.
  Moreover, if one (and hence all) of these conditions holds, then X is
arbitrarily distortable.
