Mesoamerican Digs

Next season unconfirmed. University of Bristol. 18th century sugar plantation, a completely unexpected early 18th century coffee works, and the remains of Carib and Arawak activity.

June-August 2012. (two sessions). The Belize Valley Archaeological Reconnaissance Project. During the 2012 season, BVAR will continue complementing its settlement research agenda with the excavations of house mound groups at all three sites. The investigations will include extensive stratigraphic excavations, testing of architecture by means of test-pitting, trenching and horizontal exploration, as well as mapping of the archaeological features and architectural remains uncovered. Students will be involved in all aspects of the archaeological investigations, from the setting of excavation units to the production of site maps.

June 25-July 23, 2011. Institute for Advanced Interdisciplinary Caribbean Archaeology and California State University, Chico. Betty’s Hope operated from 1651 until its sale by the Codrington family in 1944; the plantation operated continuously for almost 300 years, pre- and post-emancipation, thus allowing for a long-term, albeit complex, historical continuity in one place. The site is also a tourist destination, so students can experience aspects of public archaeology at the site. The field school will comprise field archaeology, lectures on Antigua’s English colonial history and historical archaeology, as well as some weekend fieldtrips

The Maya Research Program is a U.S.-based non-profit organization (501C3) that sponsors archaeological and ethnographic research in Middle America. Each summer since 1992, we have sponsored archaeological fieldwork at the ancient Maya site of Blue Creek in northwestern Belize. In 2012 we again offer opportunities to participate in our field program and learn about the Maya of the past and today.

The Blue Creek project is open to student and non-student participants, regardless of experience. Participants will receive training in both excavation and laboratory techniques and receive a “crash course” on the Maya and archaeological methodology. The Blue Creek field school is certified by the Register of Professional Archaeologists.

Academic credit and scholarships are available.

We invite students and volunteers to participate in the Maya Research Program’s 21st year of our Blue Creek archaeological project in Belize.

2012 Field Season Dates:

• Session 1: Monday May 28 - Sunday June 10;
• Session 2: Monday June 11 - Sunday June 24 ;
• Session 3: Monday July 2 - Sunday July 15;
• Session 4: Monday July 16 - Sunday July 29

For additional information please contact the Maya Research Program:

• www.mayaresearchprogram.org
• 1910 East Southeast Loop 323 #296
• Tyler, Texas 75701
• 817-831-9011
• mrpinquiries@gmail.com

June 29-July 20, 2011. San Jose State University and Caribbean Historical Archaeology. Early colonial sugar plantation and factory, excavating features associated with the boiling house, curing house, windmill, cistern, Great House, laborers enclave and much of the industrial technology of early eighteenth and nineteenth century sugar production.

July 1-August 4, 2012. Institute for Field Research. Based on the results of one archaeological project Panama’s Caribbean Bocas del Toro Province was assumed to have been settled only 1400 years ago and to have remained isolated throughout its brief prehistory.

June 20-July 25, 2010. Cotsen Institute, UCLA. Students will learn about the millennial indigenous cultures, the impact of European colonialism, and the contemporary lifestyles and issues, by the active exploration of archaeological and historical sites, museum collections, and indigenous communities.

May 8-June 5, 2007. Vanderbilt University. This field school focuses on the archaeology of the ancient Maya at the city of Holmul. Instruction will include fieldwork at Holmul and lectures during field trips to nearby Maya ruins, including Tikal, Yaxha, Xunantunich, and Caracol.

The Institute for Field Research conducts several Central American projects each year.

June 16-July 10, 2011. University of Massachusetts at Boston. La Milpa is a large ceremonial center - third largest Maya site in Belize - and this summer will be our project's first season there. The Medicinal Trial site is a rural community of La Milpa consisting of three courtyard groups and associated terrace features.

June 27-July 31, 2010. Cotsen Institute, UCLA. June 27-Jluy 31, 2010. Surveys in the Punta Rucia area are focused on large group of non-Taíno speaking societies in northern Hispaniola.

June 4-19, 2011. Maxwell School of Syracuse University. Students will be also be involved in the analysis of artifacts from the shoreline ruins of an early cotton estate located at Cinnamon Bay. The Cinnamon Bay project explores a small-scale cotton plantation, provisioning and maritime estate dating back to the to the late 17th century. This site was later part of a much larger 18th and 19th century sugar estate.

May 12-June 17, 2012. Trent University. Classic to Terminal Classic Maya. The Social Archaeology Research Program (SARP) is a long term project focused on the investigation of ancient Maya sociopolitical interaction. In particular, we are interested in examining the following questions: Why were ancient Maya polities so unstable? How did centers of different hierarchal rank interact with each other? How were ancient polities integrated? How were Maya royal courts organized? What caused the famous "Maya Collapse"? Our current research is focused on the ancient Maya kingdom of Minanha, which is located in the rugged, and little explored, north Vaca Plateau of west central Belize. Thirteen years of research at Minanha has answered many questions, but there is much more to learn

January 10-30, 2009. National Museum of Nicaragua. Field survey and mapping of rock art and archaeological sites on Ometepe Island, Nicaragua.

June 27-July 20, 2012. Institute for Field Research. In 2012, excavations will take place at the large Macorix/ Meillacoid settlement of Popi/Los Matos. Working alongside colleagues and students from the Museo del Hombre Dominicano, IFR students will gain first-hand experience in field archaeology techniques/methods and how to interpret the data.

May 27-July 1, 2012. University of South Florida. The USF Mesoamerican Archaeology Field School is a five-week summer research program that allows participants to explore the fascinating history of pirates and Puritans in the Caribbean through scientific excavation of 17th century English and indigenous Pech settlements at New Port Royal and Camp Bay Village, both located against a backdrop of beautiful tropical forests and pristine beaches on Roatán Island, Honduras. As one of the educational components of Project Roatán, an international collaborative between the University of South Florida and the Honduran Institute of Anthropology and History, the program introduces participants to the ways in which archaeology can answer questions about past lifeways and simultaneously contribute to understanding the current intersection of cultural heritage and global tourism.

January-August 2011. St. Eustatius Center for Archaeological Research (SECAR). St. Eustatius (or Statia) was the primary trans-shipment center between Europe, the West Indies and the Americas between 1770 and 1800. For much of the American Revolution, Holland and France supplied US forces with much needed arms and ammunition through this port. Archaeological investigations of Colonial Period slave sites in the Americas and Africa have been thorough in answering wide-ranging questions regarding slave life and culture. However, this research has primarily focused on sites in the British, Spanish, French and Danish colonies. No slave occupation sites in the Dutch Caribbean Colonies have been excavated until now.

TBA 2011. Indiana University, the Belize Valley Archaeology Project. The sites chosen for the 2004 research season include the caves Actun Chapat (Cave of the Centipede), Actun Halal (Cave of the Dart), and other recently discovered caves that were utilized by the ancient Maya.

dates to be confirmed. University of Bristol. Historical landscape archaeology field school at St. Kitts.