Research and Travel

This page is still a work in progress as I try to compile a list of my research, places I’ve lived, and places I’ve traveled.

RESEARCH
1. Belize*
In Belize, I’ve participated in two major research projects.
Programme For Belize
This was my first real archaeological project.  I worked on a 14 kilometer transect through the jungle mapping ancient Maya ruins not seen by human eyes for hundreds of years.  Run primarily by Fred Valdez through the University of Texas at Austin, we lived in tents in a remote jungle camp without electricity or running water.  This is where I learned how to use a machete, saw jaguars in the wild, and excavated ancient Maya temples.

San Pedro Maya Project
This was my dissertation research on an historical Maya village (San Pedro) in Central/Western Belize.  With a group of scholars, we conducted an archaeological excavation at the historical village, conducted archival research in Belize and London, and interviewed Maya descendants of San Pedro.  This village was established during the Caste War, one of the most successful indigenous uprisings in the history of the Americas.

2. Micronesia
At the request of the elders of a small village on the island of Yap, I helped to map and record historical information about the way the village was before colonial intervention destroyed their complex system of aqueducts, house mounds, and sea walls.  Part of this involved recording the traditional names and stories of each family’s houses and taro patches.

3. Senegal
In Senegal, I assisted a University of Arizona ethnomusicologist as we traveled around the country documenting traditional drumming ceremonies.

4. Grand Gulch, Utah
In this remote canyon, I assisted on a Bureau of Land Management project run by Dr. Sally Cole, documenting the vast number of ancient Anasazi petroglyphs that can be found along the canyon walls.

5. London
I lived in London for a year, funded by the University of London, Institute of Historical Research, doing archival research on Belize (a former British colony) at the Public Records Office and SOAS archives.

PLACES I’VE LIVED:
Northern Virginia
Washington DC
Sarasota, FL
Senegal
Los Angeles
Belize
Mexico
London
Yap, Micronesia
Austin, TX
SF Bay Area

PLACES I’VE TRAVELED:
UK
Germany
France
Italy
Austria
Switzerland
Czech Republic
Hungary
Greece
Turkey
Senegal
The Gambia
Thailand
Japan
Micronesia
Guam
Canada
Mexico
Belize
Guatemala
Honduras
Puerto Rico
Every US state except Wyoming and the Dakotas

 

* The links here are just informational and don’t imply that I support a specific organization.

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