Research/Areas of Interest
Mesoamerican Archaeology, Ceramic Analysis, Rise and Fall of Complex Societies
My research interests are in the social mechanisms involved in the development and demise of complex societies, concentrating on Mesoamerica. The central theme behind my research is to gain a better understanding of the processes involved in the establishment and collapse of social hierarchies and how these are expressed in the archaeological record. I examine these issues though a contextual analysis of material culture (specifically pottery) from a number of different sites. As the ceramicist for the Programme for Belize Archaeology Project in the Three Rivers Region of northwestern Belize, I am in the process of developing a regional chronology for the area which involves the analysis of ceramics recovered from a number across the region(ranging from isolated finds to large cities such as La Milpa) and dating from the Middle Preclassic (900 B.C.) to Terminal Classic (A.D. 900).
I am also the Associate Director of the St. George's Caye Archaeological project where we are excavating the remains of the first capital of Belize. This project is focused on historic period occupation where we are finding some of the forefathers of Belize that were associated with the Battle of St. George's Caye in 1798 when the Baymen fought off the Spanish. A significant part of this public archaeology project involves working closely with the local community on the island to carry out research that is of importance to them and to share our findings.