Central America - Belize - Maya Archaeological Project

UC Undergrads: $4,700
UC Grad Students: $5,150
Visiting Students: $5,150

Meals (estimate): $300
Spending money (estimate): $200

This course has two goals; 1) to introduce students to field methods in archaeology, and 2) to provide a practical working knowledge of survey, excavation, lab, and field cataloging methods. The course primary directive is to enable students to better understand how archaeology is practiced in the field.

The course will take place in the Belize River Valley, in western Belize. This field school is a collaborative project between the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA and Belizeʹs National Institute of Culture and History, specifically the Institute of Archaeology. The course begins on June 27 and will meet every weekday until July 31. Students will spend the first week in the town of San Ignacio for five days of lectures, instructional tours, field practicum, and laboratory training. The following four weeks will be spent in the field conducting survey and excavation of the Maya sites of Aguacate.
Students will live in comfortable, but modest field housing at the Midas Tropical Resort in San Ignacio (www.midasresort.com).

Grading: Grades will be based on fieldwork participation (67%) and one final paper (33%).
Course Readings: Readings listed below. Course packs will be provided and copies of text book should be purchased prior to arrival in country.
Course Requirements: Meet every scheduled day.
Prerequisites: None.

Materials: download from internet

Excavations: Students will participate in guided excavations at ceremonial and residential sites.

Survey: Students will conduct full coverage survey of the Aguacate sites.

Recordation: Students will participate in filling out specific excavation forms, map finds, and record stratigraphy.

Cataloging: Students will participate in field sorting and cataloging of finds.

Laboratory: Scheduled lab tasks will include washing, sorting, and cataloging of finds.

Paper: Every student will develop their own independent mini‐archaeological research project. The last weeks of the project will be spent working in conjunction with each student to conduct a special project that will involve independent analysis and research. A final paper will be required of each student that will be due following the end of the UCLA summer session in mid‐September.

Field Archaeology

Week 1:
MONDAY
Morning: Lecture: “Intro to Maya Archaeology” (Connell and Morris)
Afternoon: Field Practicum ‐ Survey Techniques
Readings: McKillop (chapters Introduction and chapters 4‐7)
TUESDAY
Morning: Origins and Growth of the Maya and orientation to a Maya site with a visit to Cahal Pech (Connell and Morris)
Afternoon: Field Practicum ‐ Excavation Techniques
Readings: McKillop (chapters 8‐9, 11)
WEDNESDAY
Morning: Maya Social, Economic and Political Organization (Connell and Morris)
Afternoon: Field Practicum ‐ Field Recording, The Provenience String
Readings: McKillop (chapters 10)
THURSDAY
Morning: Maya Religion and the Calendar (Connell and Morris)
Afternoon: Laboratory Methods (Connell and Morris)
Readings: Awe
FRIDAY
Morning: Archaeology and History of the Belize River Valley (Connell and
Morris)
Afternoon: Free (possible trip to be announced)
SATURDAY
Site Visit to Xunantunich (Connell and Morris)
SUNDAY
Morning: Free
Weeks 2‐5: Intensive survey and excavations at the site of Aguacate. Students will commute to
the site from San Ignacio.
Week 5, Saturday: Return home/continued travel in Belize/Central America on your own.

Dr. Samuel V. Connell and Dr. John M. Morris

Required field trips to local important Maya sites will be conducted on weekends, usually on Saturdays. Sites that the team will visit include Xunantunich, Caracol, Cahal Pech, and various sites in Southern Belize, with an optional trip to Tikal being offered (for an extra fee).

Dr. Samuel V. Connell