Program Duration

Summer: Four weeks in June

Program Description

This four week program offers students the opportunity to participate in archaeological investigations of ancient Maya sites in the Mopan Valley of Belize. Participants will learn about survey, mapping, excavation, recording, artifact analysis, and laboratory techniques through evening lectures and workshops. Students will put those techniques into practice each day at the field site and laboratory.

The fieldwork site is located near the beautiful town of San Ignacio. Known locally as "Cayo," San Ignacio is located in west-central Belize, cradled in a picturesque valley. Although Cayo has a collective population of only 13,600 people, it is ethnically very diverse. In the Cayo marketplace, students will hear Spanish, English, Creole, Yucatec Mayan, and Plattdeutsch, and even Garifuna, Chinese, or Marathi. The region around San Ignacio is an ecotourism paradise, known for its beautiful rivers, jungle caves, and important ancient Maya sites.

The program is directed by Dr. Jason Yaeger; Associate Professor of Anthropology at UW-Madison. Professor Yaeger has sixteen years of field experience in the Maya area and has published widely on Maya and Inka archaeology. The program fieldwork is part of his current research program to understand the way people in the countryside between the large sites of Xunantunich and Buenavista responded to political competition between those two sites.

Academics

Following a few days of orientation in Belize, students will spend eight hours each weekday engaging directly in archaeological research. Students will rotate between the field site and the field laboratory to gain experience in all facets of archaeological fieldwork. Evening lectures, a field manual, and selected readings on archaeological method and theory will provide background to students for their fieldwork, but most of the learning will be hands-on, experiential learning under the guidance of the program staff. Students will also learn about Maya archaeology, architecture, and art by visiting important archaeological sites in the region on weekend field trips.

Participants earn six UW-Madison credits: Anthropology 370 (Field Methods in Archaeology) for four credits and Anthropology 453 (Study Abroad in Archaeology) for two credits. There will also be opportunities to design independent research projects for students who wish to pursue a senior thesis or project in future seasons.

Housing

The group will stay at an eco-resort dedicated to hosting study abroad programs in simple but comfortable cottages. Each cottage has a ceiling fan and private bathroom. The resort is in the countryside, and there is no cable TV or an internet connection. Participants will go into San Ignacio or the nearby village of Succotz several times each week which will provide an opportunity to use the internet, call home, and purchase any necessary items.

Students will take turns making breakfast for the group in the resort’s kitchen, as is the custom on archaeological projects in the region, and lunches will be eaten on-site in the field each day. For dinner, the program will alternate between meals prepared at the resort and different restaurants in San Ignacio and nearby towns.

Excursions and Activities

Students will learn about Maya archaeology, art, and architecture through half-day and full-day field trips to important archaeological sites in the region. Participants will visit Xunantunich and have a chance to climb the 140-tall pyramid called El Castillo. Participants will explore the Actun Tunichil Mucnal cave, where the Maya deposited dozens of pottery vessels and a dozen people as offerings to their gods. Visits will also be made to Cahal Pech and Tikal.