In this project, we are completing work on a plant reference library of economic species for archaeological investigations of foodways and ethnoecology in ancient Mesoamerica. These activities are part of an ongoing partnership between archaeologists, botanists, and local collaborators in Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. To answer questions related to subsistence and landscape management, we are developing this botanical reference collection to compare with ancient specimens found in archaeological excavations.
Students curate specimens and document key characteristics of the collections, through morphological analyses. In Fall 2024 we will be focusing on leaves, fibers, and phytoliths from palm species of the Southern Maya Lowlands; and carpological and starch specimens from the Maya, Mixtec, and Zapotec areas. Students compare the reference specimens with botanical residues extracted from excavated artifacts and sediments.
Undergraduate Students:
Yining Wang (UTRA – Fall 2024)
Rebecca Bushee (Research Apprentice – Fall 2024)
Genevieve Sychterz (Research Apprentice – Spring 2025)
Reports:
Wang, Yining
2024 “Palms in the Past: Morphometrics, Contexts, and Residues in Mesoamerican Archaeology.” Undergraduate Research and Teaching Awards Report. Submitted to the Paleoethnobotany at Brown Laboratory.
Yining Wang – Workflow Document