Minanha Regional Settlement Survey
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The field school is broken down into four equally weighted parts. The field and lab training portions involve all aspects of archaeology, preparing the student to operate in a field archaeology environment. Benefiting from over 50 years combined staff experience in teaching archaeology, each student is instructed in methods of site reconnaissance, survey, excavation, data recording, photography, and drawing. In the lab, students are guided through different aspects of artifact analysis, such as ceramic typology and stone tool production.
Each student will design and carry out a local ethnoarchaeology research project within the village of Succotz. Observations of local customs and practice will be used to formulate generalized ideas about how residues of modern behaviors may be observed in the archaeological record.

Field School Schedule

July 1, 2000: Students arrive at Belize City and are taken to Succotz village in western Belize.

PHASE ONE: VILLAGE STAY AND INTENSIVE TRAINING

July 2, 2000 AM Introduction to Field School participants, organization, acclimatization
PM Lecture Topic: Introduction to the Maya and archaeology
July 3, 2000 AM Field Training: Survey
PM Lecture Topic: Maya Settlement Survey in practice
July 4, 2000 AM Field Training: Excavation Techniques
PM Site Visitation: Other project research
Lecture Topic: Classic Maya Civilization, the have and have-nots
July 5, 2000 AM Field Training: Data collection, notebooks
PM Lecture Topic: Ethnoarchaeology, what can we learn about the past?
July 6, 2000 AM Field Training: Begin ethnoarchaeology projects
PM Lecture Topic: Local Maya History
July 7, 2000 AM Continue ethnoarchaeology projects
PM Guest Lecture: Maya caves
July 8, 2000 Free Day

PHASE TWO: VACA PLATEAU - PREPARATION AND OVERNIGHT

July 9, 2000 AM Day hike to field camp, tour Minanha and prepare for field research
July 10, 2000 AM Prepare gear
PM Lecture Topic: Maya agriculture, Belize flora & fauna
July 11, 2000 AM Hike to camp site and prepare bedding
PM Begin field research
July 12, 2000 AM Field work all day
July 13, 2000 AM Field work
PM Pack up camp and hike out, ride back to Succotz
July 14, 2000 AM Laboratory analysis
PM Lecture Topic: Analysis and Interpretation in Maya Archaeology
Epigraphy and Calendrics
July 15-16, 2000 Free Weekend (optional field trip)

PHASE THREE: MINANHA REGIONAL SURVEY FIELD RESEARCH

July 17, 2000 AM Hike to camp site and prepare bedding
PM Begin field research
July 18-19, 2000 Field work all day
July 20, 2000 AM Field work
PM Pack up camp and hike out, ride back to Succotz
July 21, 2000 AM Laboratory Analysis
PM Lecture Topic: Maya Social Organization
July 22-23, 2000 AM Free Weekend: Ethnoarchaeology Project due

PHASE FOUR: MINANHA REGIONAL SURVEY FIELD RESEARCH

July 24, 2000 AM Hike to camp site and prepare bedding
PM Begin field research
July 25-26, 2000 Field work all day
July 27, 2000 AM Field work, backfill units
PM Close up camp and hike out, ride back to Succotz
July 28, 2000 AM Laboratory Analysis
PM Prepare for exam
July 29, 2000 AM Final Exam
PM Post-session meeting
July 30, 2000 AM Good-byes, truck leaves for Belize City, airport

CSU Northridge is responsible only for providing instruction and appropriate academic credit.

   

Contact Samuel Connell or Louis Neff
Co-Directors Minanha Regional Survey

Web Site Design by Linda Neff


Jointly sponsored by SARP and
College of Extended of Learning, CSU Northridge