Building an International Archaeology in Sonora, México
Channel: ArchaeologySouthwest
Date: 2017-12-28

In this Tea and Archaeology video, Dr. McGuire discusses the long-term collaboration between himself and Elisa Villalpando, Arqueóloga, Centro INAH de Sonora.

The boundaries and frontiers that define modern North American nations had no significance for ancient peoples. But these boundaries have profoundly affected archaeology. In subtle and complex ways, they shape how archaeologists frame questions, how they define their studies, what journals they read, what colleagues they talk to, where they go to school, what institutions they work for, and many other aspects of research. Prehispanic peoples moved back and forth across the modern international border as if it was not there, because it wasn’t. Modern archaeologists have not been so fortunate. Sonora lies between two of the most intensively archaeologically researched regions in the world, but the quantity of research in Sonora remains relatively low. Drs. McGuire and Villalpando are changing this through a collaborative international archaeology that expands our knowledge of Sonora and the Southwest United States.