Maura Ellenberger | 2025 I.S. Symposium

Name: Maura Ellenberger
Title: Private Money and Public Work: Evaluating Funding Sources for US-Based Archaeological Research in Guatemala
Major: Archeology
Minors: Spanish; Latin American Studies
Advisors: Olivia Navarro-Farr; Beth Derderian

The establishment of archaeological projects in the 20th and 21st centuries was often shaped, consciously or unconsciously, by the political motivations of involved parties. I evaluate this premise through the examination of archival records and interviews pertaining to two archaeological projects, each established in Guatemala but in distinct periods and political contexts. My goal is to examine the implicit or explicit ties that come with certain funding sources associated with archaeological projects and how they have changed over time. I consider the history of excavations of the Tikal Project (1956-1970) and the Proyecto Arqueológico Waka’ (2003-present). Understanding the motivations and changes in state, as well as private, support for archaeological projects allows the archaeological community to better evaluate the ethics and unintentional/intentional biases of past and current research while supporting a cross-disciplinary method of examining archaeological practices.

Posted in Symposium 2025 on May 1, 2025.