The Archaeological Conservancy

Why Classic Maya cities rose and fell New study reveals the forces that built and collapsed ancient urban centers — and how they echo in today’s urban challenges

MAYA LOWLANDS—A new PNAS study models the rise and fall of Classic Maya cities, finding that climate swings, conflict, and investments in farming infrastructure interacted to drive both urban growth and later deurbanization.

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1,300-year-old poop reveals pathogens plagued prehistoric people in Mexico's 'Cave of the Dead Children' Scientists studied ancient poop and found loads of intestinal diseases.

DURANGO, MEXICO — New DNA work on 1,100–1,300-year-old paleofeces from La Cueva de los Muertos Chiquitos shows widespread enteric infections (including Blastocystis, E. coli pathotypes, pinworm, Shigella, and Giardia).

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Michigan acquires shipwreck artifact as part of settlement in police case The state of Michigan has acquired a life ring that washed ashore 50 years ago from the Edmund Fitzgerald

DETROIT, MICHIGAN—In an unusual settlement, Michigan will pay $600,000 to resolve a police-misconduct suit and has taken possession of a rare Edmund Fitzgerald life ring that washed ashore after the 1975 disaster.

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#Archaeology #EdmundFitzgerald #GreatLakes

Stone tools trace Paleolithic Pacific migration into North America A new analysis of stone tools offers strong evidence for the theory that ancient people from the Pacific Rim traveled a coastal route from East Asia during the last ice age to become North America's…

A new Science Advances study proposes an “American Upper Paleolithic,” linking early North American stone-tool tech (~20,000–13,500 years ago) to Late Upper Paleolithic traditions in NE Asia. The pattern supports a Pacific coastal entry.

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Archaeologist Uncover Foundation From Treasury Heist In Newtown - NewtownPANow.com Testing confirmed the remains of the 18th-century structure where a gang stole tax money meant to fund the American Revolution.

NEWTOWN, PENN.—Archaeologists have located parts of the foundation of the Bucks County Treasury—site of the A.D. 1781 Doan Gang robbery. Finds include an English pistol gunflint, helping ground the Revolutionary-era tale in evidence.

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Ancient Maya monument reveals Ix Ch’ak Ch’een, the 6th-century queen who ruled the city of Cobá Archaeologists uncover Ix Ch’ak Ch’een’s rule at Cobá, revealing a 6th-century Maya dynasty and the role of women in leadership.

QUINTANA ROO—Epigraphers reading Cobá’s newly documented “Rock of the Foundation” panel have identified Ix Ch’ak Ch’een, a 6th-century Maya queen. The 123-glyph inscription also ties her to major events and to monuments elsewhere at the site.

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Age and origin of a Cahokian wooden monument at the Mitchell site, Illinois, USA Cahokia was the first and largest precolonial city outside of Mesoamerica in what is now the United States. Monuments and exotic goods were central to public life at Cahokia, but no high-resolution…

CAHOKIA, ILLINOIS — Using tree-ring radiocarbon from an A.D. 994 solar event, researchers precisely dated the Mitchell Log—Greater Cahokia’s largest known marker post—to about A.D. 1124, and strontium isotopes show the bald cypress wasn’t local, likely hauled ≥112 miles.

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In Quinhagak, the storm stripped away beach and priceless archaeological artifacts Jimmy Jones was riding an ATV on the Quinhagak beach in the aftermath of a historic storm last week when he saw something in the erosion-scoured landscape that stopped him. It looked almost spooky,…

QUINHAGAK, ALASKA — After ex-Typhoon Halong scoured the coast, residents and archaeologists are racing to rescue Yup’ik artifacts from the Nunalleq site—where up to ~60 feet of beach vanished in places and even a rare painted mask surfaced from the eroded shoreline.

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Maya salt-making compound found preserved underwater in Belize In a recent study by Dr. Heather McKillop and Dr. E. Cory Sills, a complete Late Classic Maya residential compound discovered preserved in mangrove peat below the sea floor of the Punta Ycacos Lagoon…

BELIZE — A Late Classic Maya household has turned up underwater in mangrove peat at the Paynes Creek Salt Works, revealing a pole-and-thatch residence alongside two salt kitchens and a fourth work area likely used for brine enrichment.

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Journal article: bit.ly/3LqSKgR

CONSERVANCY FIELD NOTE: New Northeast Kentucky Heritage Driving Tour! Thanks to America250KY funding, MOVHF installed interpretive signs at four sites, including the Conservancy’s Town Square Mound Preserve—an Early Woodland Adena mound (ca. 500 B.C.–A.D. 250) now under restoration.

Beyond Fires + Floods: Indigenous Narratives in an Era of Extremes - Museum of Anthropology at UBC How have Indigenous narratives helped Indigenous peoples cope with and confront climate change? What does it mean to see and story climate change not so...

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA — MOA at UBC hosts “Beyond Fires + Floods: Indigenous Narratives in an Era of Extremes,” a free evening program on Friday, Oct. 24 (6:30–8:30 pm PT) spotlighting Indigenous voices and knowledge to re-story climate change.

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#AmericanArchaeology

Webinar: Tree-rings reveal the legacy of Indigenous cultural burning in the Southwest USA This webinar will demonstrate how population size, culture, and economic organization were not limiting variables on the influence of Indigenous populations on fire regimes and that new…

New research uses tree rings to trace the long-term legacy of Indigenous cultural burning—showing frequent, low-intensity fires that shaped resilient forests and mosaicked habitats across the region, showing how traditional stewardship can inform today’s fire management.

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Five Tribes Announce the Formation of a New Chuckwalla National Monument Intertribal Commission - Protect Chuckwalla National Monument Today, the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe, the Cahuilla Band of Indians, the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe, and the Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT)…

COACHELLA, CA—The Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe, Cahuilla Band of Indians, Chemehuevi Indian Tribe, and the Colorado River Indian Tribes—announced a new Chuckwalla National Monument Intertribal Commission to guide stewardship of 600,000 acres of lands.

One Woman’s Fight to Protect Ancient Maya Legacy – Harvard Museums of Science & Culture Free Hybrid Lecture

CAMBRIDGE, MA: Free hybrid lecture — One Woman’s Fight to Protect Ancient Maya Legacy. Hear how her pioneering advocacy against looting helped shape U.S. policy and UNESCO conventions. Oct 16, 6–7 pm ET at Harvard (Zoom option)

Register: buff.ly/R9f8MmB
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Current Issue Book Reviews - The Archaeological Conservancy Book reviews in the current issue of American Archaeology Magazine keep you up to date with new ideas and research in American archaeology.

FROM AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY (Fall 2025, Vol. 29 No. 3): Our latest book roundup is posted—new and notable titles spanning North American archaeology, heritage policy, and public interpretation.
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FIELD NOTE: Conservancy, stewards conduct site stabilization at Egg Mountain - The Archaeological Conservancy

FIELD NOTE: In early July, our Eastern regional director and site stewards stabilized the Conservancy’s Egg Mountain Preserve in Vermont—backfilling earlier excavation units and lining an excavated privy with culvert pipe donated by the Sandgate Highway Department.

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FIELD NOTE: Regional director tours Sylvan Lake Preserve in Washington’s scablands - The Archaeological Conservancy Regional director tours Sylvan Lake Preserve in Washington’s scablands; The Archaeological Conservancy; Field Note; 2025; Sylvan Lake Preserve, Lincoln County, Washington; Channeled Scablands,…

CONSERVANCY FIELD NOTE: Western Regional Director Linsie Lafayette visited the Conservancy’s Sylvan Lake Preserve—a pre-contact pithouse village with nine circular house depressions on the ancestral lands of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and Spokane Tribe, protected since 1995

Incredible ancient artifacts found on sale for $22 at Canadian thrift store - NewsBreak The set of precious rings and medallions were spotted by a shopper at Thrifty Boutique, a charity thrift store in Chilliwack, around 60 miles from Vancouve

CHILLIWACK, BRITISH COLUMBIA: A thrift-store shopper spotted 13 metal pieces—11 rings and 2 medallions—priced at just $22 USD and turned them over to Simon Fraser University for study; researchers say the set may be medieval, pending authentication.
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Live Archaeology Excavation: Discovering Colonial Student Life – Harvard Museums of Science & Culture Register your class for a virtual visit to a live archaeology excavation into the eighteenth century. College student archaeologists-in-training uncover history around Harvard’s Holden Chapel which…

CAMBRIDGE, MA: Join Harvard Museums of Science & Culture for a live archaeology excavation exploring colonial-era student life—watch archaeologists at work, see artifacts emerge from the ground, and chat with researchers about how they interpret finds in real time. Free. Read more: buff.ly/Cl9ktad

2025 Trailer of Trailers FINAL This is "2025 Trailer of Trailers FINAL" by Arkhaios Film Festival on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

The Arkhaios Archaeology Film Festival (Oct. 13–19—free for one week) with films from around the world. We’re excited that Brian Fritz’s documentary “Hunt for the First Americans: Finding Clovis at the Barton Site” (filmed at a Conservancy preserve) was selected! Register: arkhaiosfilmfestival.org

FIELD NOTE: Conservancy, stewards conduct site stabilization at Egg Mountain - The Archaeological Conservancy Regional director tours Sylvan Lake Preserve in Washington’s scablands; The Archaeological Conservancy; Field Note; 2025; Sylvan Lake Preserve, Lincoln County, Washington; Channeled Scablands,…

FIELD NOTE: Staff visited Sylvan Lake Preserve in the Channeled Scablands--a pre-contact pithouse village with nine circular house depressions on the ancestral lands of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and the Spokane Tribe, protected by the Conservancy since '1995.

Uncharted territory: Utah's Cultural Site Stewards take action during federal government shutdown Utah Cultural Site Stewards, a network of specifically trained volunteers tasked to monitor and protect the state's unique archaeological resources, are now stepping in to protect and elevate Utah's…

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH—With federal staff furloughed during the government shutdown, Utah’s Cultural Site Stewards are stepping in at places like Dinosaur National Monument, Bears Ears, Parowan Gap, Nine Mile Canyon, and Buckhorn Wash to watch over archaeological sites. Read more: buff.ly/JVBmE2C

Fiesta Of Cultures Celebrates New Mexico’s Diversity At Coronado Historic Site Oct. 18

BERNALILLO, NM: Fiesta of Cultures returns to Coronado Historic Site on Oct. 18—with Jemez Pueblo dancers, square dancers, East Indian and Irish dance, zydeco/Tejano/blues music, horno baking demos, guided tours of the reconstructed kiva, hands-on activities, and a juried market.

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Virtual Program: Archaeology - The State Museum of Pennsylvania Friday, October 10 at 12:15pm Quarries, Fort, and Beyond: The Archaeological Conservancy’s Preservation Efforts in Pennsylvania For the past 45 years The Archaeological Conservancy has been the only…

FREE VIRTUAL LECTURE: Join our Eastern Regional Director Kelley Berliner for "Quarries, Fort, and Beyond” at 12:15 p.m. ET, Friday, Oct. 10, to explore 45 years of site protection and learn how she manages more than 90 preserves in the Eastern region. Hosted by the State Museum of Pennsylvania.

CONSERVANCY TOUR SPOTLIGHT: Our Chaco Canyon in Depth journey concluded after three unforgettable days immersed in Chaco Canyon itself, visiting Pueblo Bonito, Chetro Ketl, Pueblo del Arroyo, the petroglyphs at Una Vida, other canyon sites, and hikes.

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Bar Harbor's Abbe Museum to repatriate 16 Wabanaki cultural artifacts The items are believed to be funeral offerings.

BAR HARBOR, ME: The Abbe Museum will repatriate 16 Wabanaki cultural artifacts—returning items to their descendant communities in keeping with tribal protocols and federal law, and advancing ongoing collaboration with Wabanaki leaders.

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TREASURE COAST, FL: Historians say a baffling metal disc recovered from a 1715 Spanish treasure-fleet wreck has ties to the 1700s Spanish monarchy—adding a royal twist to one of Florida’s most storied shipwrecks.

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Peru's Peñico Discovery Shows How the Caral Civilization Faced Crisis With Cooperation, Not Conquest High on the windblown slopes of Peru's Supe Valley, archaeologists have unearthed Peñico, a 3,800-year-old city tied to the Caral civilization. Its plazas and artifacts suggest the Americas' first…

SUPE VALLEY, PERU: New findings at the 3,800-year-old Caral-linked city of Peñico suggest communities met crisis with cooperation—not conquest—mobilizing collective labor and ritual to sustain life after Caral’s decline.

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#Archaeology #Caral #Peñico #SupeValley

TerraXplorations’ digs trace the evolution, human stories of Louisiana’s sugar plantations - The Archaeological Conservancy Sweet Industry, Hard History; Julian Smith; American Archaeology magazine; 2025; Feature Article; 2,182 words (+ 948-word sidebar); Lower Mississippi River, Louisiana; cultural resource management…

FROM AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY (Fall 2025, Vol. 29 No. 3): Along Louisiana’s “sugar coast,” TerraXplorations is documenting the industrial heart of 19th-century plantations—sugarhouses—before development erases what remains.

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#Archaeology #LouisianaHistory #Sugarhouse

Archaeology Day at Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center is Oct. 18 Celebrate Archaeology Day at Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center on Oct. 18.

SPIRO, OK: Mark your calendars! The Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center will host Archaeology Day on Saturday, Oct. 18, featuring atlatl throwing, flintknapping, guided tours, and family-friendly hands-on activities that bring the Mississippian cultural center to life.

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