Maya Research Program: Archaeological Field Season

Name: Maya Research Program: Archaeological Field Season
Brand: Maya Research Program
SKU: 15665
Rating: 9.75 (4 reviews)

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Location

Belize

Term

Summer

Subject Areas

Archaeology Conservation and Preservation Cultural Studies Field Studies History

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Program Details

Program Type

Provider

Language

English

Pricing

Starting Price

$500 USD

Price Details

Cost: The donation for a single two-week session for non-students is $ $1750 USD. A special first-session rate of $1500 is available to students currently enrolled in an accredited University or College. If more than one session is desired, the donation is $1200 for each additional session. A non-refundable deposit of $250 per session is required to hold your spot. (Participants are responsible for their travel costs to Belize). If a student wishes to receive academic credit, tuition costs (via the University of Texas at Tyler or their home institution) will apply in addition to the required donation to the Maya Research Program.

Last Updated: Jul 19, 2019

Last Reviewed: Mar 03, 2013

About Program

The Maya Research Program is a U.S.-based non-profit organization (501c3) that sponsors archaeological and ethnographic research in Middle America. Each summer since 1992, we have sponsored archaeological fieldwork at the ancient Maya sites of Blue Creek, Nojol Nah, Xnoha, and Grey Fox in northwestern Belize.

In 2014 we again offer opportunities to participate in our field program and learn about the Maya of the past and today. The Blue Creek project is open to student and non-student participants, regardless of experience. The field school is certified by the Register of Professional Archaeologists and participants will receive training in archaeological field and laboratory techniques. Academic credit and scholarships are available.

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Archaeologists at work in Northern Belize

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This Summer of 2013 will be my 8th season. To be transparent I first arrived during the 1996 season, as a middle aged avocational archaeologist, married with two teenagers. I was a long way from my college years(UMASS '69) but after speaking to Dr. Thomas Guderjan, the Program Director, he reassured me there was a place for me at the Maya Research Program. That year we did alot of walking and slept in single or double tents.

Now so many years later, we sleep in water proof cabanas, have shower and bathgroom facilitiesn as well as, having two home cooked meals a day, with plenty of varied food choices suitable fo most tastes.

This program has resulted in valuable research and countless post- graduate degrees.

You will work according to your skill set, real or perceived. You will lectures by the staff at least 4-5 times a week. The main social activties are centered around and underneath our brand new palapa. Right across from a front get is the Delicacy Cafe with wi-fi, delicious food and various desserts and assorted beverages.

Everyone looks out for one another and some have become life long friends with a few marriages thrown into the mix over the years.

There are short term courses that may be taken for college credit, with no more than 8-10 students per session. Personally i could write another 5 pages, but for the sake of brevity, this is the place to go for 2-8 weeks this Summer. i will greet you and welcome you to the MRP family upon your arrival. Best wishes, Sarge

An average day begins around 530 am, breakfast ends at 630 am and by 700 am, we load up in our trucks and vans and go off to our assignments. Some volunteers take part in exvacation, while others will perform mapping, GPS plotting and working in our extensive concrete laboratory.

What would you improve about this program?

1. Hot water
2. More Lab time
3. Change up the day off field trips for repeating attendees
4. More pineapple squares for dessert (seriously)

I attended MRP's 2011 field season, and it was entirely new to me. I had no idea what to expect, and I was so afraid that my first experience excavating would be over my head.

Imagine getting off of the bus in a foreign country, feeling completely insecure, and... a group of forty of your best friends pops out of the woodwork to greet you. This is exactly how it felt to arrive at MRP, and I didn't even know a single person there! The participants are so warm and laid-back, and the staff is incredibly supportive. They're always willing to be cornered after dinner and answer your questions until they're blue in the face. Being at MRP is like having an entire set of private tutors who are all experts in their field, and will also drink a beer with you.

As far as actual archaeological experience, it runs the gamut from survey to mapping to test pits to architecture to human burial. If you express ANY interest in a particular archaeological topic, they will do their best to make sure that you get to try it first-hand, even if you're only around for a two-week session.

Long story short: it's a phenomenal learning experience, and you'll be lifetime friends with the other volunteers as soon as you meet them. I guarantee that even after a two-week session, you'll return home feeling a) like a real archaeologist and b)like you are completely hooked and can't wait to go back.

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During my time at MRP, I learned basics to build my archaeological career foundation upon and built relationships that will last a lifetime. The staff has so much care and time put into the program. They are more than dedicated and are there simply because it's what their heart desires. They spend so much time getting to know everyone and make sure everyone is included while sticking strictly to the rules and safety precautions. MRP is one of a kind because of it's staff and amazing site opportunities. There are many different places to work in the season. Camp is great, especially for an archaeological camp and conditions are more than what you would expect. The things I learned there have remained with me. It wasn't just about the dig, it turned into being a lifetime experience that I will never forget.

The Maya Research Program is a U.S.-based non-profit organization (501C3) that sponsors archaeological and ethnographic research in Middle America. Each summer since 1992, MRP has sponsored archaeological fieldwork at the ancient Maya site of Blue Creek in northwestern Belize. In 2012 MRP again offers opportunities to participate in the field program and learn about the Maya of the past and today.

The Blue Creek project is open to student and non-student participants, regardless of experience. The field school is certified by the Register of Professional Archaeologists and participants will receive training in archaeological field and laboratory techniques

Questions & Answers

Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Why did you choose the Maya Research Program?

The Maya Research Program is extremely welcoming to its volunteers. As I stated earlier, you don’t have to have any prior excavation experience; they will teach you everything you need to know daily, as you participate. The friendships that I have made at the Maya Research Program are some of the most important ones in my life, and not a day goes by that I’m not in contact with one of my fellow volunteers or a staff member on Facebook or email. MRP really does feel like a family, and we all support one another’s academic pursuits, whether we’re in the field or at home dreaming about being in the field.

It is also really inspiring to see what wonderful connections the Program has forged with the local community. The Maya Research Program has been working in Blue Creek for 22 years now, and they are very open with local people regarding the work that needs to be done. About a year ago, MRP was actually able to purchase the site of Grey Fox, which will protect it from being bulldozed or otherwise developed by local farmers who may not understand or respect archaeology the way that we do. It is so rewarding to be part of a program that preserves the world’s cultural heritage so that it may be shared with future generations.

Finally, the professional benefit of having hands-on field experience is priceless. I have had multiple professors tell me how admirable it is that I have already been able to do things like survey, draw maps, excavate, and complete lab work as an undergraduate student. Having that experience really gives you an edge when searching for archaeological jobs or applying to graduate school. My experience at the Maya Research Program has also helped me to solidify my plan for where I want to take my future, and it’s given me the confidence to know that I have what it takes to be a “real” archaeologist. I know that I can do it, because I already have!

What were some of your program's highlights?

On Sundays, volunteers have the option to visit the nearby Maya site of Lamanai, which is unique in that it was still inhabited during the time of Spanish contact. Much of the site has been restored for tourists. As you tour the ruins, you get to climb up to the top of temples and look out over the jungle canopy, and imagine what life must have been like for the Maya who constructed these magnificent pyramids, or for the people who worked, ruled, raised families, and worshipped in this community hundreds of years ago.

The environment at Blue Creek is unlike anything that I have ever experienced at home. The weather is very hot and humid, and in the later part of the summer, it rains almost every day. Many teams work right in the jungle, surrounded by vines, palm trees, and all other kinds of exotic flora. We see lots of frogs and lizards, beautiful birds, funky insects, foxes, and other tropical wildlife around base camp and in the field. (Did I mention fresh avocadoes and mangoes?!)

Monkeys like to hang around in the trees and watch us work, and sometimes they put on a little show to get our attention. (The howler monkeys sound just like dinosaurs; it’s always funny to see someone’s face the first time they hear one roaring overhead). Some people have even seen jaguars around Blue Creek, although they’re pretty elusive. In the evenings, we volunteers often convince a staff member to drive us to the nearby cenote for a quick, refreshing swim before dinner, or to the store to buy candy and other serious essentials.

We work hard when we are in the field. (You don’t realize it at first, but archaeology means moving a lot of dirt- and it all has to go somewhere.) But it’s work that you can be proud of, and it will stick with you for the rest of your life. There is no feeling in the world like pulling a piece of pottery out of the ground and realizing the last human being to touch this before me lived a thousand years ago. This was definitely the highlight of my trip: forming an emotional and mental connection to the past in a way that nothing but real hands-on experience could ever provide.

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What did a typical day look like?

The Maya Research Program is an archaeological field school located in the town of Blue Creek in northwestern Belize, Central America. It consists of a few dozen volunteers and about ten staff members and interns. We also have local individuals from Blue Creek and the nearby town of San Felipe who help us excavate, as well as taking excellent care of us by keeping our base camp clean and preparing wonderful homemade meals every day. Many of the MRP volunteers are archaeology students, but this isn’t a requirement. Anyone who is interested in learning more about ancient Maya civilization and getting hands-on archaeological experience is welcome to join in.

During the Maya Research Program’s summer field season, participants live at a base camp in Blue Creek, where we eat, sleep, and hang out. Each volunteer is assigned a cabaña to sleep in, and depending on the capacity of the program during a given session, you may be assigned a roommate or have a cabaña to yourself. In the mornings, people tend to wake up early, around 5:30 or 6:00. A buffet-style breakfast is served at 6:30, and at 7:00 all of the excavation teams load into vans or pickup trucks and head into the field for the day’s work.

The work that you do on any given day depends on the team to which you are assigned and the site at which this team is working. You may be doing anything archaeological–from mapping, to uncovering monumental architecture, to excavating human burials, ceramics, stone tools, or other artifacts. Team leads are very conscientious about training volunteers in field methods and teaching you what to expect, so you don’t have to worry if you have little or no archaeological field experience. Learning is what field school is all about!

We work in the field all day, until about 3:00 pm. (There is a lunch break in the middle of the day, and many teams also take a mid-morning snack break.) Around 3:00 we head back to base camp, and there is a mad dash for the showers (archaeology gets you dirty). Then we usually have about an hour to relax before dinner, during which time volunteers may choose to read, take a nap, socialize, get some extra lab work done, or visit the Internet café across the street to communicate with friends and family back home.

After dinner, one of the staff members typically gives a lecture relating to his or her research, Maya archaeology, or some other theme related to the program. Afterwards, volunteers, interns, and staff members typically hang out under the palapa (kind of an open-sided hut with chairs and picnic tables underneath) to have a few beers and unwind. This is a great time to pick the staff members’ brains for archaeological advice and expertise.