Mayanist archaeology through a decolonial perspective Challenges and opportunities

Dr. Miron Marvan from UC Berkeley presents his research for the Fall 2022 UNLV Anthropology Proseminar Lecture Series.
There is an urgent need for Mexican archaeology to be socially sustainable. It is imperative to think and discuss strategies to make our discipline relevant and available to all the groups with a stake to hold on archaeological heritage. In particular, to all the indigenous peoples that can be considered descendants of the ancient people we investigate. In this talk I will discuss how our historic role needs to be reevaluated and the need of establishing new terms of engagement with the pueblos originarios of the Mexican territory. After five centuries of cultural erasure, the archaeologists have the responsibility to make the first steps towards the necessary dialogues that will promote and facilitate the indigenous counterweights to state hegemony on the archaeological heritage processes and phenomena. I consider that we need to make a future for archaeology that is attuned with peoples´ heritage. Around the world, anthropological disciplines have been going through a process of scientific decolonization. In fact, the indigenous descendant communities of the past human groups we study are increasingly asking to participate in decision making, research projects design and the use and custody of archaeological sites. Mexican archaeologists have not listened. A lot of work is needed to shorten the distance that exists between the Mexican academic community and the indigenous peoples whose histories we appropriate and study.