It’s been 14 years since I left the Philippines not knowing where my life is going to be. The eldest son of immigrants from Overseas Filipino Workers program, born in Saudi Arabia, I immigrated to the United States in 2003. I served in the US military for 5 years and traveled the world until my discharge in 2013. With a vision of serving humanity and learning more about cultures, I find myself deeply fascinated with Anthropology. The rest became history. As I read more and do research and with great mentorships from passionate professors I decided to focus on archaeology.
I am interested in sacred landscapes and ritual spaces primarily on caves. The rich indigenous culture of the Philippines presents an opportunity for me to explore this theoretical framework. My experiences from archaeological studies in Mesoamerica, Mojave Desert, and San Nicolas Island allows me a unique perspective in looking at sacred landscapes and I want to transition this culmination of interests to the Philippine.
I completed my bachelors in Forensic Psychology while serving in the United States Navy. After discharge, I intended to pursue a second bachelors in Anthropology until I was discovered by my current advisor Dr. James Brady and suggested I applied to the graduate program. I intended to study the Philippines as my geographical area of interest to do archaeology. However, taking classes with Dr. James Brady presented a unique opportunity for me to explore Maya excavations in the jungles of Belize in caves or subterranean spaces. The subterranean features are not only rich in material remains but also a source of great archaeological data. 
Before I stepped into archaeology, my interest has always been to study and contribute to the history of the Philippine Islands. The route I took brought me to different areas of studies. This path introduced me to different environments making me flexible and adaptable in situations. My military experience had already made its contribution in the field as I help patched an injured friend during an unfortunate accident. I have enriched my skills in research during the time I spent in the graduate program in Cal State LA and I will continue to do so as I move forward in my studies.
The opportunities given to me by Dr. Stephen Acabado to join the Ifugao Archaeological Project (IAP) fulfills a long overdue research interest. Compared from my different field experiences in Mesoamerica and Mojave Desert, excavating in the rice terraces I experienced its own environmental challenges.  Belizean jungle excavation is humid and hot, but excavating under canopies makes the heat bearable. The desert can be scorching hot but mountains and hills are really good shelters. The rice terraces require long treks to reach the excavation site under the scorching sun with few opportunities for shades. It’s only been one week and I suffered heat exhaustion in the field. Despite the difficulties, this field school contain the usual laughter of students eager to learn archaeology.
The great thing about going back to the Philippines to do field school is the recognition how comfortable I am to be around my culture. Karaoke is a staple past time for Filipinos. During off days, we sang from the Karaoke machine while we enjoy bottles of Fundador and San Miguel Beer. Sharing this experience with individuals who share a common passion about Philippine culture and more importantly Philippine Archaeology makes this an awesome experience. We ride the “Jeep” to and from the field. The ride doesn’t have a divider and we all squeeze in together like sardines in a can sharing the stench from a hard field day. Arriving in HQ, we get in a circle and talked how the day went for the students and look for ways to improve the learning and living conditions. Overall, after only a week of spending time with the crew, IAP field school is an awesome and fun experience to learn archaeology in the Philippines.

Ricardo Iglesias III, UC Berkeley
June 29, 2016

I felt the need to dig after a full day of accessioning the day before, but today’s weather was extremely hot. My group worked on Trench 19, which was filled with rocks everywhere. The plan was to expose the rocky feature first before digging any deeper. To my dismay, digging through rocks with a trowel was extremely time-consuming and tiring. Using the pointed tip of the trowel, I became proficient with leveling out the trench even through rocky features.

My favorite part of the day, as always, is lunch after a hard morning’s work. Today’s lunch consisted of munggo and vegetable stir fry. Eating lunch under the shade of the granary, with light breezes blowing, my Tang juice at hand, and the view of the fields and mountains – this has been etched in my mind each field day. My second favorite part is learning to use the pickaxe to dig deeper and faster through the trench. Though it makes my arms very tired and sore, I like being able to dig the trench faster. By alternating the pickaxe from my right hand to left hand, I feel as if I’m working out both arms and learning how to be ambidextrous. #fieldschoolperks

My least favorite part of the day is the heat (as always). At some point, I felt like I overworked myself and ran out of sugar in my body. That first drink of Tang literally saved me from feeling like I am about to knock out. That said though – I still made sure to take my breaks when I can. I think the heat today was just really extreme – not a cloud in the sky to provide shade.

When we got back to headquarters, the first thing I did was take off my shoes. I found out that my calves got burnt because there’s an obvious tan line where my socks were. The second thing I did was buy my ice cream – mixed ube and mango on a sweet, sugar cone. This is another favorite part of the day. As I wait to get my order, I usually talk to the vendors’ son – Jesse Boy. I feel like it’s become a routine for me to chill and eat ice cream right after a field day. I have become more cognizant of the simple pleasures in life, especially being in the province. #thatprovincelife.

My chore group is in charge of accessioning for the evening, and for a solid 2 hours, I was writing as small as possible on the sherds we recovered from the day before. Since I was so tired from going to the field, I solely concentrated on getting work done and didn’t talk as much to the people I was working with. At about 8:30, we finished our chore and simply relaxed. I was talking to Maddie for a bit and she caught a rhinoceros beetle that flew into the lab room. I love the bugs that fly around in the house, and I love the people’s reaction to them even better. At the end of the night, Maddie was dubbed the #BugCatcher because of her bravery to capture an insect. I just videotaped everything she was doing, haha.

As the days go by and more hours spent on the field, I feel as if I get more and more into digging. I am learning to trowel better and at the same time, learning my own limits and capacities especially under the hot sun. Field school is nice, and I’m happy to have met good friends along the way.

Chris Roldan
CUNY Hunter College
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                  Like my fellow field-school classmate Lo has mentioned in her blog post below, field school is muddy! I also think it is hard work. As for living with, getting along with, supporting my peers, and learning from teachers, one critical aspect to maintaining our sanity is having fun! After all, “It’s more fun in the Philippines!” So what better way to have fun in the Philippines than some drinking and karaoke?
                  Karaoke night was this past Saturday and as group B scrambled to get the dishes done to join in on the festivities, my energy was wearing thin. However, this was just what we all needed. Some booze, camaraderie, and bonding time. Some of us went to visit Manang Pauline at the Sari Sari store to get some last minute san miguels and Red Horse. Can you believe these are just 50 pesos (~1USD)?! That’s better than any happy hour I’ve been to in NYC.
                  Professionalism is so important, but when we are in the conditions that we are in, after hours of trying not to dig too deep into lvl 2, being pulled by my crew chief for shots was a blast (haha, hi Maddie). I learned that a lot of us anthropologists and archaeologists are not the greatest singers, but it was a trip listening to Nate belt some T-swift, the New Yorkers singing “Empire State of Mind” in our New Yawwwk solidarity, and of course seeing Doc join us for “Bakit ngayon ka lang”. This IAP crew can get wild!
                  After lots and lots and lots of drinking, the night died down as Mauricio serenaded us with Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” and one-by-one people drifted to their beds for rest. We ended with a night cap sitting out on the front lawn listening to Maddie play her uke while munching on pulutan i.e., snacks to go with drinking (chicharon, chips, etc). I could not have asked for a better way to end our first week in field school! 

Matthew Ordinario, Fordham University
IAP 5.0 Blog

    It’s been a year since I came to Ifugao for the first time, and returning made me realize how much I really missed Kiangan, the town in which we have taken up our temporary residence for the duration of the field season. Being able to walk to the town center from our headquarters in the SITMo (Save the Ifugao Terraces Movement) house, seeing the much loved dog of our neighbors, Bon Bon, and buying a Royal Tru Orange (the Philippine version of orange soda) from Ate Pauline in the sari-sari store (pretty much a variety store) next door all awakened this sense of nostalgia within me.
It was just around this time last year when a past me, unaware yet eager, got his first taste of fieldwork and what it takes to do field Archaeology. I remember, of course, my very first day vividly and how I joined the “Terrace Divers Club” on our way back from the field by gracefully sliding off the narrow and dangerous muddy path into an irrigation ditch and spraining my ankle in the process.
    Since then many things have changed. Being with the Ifugao Archaeological Project for another year has let me see how much I have changed in the past year and how I compare to many of those around me who are now having their turn experiencing their first field school. Coming back has enabled me to refresh what I learned last year in terms of setting up a trench, troweling, mapping, balancing across the rocks to reach the site, and even using only two tabos of water to take a shower.
Even more than observing how far I’ve come from the past year, it’s actually been very fun helping many of the other crew members learn field techniques alongside refreshing my own knowledge. Being a returner, I’ve become a sort of gray zone between undergrad and grad student, especially when considering that I had just gotten my bachelor’s degree about a month ago and that I have been part of this project previously and know how this specific field school works. In addition to learning how to do specific tasks, I’ve now also been learning how to properly direct others to do those same tasks to slowly understand how to run a unit.
With all that said, today was pretty busy, with our field crews setting up two 2 meter by 4 meter trenches at the Old Kiyyangan Village site in the only dried out rice field for as far as the eye can see. Because Archaeology relies heavily on what the conditions are like at the field, we were unfortunately unable to set up more units, but for now Trenches 18 and 19 should suffice and hopefully we can set up more later on in the field season. Actually, the biggest thing I’m happiest about is the lack of flooding. For the past couple of days there has been very little rain, and while this might not be good for our water situation at home it has been great in ensuring that our trenches aren’t like the muddy pits from last year that still haunt my dreams. In terms of our new field crew I’ve really been enjoying everyone’s company, probably more so than last year. We have a nice balance of personalities that thankfully have not shown any signs of breaking down so far and I have high hopes in having considerably less drama. For now, I guess I’ll just keep on chugging along. After all, there are always more things to see and learn.

Lorena D’Urzo, CSU-Chico
June 25, 2016

Today was the first day that we began excavating the Old Kiyyangan site. We separated into four groups and began mapping out our 1X1M units. This is done so that we can fully see and make note of everything that is being found within our units and the region that we are trying to understand as a whole. Each group was able to find ceramic sherds and a few found some fauna. Each group was also able to learn how to use the Trimble, which is basically a GPS system that graphs out the areas using the satellites. Overall, It was a great first day, most of the students who were accepted into the field school have never actually done field work. The only bad thing was because we are working in rice terraces, a lot of the soil is wet and makes it very hard to walk in, so a lot of the time we were sinking in and getting muddy (which comes with the job). What was wonderful about today is being able to go out and learn the right way to measure out our units and the right ways to use a trowel, and shifter was really great and will come in handy for future jobs. Now for those who do not know, a trowel is an archaeologists best friend, without it we would not get anything in the field, it is our chosen tool. What also made today so great was the team units were able to not only become closer but understand how each other works and the good/bad things about working with each other.
    Even though we were not supposed to start excavating where we did, we made it work and did a great job. But that is what we signed up for as future archaeologist/ anthropologist, things will come up and change all the things that we had planned to do. Hopefully things will continue to go well and we can continue to discover more of what the rice fields have to offer us. 
    Once we were done we headed back to the house. The way back was a little harder because of our muddy shoes, but we were able to make it back home with everyone in one piece. Being the first day, everyone was a little bit on the tired side, and just wanted to rest. That was until the rain began, now being from California we get ran, but nothing like this. It is cold rain that will pour done on you, and the best part about it was when a bunch of the Graduates and undergrads starting to shower in it (fully dressed of course). It was one of the best things I have ever done, I never thought that showering in the rain could be so fun and lively, an experience that I probably would have never experienced. 
    So far this has been an amazing field school, not only have I gotten to experience a wonderful place. But I have learned so much about the Philippines, the people here are great and even though the driving is crazy I am really glad I decided to come here. Not only that, all the people in the field school have been so incredibly, the faculty mentors that decided to come and help out, have so much to teach us and have been showing me that archaeology is what I want to do with my life. Even though the field work can be rigorous and the conditions cannot be that great, you learn to deal with it and actually enjoy what you are doing. It does help when you are working with a great team as well. I hope that others will choice to do a field school, and it would be even better if they chose to do it in the Philippines, because there is a lot to learn about all the different regions and provinces in the Philippines. 

Emily Zulueta 
CSU-LA
6/23/2016
Our first day in the field began with breakfast at 6:00am and departure at 7:00am. The morning was a little hectic because, although I’ve been planning this for weeks, once actually getting ready, I was trying to figure out what I’d actually need in the field today. To get to the site we took a short ride on a Jeepney. If you go to the Philippines, whether you’re in the province or city, be sure to travel by Jeepney at least once. It’s a cross between a Jeep and a bus and is a common mode of public transport over here.
We arrived to these rice terraces and had to hike through them to get to Old Kiyyangan Village. It was so surreal. I’ve seen the terraces in pictures, but this agricultural technology holds a unique beauty that exemplifies human’s ability to shape the land. We had to carefully navigate around the rice terraces, as they were actively being cultivated and walking on them could potentially destroy the whole crop. There were slippery stones, makeshift bridges, unexpected holes, and creek crossing, but we all made it one piece! 
Upon arriving in Old Kiyyangan Village I actually did not know we had reached the site since it was in the middle of an irrigated rice field. I was surprised because I expected that Old Kiyyangan Village would be in a remote location that has been deserted by past peoples - an untouched landscape. It was interesting to see the continuity of Ifugao cultural practices. For instance, they still grow Ifugao rice varieties and use technologies that were used in past. Some of the terrace walls are built with cement and others were constructed with the traditional technology of boulders and mud. It changed the way I think about archaeological sites and how they are not these places frozen in time but how the community continues to live and evolve in it. 
Due to the fields still being flooded for growing the rice, we weren’t able to begin fieldwork. Instead, Dr. Acabado gave a short lecture on the background of how he came to start the projects and the history on the theories about Philippines’ history and how they have evolved into what we use today. It was really interesting to be in the field and hearing about what I’ve been reading in preparation for the school. After that, we made the trek back to the Jeepney taking a more difficult path that resulted in two of the students falling into the field (no worries, they’re both fine)! 
Once we got back to HQ we learned the methods for placing units and mapping. In the front yard we were able to practice with our field teams. At first, I struggled with measuring the units correctly, but my team leader reassured me and said that I’d have the opportunity to further develop this skill in the field. I’m a little nervous about it, but I’m ready to rise to the challenge. While getting the hang of mapping was challenging, it turned out to be pretty fun. There was a treasure hunt activity in which we were given clues that gave coordinates to more clues. I can’t wait until we apply what we just learned tomorrow. 
Having been to the Philippines three times before, this experience has been very different to what I am used to. This time I have an archaeological purpose to answer research questions about Ifugao. In the past, I came to visit my family in Manila and the province Bulacan. I look forward to learning and contributing to the understanding of the rich history of the Ifugao rice terraces.

Nathan Downey
University of Chicago

In a now mildly famous commencement speech delivered by Jim Carrey, the man who brought us Ace Ventura and Dumb and Dumber remarked, “You can fail at what you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance doing what you love.” 

With those words on my mind I enter 15 hours of total flight time, attempting to do what I love. I reflect on the distance I have covered and the journey that lies ahead. Months of eager anticipation have culminated in an uncontrollable bouncing of my left leg. After 3 planes, 1 Ocean, ~13 thousand kilometers, I am moments away from touching down in my mother’s home country: the Philippines, the motherland. A second generation Filipino-American; there are a couple of things that make me the farthest thing from the unwavering bastion of my mother’s cultural background. I have never set foot on Philippine soil (or even Asian soil for that matter), I cannot converse with my mother in Tagalog or her native Ilocano both of which I have been hearing since birth, and until very recently, I couldn’t even tell you the name town in which my mother grew up. At some point I will manage to rectify all three. However, I am not traveling to the Philippines simply in order to drum up some semblance of authenticity to counter the probing questions of the my mothers siblings in California. The islands beckon with the opportunity to employ an archaeological framework for the purpose of historical reconstruction and anthropological problem solving. I coming to the Philippines to learn first hand all I can about the indigenous people who maintain an integral position in defining the national identity. Any extremely moving revelations and insights pertaining to my own heritage comes as an eagerly welcomed bonus. 

The appeal of archaeology is inescapable. Whether they’re raiding tombs, toting whips, fighting undead mummies, or using magic talismans to defeat the forces of evil, various idols of archaeology exist as undeniably powerful attractants to the field of archaeology. I’m not saying I chose to pursue the field of archaeology just because Indy’s whip game is strong, but I’m also not going to say that wasn’t a contributing factor. All screen appeal aside the truth is I was captivated by the very premise of being able to physically reach back through the layers of history and find evidence about the behavior and decision making of peoples that came before us. The idea that we can reconstruct diets or develop accurate models of social organization of past populations awakens the same giddy, starry-eyed little kid in me who marveled at the archaeologist-adventurers of the TV screen. 
My decision to pursue archaeology came to fruition over a startlingly rapid period. 7 months ago, I was pursuing a bachelors degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Chicago with the intention of going on to pursue a medical degree and eventually becoming a physician- a great and noble goal but I wasn’t completely in love with it. So 6 and half months ago I dropped premed requirements to accommodate the added workload of the Anthropology major and shifted my focus towards bioarchaeology. Since my self-coined mid-term crisis, I have been fortunate enough to have taken classes covering, bioarchaeology, paleodemography, paleopathology, human bone fragment identification, colonizations, ceramics analysis, faunal analysis, and bone fragment identification of major domesticated taxa. Additionally I was fortunate in that a good number of techniques I had learned in my first 4 quarters of primarily pursuing Biological sciences would be useful in an archaeological context: DNA analysis and sequencing, mass spectrometry, and C NMR analysis. Now I am headed to my first field school in the in the rice terraces of the Ifugao province. 

The clock ticks down towards the time to begin actually work, actual research. As with any foray into personally unexplored academic territory I find myself plagued with the usual concerns. Is my topic good enough? nuanced enough? Will there be adequate preservation of ancient DNA samples? Will my paper be good enough? Will I be able to publish something? But I remain excited. To me field school represents a new challenge and a new opportunity for growth. I have been given an amazing opportunity to conduct research in a field and setting that I love. Now I drift off into the land of jet lag induced comatosis, hoping to dream of well preserved human remains and well sharpened MarshallTown pointing trowels. 

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Margaret Von Rotz, UCLA, 16 June 2016


    What brought me to the Ifugao Field School has nothing to do with archeology. I am not an anthropology major, nor am I full Filipino. So why am I here?
    Let’s start with what I am – I’m Margaret Von Rotz, a half-Pilipina, half-white rising third year at UCLA. I’m an International Development Studies major (hopefully). And I’m from Ifugao. Me: as in my mom, her family, our ancestors, my heritage. My mom, Roselyn Palaghicon Von Rotz, was born and raised in Kiangan, Ifugao, and I’m fortunate enough to have visited her village 4 times now. I, by chance, heard about Professor Acabado’s research through a former field school student. The thought of my indigenous culture being something worth studying was beyond my own comprehension, and I slowly realized what a unique opportunity this would be. 
    Though I found out about the field school during my first quarter at UCLA, it took me a year to finally apply. I was extremely intimidated by the fact that I had no archaeological research experience, or any research experience at all. I was decidedly pre-med. I was incapable of claiming my indigenous heritage as my own. By my second-year, I changed majors, applied to the field school, and got involved with the Pilipinx community as I waited for the notification. I worked with Samahang Pilipino (the voice of undergraduate Pilipinx students at UCLA) to lobby and advocate for Filipino-American veterans of WWII in Los Angeles and Washington DC. I participated in UCLA’s Samahang Pilipino Cultural Night to learn more about Kordilyeran culture. I took Filipino classes to learn the language and more Philippine history. I began getting to know people in Anakbayan LA and Gabriela, both of which are great grass-roots organizations with goals of creating equity for Pilipinxs worldwide. In this transformative year, I thought about my own indigenous heritage within a larger context as part of the Pilipinx diaspora, and how being an International Development Studies major (and doing this research) could help me dissect the social and political issues facing the motherland and my people today. 
    For my research, I have a lot of work to do, in much of what I consider uncharted territory for myself. I’m deeply interested in pericolonialism and its effects on religion and social systems among the Ifugao. As an Ifugao woman who has personally experienced several interesting fusions of traditional Ifugao belief systems and the imposed Catholic belief system, I’m ready to investigate how these fusing of belief systems could be examples of resistance to Spanish colonialism.
    I’m excited for what I’m going to learn academically and the skills I will gain, but what I’m most excited for is the chance to rediscover Ifugao. I know I won’t look at its roads, its buildings, its homes, its terraces, and its people in the same way. Ifguao has always been a homeland in my heart that would always be too distant, too foreign, too inexplicably Tuwali Ifugao that I could never claim it as just a half-Pilipina. But I know that this research will only increase my Ifugao pride, make me more knowledagble about my people and my identity, and give me the tools to help my community in Ifguao, in California, and beyond. I can’t wait to share my experiences with all of you!

Wendy Layco, CSU-LA

I am an undergraduate student at Cal State Los Angeles majoring in anthropology. I was born to Filipino immigrant parents in Los Angeles, CA, but spent most of my childhood in Portland, OR before returning to Southern California. I was introduced to the field of archaeology by my third grade teacher, Ms. Schnacky. I was instantly mesmerized by the ability to study past humans through their material culture. I saw it as a form of time travel, with the ability to bring historic cultures to life. Fascinated by the adventure and mystery behind it, I have always had a sense of wonder and urgency to reconstruct the past as accurately as possible. The sense of wonder hasn’t faded. I currently participate in the Society for Biological Anthropology and the Society for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies. I also volunteer in the California Coastal Archaeology Laboratory examining and analyzing artifacts and ecofacts. I have also spent time in the Forensic Anthropology Laboratory organizing and analyzing osteological remains, which will help me with my research.
            In spring quarter, I enrolled in ANTH 485: Archaeological Analysis. We focused on principles, goals, and methodologies of archaeological analysis and interpretation. During the course, my group sorted and analyzed lithic materials from San Nicolas Island. We created and presented a poster comparing the types of material and technology available at CA-SNI-40 Loci A and B. This experience provided me the opportunity to exercise basic methods and understanding of hands-on collections of data, as well as analyze and interpret prehistoric behavior and technology. The ability to make inferences about human behaviors and subsistence strategies based on patterns was just exhilarating to me. It was as if each of these materials were telling me a story from a prehistoric past.
            This year, I’ve started working with the GABRIELA Women’s Party, a nationwide network of grassroots organizations that address issues such as human rights, poverty, and globalization. GABRIELA has been working diligently to create awareness on the unfair treatment of the indigenous Lumad farmers of Kidapawan, Philippines. Since the Ifugao Archaeological Project is partnered with the Save the Ifugao Terraces Movement, I believe that the work we do this summer will expand my reach in supporting indigenous heritage conservation for the indigenous in the Philippines.
My goal in archaeology has always been to conduct research in the Philippines. My winning a spot on the National Science Foundation – Research for Undergraduates funded Ifugao Archaeological Project this summer was a dream come true.  My research into Philippine history has shown me that much changed during Spanish colonization. I am particularly fascinated with the concept of pericolonialism and hope that my research into neonatal jar burials and supine child burials will provide more insight into the indirect effects of Spanish colonialism on the burial practices. Based on the idea of pericolonialism, we know that human behaviors are changing. If these changes occurred, I theorize that when the Spanish came to the Philippines, major shifts in social, economic, and subsistence strategies occurred. Population increase in the highlands, wet-rice agricultural intensification, and changes in social organization were just a few of the changes that occurred as a result of indirect Spanish influence. I hypothesize that burial practices during that time period shifted as well, because not only did the subsistence and demographics change, but also their social organization. It is my hope that this analysis of neonatal jar burials and supine child burials will provide more evidence of the pericolonial influence with regards to these burial practices.
           I have long been interested in Philippine archaeology and am excited to return to the Philippines. In my first year at Cal State L.A., I have been inducted into the Golden Key International Honour Society, as well as the LAMBDA Alpha National Anthropology Honor Society. I hope to use my research experience this summer to begin the process of becoming a professional archaeologist by presenting at professional meetings and moving into a doctoral program.
           In just a couple of weeks, I will be in my motherland, doing the work I have dreamt about for years. I absolutely cannot wait!

Esther Aguayo

Becoming an archaeologist has been a dream of mine since I was a child. As cheesy as it may sound, I was enraptured with archaeologists on television and film like Jackie Chan Adventures, The Mummy, and of course Indiana Jones. I also consumed all the books and media I could about ancient history and civilization. Ultimately as I got older, the fantasy that these movies created faded and I realized that I would not be chased throughout the world by an ancient organization of ninjas for artifacts; but my passion for archaeology only strengthened as it became more rooted in reality as an academic career.
My journey through academic life has been a turbulent one. I have always known that I wanted to study archaeology, but fears about my aptitude and lack of academic prowess to achieve those dreams lingered and held me back. That was until I took my first anthropology class in community college two years ago. Learning about the field of anthropology revitalized the passion that had ignited so many years ago for archaeology and I immediately switched my major to pursue the career I had only dreamt of. Through Anthropology, I was able to embrace my Chicana heritage, to learn more about my Mexican culture. I was encouraged by a professor to volunteer at the San Diego Natural History Museum’s Maya: Hidden Worlds Revealed Exhibit and became captivated with Maya Archaeology. Volunteering for the Maya exhibit helped me become more knowledgeable about the Maya and I was especially interested in the role that Spanish colonization impacted the indigenous populations in Central America.

Colonization permeates every aspect of our lives and has muddled our own views about our heritage and what it means to be Latin@, and I am fascinated by how these historical events still affect us as a population to this day. My fascination with colonization is what led me to the Ifugao Archaeological Project; I gravitated to this project when I saw that it was studying the effects of Spanish colonization on the indigenous population in the Philippines. My interest in Spanish colonization has been largely due to the impact they had on the lives of the indigenous American population. I would love to learn about the lives and experiences of the Ifugao Community in the past and how it still affects them to this day. With this project, I hope we can collaborate with the Ifugao community to learn more about their history and the impact that the rice terraces and colonization have had on their lives.
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With hands-on training in the field, I hope to attain a well-rounded skill set in archaeological field methods as most of my experience has been in the lab. In my academic career I have become very familiar with recording, photographing, measuring, and matching faunal remains that have been excavated from various archaeological sites in San Diego. I have also worked with Late Classic Maya pot sherds in an Artifact Analysis class and I have learned about Historical Archaeological methods as well. Working for the IAP will provide invaluable information and skills that I need in order to further my career in Archaeology. I am grateful that I was one of the students chosen by the National Science Foundation to participate in the project and it is an honor to be able to contribute to such important research on this World Heritage Site! In the future, I plan on earning my doctorate so that when I establish my career, I can run projects similar to the IAP in order to learn more about the livelihood of the ancient Maya through zooarchaeology and share my passion for archaeology and anthropology by teaching future university students. Participating in such a wonderful project is a significant opportunity to better myself and prepare for my future in Archaeology; and I will forever be indebted to the NSF-REU and IAP for making my dream a reality.