Latin American Archaeology at the CCA
Latin American archaeology has been an area of strength at the University of Pittsburgh for over four decades. Currently there are four faculty working in this field, several graduate students, a number of undergraduate class offerings, and significant undergraduate field and lab research opportunities. These efforts are supported by the CCA in partnership with the Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS) and the Department of Anthropology.
Faculty and Research Associate
Elizabeth Arkush
Andes (Peru)
Settlement patterns, warfare
Mark Bermann
Andes (Bolivia)
Household archaeology, early complexity
Claire Ebert
Maya area (Belize)
Environmental archaeology, stable isotopes
Josh Schnell
Maya area (Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras)
Bioarchaeology
Alexander J. Martin
Andes (Coastal Ecuador)
Early complex societies, regional comparative analysis
Former faculty: since the 1980s faculty expertise at Pitt included Mesoamerican and Andean regions: Robert Drennan (1948-2025), James B. Richardson III (emeritus), Jeremy A. Sabloff, and Olivier de Montmollin (emeritus).
Graduate Student Research
Graduate students from Latin America, the US, and other countries come to Pitt to study Latin American Archaeology, with fellowship support from major endowment gifts from the Howard Heinz Endowment and Andrew Mellon Foundation, administered by the CCA and CLAS.
John P. Walden (PhD 2021) surveying at Silk Grass Frams, Belize.
Ryan Smith (PhD 2025) examining a chullpa burial tower in Puno, Peru.
Francisco Garrido (PhD 2015) carrying out fieldwork in Copiapó, Chile.
Rodrigo Areche Espinola (current PhD student) at the excavation of Huacones-Vilcahuasi, Cañete, Peru.
Mary Ávila Peltroche (current PhD student) analyzes faunal remains from El-Huarco-Cerro Azul, Peru.
As of the spring 2026 term, Pitt’s Heinz and Mellon fellowships have supported 81 graduate students in Latin American archaeology. Anthropology faculty welcome inquiries from prospective graduate students.
Undergraduate Research
The CCA funds undergraduate scholarships to attend a summer field school program or to engage in a summer field research project mentored by a faculty member or graduate student. The CCA also funds academic-year student internships where students work as a team on a faculty research project, with supervision by a graduate student, culminating in a presentation of their results at the annual Pitt Archaeology Research Fair.
Katelyn Johnson carrying out fieldwork in Belize, summer 2023.
Carsen Hanley-Witzel participated in summer excavations in Belize in 2023.
Poster presentation during the spring 2024 Annual Anthropology Research Fair.
Over the 2022-23 academic year, a team of undergrads analyzed obsidian from Dr. Claire Ebert's (second from left) excavations in Belize, with supervision from graduate student Nick Suarez (far right).
Kianna German carried out lab observations at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Medellín during her 2025 summer fieldwork.
CCA Publications and Open-access Comparative Archaeology Database
As of 2026, 44 out of 46 books published by the Center for Comparative Archaeology focus on Latin American archaeology. All are fully bilingual and available for free as PDFs on our website from the moment of publication in print. The CCA is the only press with this model.
Online datasets at the CCA's Comparative Archaeology Database (CADB) offer open access to fully documented primary archaeological data for research and pedagogy. By spring 2026, 57 out of 73 datasets available correspond to a Latin American area of interest, covering all of Mesoamerica and Central America, and most of the South American Andes. The database website is fully bilingual.