Hurry up and wait

Well folks, this is it for our time in Honduras. The artifacts are analyzed. The project house (aka the Barbie Mansion) is closed. Our equipment is in storage. The recuerdos have been given and the despedidas are over.Now that the odd bit of excavation equipment is in the possession of airport security (Sandra left a nail in her carry-on), all that's left is for our flight to begin boarding.

The last few days have been a blur of tying up loose ends. We'll be sure to send along updates with the research at Sinsimbla as it develops. Until then, que lo vaya bien.

We interupt the analysis for a trip to Los Hoyos

Monday found the remaining members of the project in the lab. Sandra, bless her heart, is learning the ins and outs of the PADO ceramics. This is made all the more difficult by the poorly preserved surface of the sherds recovered this year. Bill has blown through the obsidian and chert from the past two seasons.

One of the intriguing aspects of the sites in Jesus de Otoro is that they are relatively close to an obsidian source near the highland town of La Esperanza. Nearly all of the obsidian analyzed so far can be sourced to La Esperanza. So, along with Don Nery Fiallos, we decided to spend this morning visiting the pre-Columbian obsidian mines, Los Hoyos ("The Holes").

Our first stop of the morning took us to the Casa de Cultura of La Esperanza. This was supposed to be a brief pause to collect an old friend of Nery’s, Don Francisco the director of the Casa de Cultura. One thing led to another and we spent quite a while exploring the interpretive center for Lenca culture, arranging for a more robust vehicle for the next stage of the mountain drive, and participating in an impromptu interview for the local television station.


For the record, this is the second time in as many weeks that Bill has been interviewed on camera. Either his Spanish has improved or, like a horrible car accident, Hondurans cannot look away.

The obsidian outcrop is located in the mountains to the north of La Esperanza-Intibuca, and surrounding the town are many modern Lenca communities.

Actually, the footpath to the obsidian mine begins at an elementary school. The head instructor arranged for our “guides” to skip class and take us to the site. As you may well imagine, they were eager to show us every aspect of the site and felt little urgency to get back to class.

Los Hoyos is a series of shaft mines. Each shaft is roughly 1 meter in diameter and between 2 and 10 meters deep. Scattered about the surface is a dense concentration of core preparation debris (i.e. mounds of jagged broken glass). We visited two of the outcroppings, separated by about 1 kilometer of highland agricultural fields (corn, potatoes, and broccoli).


Los Hoyos is another addition to a growing list of what makes the archaeology of the Jesus de Otoro valley and surrounding areas so interesting.

And then there were two ...

We took the students to the airport today to return to the US -- well, Bill did. Sandra has been down for the last 24 hours with an intestinal "something" that seemed to afflict half of the group at the same time. The plane ride home should be interesting, to say the least. Still, it was a great field school season for Team PADO.

Yesterday we took the non-sick students to Comayagua, a city that was once the colonial capital of Honduras. Our first stop was the history and archaeology museum, which is housed in what served as the president's residence. The museum offers a complete history of the Comayagua valley -- including Pre-Colombian ceramics that allowed the students an idea of the complete versions of the broken pots we've been finding in the field.

After the museo we went to a local restaurant where we had lunch and then turned the students loose on the town to check out the interesting shops and the colonial period churches. While out and about, the students purchased a farewell cake that was served at the going-away dinner last night at our favorite Jesus de Otoro restaurant, Restaurante del Valle.

Though the students are gone, the blogs will continue. We have hours of video footage that will be posted over the next few months and, of course, we'll keep you abreast of our activities as Bill and I analyze artifacts, pack up the houses and prepare to head back to Kansas City.

The Gringos Are Filthy

A day of backfilling, mapping in the sun and no running water. Guess how we smell? You probably don't want to think too hard about it. Long story short, we stink. But we're done. By 11 a.m., all the drawings were done, the units were backfilled and everything was as we left it -- well, pretty much. Before we filled in the units, we placed 2011 Kansas quarters in the bottoms of the pits and covered them with plastic.

And all in all, it's been a pretty good day. We got done with work a little earlier than usual, the landowner, Doña Florentina, brought cookies and Coke to the site as a farewell treat and we had chicken and rice for lunch.

Last night, the Mayor's office, the Consejo de Cultura and Doña Florentina, the landowner, held a dinner to thank us and to recognize the contribution that our work has made to the community.

And, as if the season weren’t exciting enough, the students tested the mettle by fording the Rio Grande Otoro via the hammock bridge. The Directors, however, did not.

Tomorrow, we take Comayagua by storm. Stay tuned.

One Day Left...

It's hard to believe three weeks have gone by so fast, but they have. Tomorrow is our last day at Sinsimbla.

Excavations in two of the three sub-operations have been completed and stratigraphic profiles (drawings that show the layering of soil, rocks and whatever else is in the ground) have been drawn. The third -- the test pit in Sub-operation E -- has been excavated to sterile soil (meaning there were no artifacts and likely no cultural material left to be found). To put that into perspective, it's about one cubic meter of dirt -- which may not seem like a lot until you see the hole it creates.

Tomorrow, all that remains is to draw the stratigraphic profile of Sub-operation E and then backfilling of all the units. Backfilling is when all of the soil and stone removed from the excavation unit during the course of the season is put back in the ground. Not only does this protect any remains uncovered during the season, but it leaves the surface of the site looking the same as it did when we arrived.

In other news, what follows is the promised photo summary of the "conditions of malaise" encountered by various members of Team PADO this season. They include but are not limited to:

Bruises:


Upset stomachs:

Falling down while walking:


Falling off rock walls combined with blistering sunburns:

And regular sunburns -- both from excavating and from riding in the back of the pick-up truck:


Tune in tomorrow for the next exciting installment of "PADO in the Field" ... where we highlight the art of backfilling!!!

Winding down

As hard as it is to believe, the 2011 PADO field season is almost over.

Emily, Thomas and Inga, and Denton, Tomoe and Merredith at Structures 1 and 9 respectively, have finished excavating and are now drawing profiles of their units. Ben, Eric and Ivey are continuing their excavation of Sub-operation E to the west of Structure 5 in the hopes of finding a midden. Thus far, they've been thwarted in their efforts but tomorrow is most certainly going to be the day! Outside of excavation, everyone has been working in the lab to clean and categorize their artifacts, writing up their final notes and crafting their deeply insightful reflection papers.


Bill has continued the task of creating a topographic map of Sinsimbla. This is accomplished by taking elevations (using equipment like that used by surveyors and road crews) with a Total Station and prism at hundreds of points around the site.

And, given that it's the end of the season, we thought it would only be fair to share photos from the menagerie of critters we've seen in the field since we've been here.



Not pictured are the geckos, the centipedes or the landowner's parrot.

Tune in tomorrow for a photo diary of the skin afflictions experienced over the past three weeks.

PADO's Excellent Adventure -- Part Deux

As you'll likely recall, when we last left our PADO adventurers, they were just leaving the cool temperatures of the highland town of Gracias in search of the Honduran Maya site of Copan.


Three hours of winding mountain roads, police check-points and numerous untethered cattle, the caravan pulled into Copan safe and sound. It only took the students long enough to take quick shower and change clothes before they freed themselves from the shackles of Sandra and Bill and went to explore the town. (Meanwhile, Bill and Sandra rested and then went for coffee at a nearby cafe). Dinner was at a local eatery, after which the students went to a local club called the Lost Monkey.

The next morning, after a traditional breakfast of beans, eggs, tortillas and cheese, Team PADO hiked to the ruins of Copan. Though most of the archaeological remains in Honduras belonged to Lenca and other cultures, the site of Copan is a huge Maya center located just near the border with Guatemala. During the Classic period, Copan was a dominate center in the region, with contacts extending as far away as central Mexico. It's an amazing site full of imposing buildings, elaborate stone carvings chronicling the rise and fall of kings, and tunnels into the acropolis that allow a view of Copan's earliest history. The site has a number of stela, including many of 18 Rabbit, the 13th ruler of Copan, who was eventually captured and beheaded by the ruler of the nearby city of Quirigua.


Other highlights include the ballcourt, the acropolis, and the hieroglyphic staircase.


Because the Maya tended to construct their buildings on top of each other over time, archaeologists have been able to dig tunnels into the most recent versions of structures (such as the acropolis) to find the earlier versions that are buried beneath. Many of these earlier buildings contain the tombs of kings, such the site's founder Yax Kuk Mo. Some of these are open to the public.



After exploring the site, the group visited the Sculpture Museum which houses much of the original sculpture from the site, including carved stone stela of kings, markers commemorating their reigns and a full-sized reconstruction of Rosalila, one of Copan's earliest royal buildings.


The students continued their exploration of the Copan in the afternoon and, from all reports, called it an early night. Even though it was a great trip, everyone seemed to be happy to return to Jesus de Otoro and their own beds.

Coming up tomorrow, a photo diary of this summer's skin conditions and possibly the critters seen thus far in the field.

Gracias and Copan -- Part One

So much happened on our trip to the Lenca highlands and Copan that it's hard to fully summarize. Having said that, we'll try. The first part of Thursday was spent in the field excavating. But after a productive morning and a delicious lunch of arroz con pollo, we piled into the trucks and pulled out of town. Although it took the Gringo Parade about two-and-a-half hours on winding mountain roads to make it to Gracias, the spectacular views made it entirely worth it.


We pulled into Gracias a little before 5 p.m. and settled into our hotel, Guancascos. Though the accommodations and hot showers were amazing, the best part of the evening had to have been the pizza! It was a feeding frenzy of epic proportions followed by an impromptu game (or 10) of Texas Hold 'Em (macaroni instead of chips) in the hotel restaurant.


Gracias is a beautiful town that, in 1544 briefly served as the Audencia for Central America. Currently it's undergoing something of a cultural revival and there are numerous churches and parks that have been newly restored or are under renovation. Even the owner of the hotel was trying to get an international accreditation for environmental sustainability.

Friday morning, after a delicious breakfast (several students had pancakes), we stopped into the casa de cultura (cultural center) to look at the local artifacts and exhibits and then climbed up to El Castillo de San Cristobal, a hilltop fort that was built during the 19th century.

Though several of the students wanted to stay and explore the town, Copan was in our future and we had miles to go before we slept.

Tune in tomorrow for Part Deux of PADO's excellent adventure!

Back to Otoro Safe and Sound

We have returned from a three-day tour through the Lenca highlands, Copan Ruinas, and all points in between. After many hours spent on the roads of Honduras there's plenty to report, but we'll leave that for tomorrow. At the moment we're all looking forward to a quiet dinner and early night. We're back in the field tomorrow to continue excavations and start mapping.

For those of you who are wondering what it is like to drive in Honduras...

Mud, Mud and More Mud

One of the challenges of working in Honduras during the rainy season is ... well ... the rain. Usually in the late afternoon or evening, the sky opens up and dumps rain on the valley. It can cause difficulties if you're trying to excavate. Team PADO knows this from experience. Last night's rain made excavation rather challenging for the students today.

At the test pit to the west of Structure 5, Ben, Ivey and Eric bailed water and screened soupy mud.


Mud was not the problem at Structure 9, however. For Tomoe, Merredith and Denton, it was the clay in the soil they had to deal with. Not only is it hard to excavate but it's also almost impossible to screen.


At Structure 1, things were a little drier for Inga, Thomas and Emily, as they continued work in their new excavation unit.


On a final note, everyone is looking forward to our trip to Gracias and Copan. We leave tomorrow after lunch and will travel to Gracias where we will spend the night. On Friday, we'll head to Copan where we'll stay until Sunday morning.

Stay tuned ...

It was just another typical day for the students of the PADO archaeological field school. The weather was tolerable, the snacks were delicious and the work progressed just that much further.


Over at Structure 1, Thomas, Emily and Inga opened a new excavation unit in their never-ending search for architecture.


Tomoe, Merrideth and Denton, under the supervision of "Wild Bill" McFarlane at Structure 9, also opened a new excavation unit.


And finally, over in the shaded area to the west of Structure 5, Ben, Ivey and Eric finished yesterday's 10 centimeter level and started on a new one.

Even though there's lots of archaeology at Sinsimbla, there's also a lot of wildlife. In addition to the cattle who are ever-curious about what these crazy gringos are doing digging square holes in their field, today the men who were clearing the site found a snake that they pronounced to be a False Fer de Lance (Xenodon rabdocephalus). Though no one is sure how they managed it, the snake was put inside a soda bottle so the students could see it.


Following the excitement of the morning and a lunch of beans, plantains, rice and tortillas, the afternoon was spent in the lab cleaning and processing artifacts, repairing the screens used for sifting through the dirt and entering field notes into the computers. All in all, it was a good day in Honduras.

Another Day, Another 10 Centimeters

Well, it's Monday and we're back at it.

As we settle into week two at Sinsimbla, things are starting to even out. We have two functioning trucks, the road to the site has been grated and is much less ridden with pot holes AND, for the first time since we arrived, it isn't hot, sunny and muggy -- just hot and muggy.

Work at Structure 9 is progressing at an excellent pace. Denton, Tomoe and Merrideth took their unit down another lot (level) and are have plans to open a new excavation unit tomorrow.


At Structure 1, Thomas, Inga and Emily continued their excavation through tumbled stone. Despite missing Miranda, they soldiered on and are also planning on opening a new excavation unit tomorrow.


At Structure 5, Ivey, Ben and Eric, who are digging a test pit in search of a midden (trash pile), took their unit down another 10 centimeters.


Screening (sifting the soil that comes out of the unit) took longer than expected because of the high clay content of the dirt. Still, they remained undaunted and, as a reward for their persistence, were treated to an impromptu lesson in ceramic construction from the owner of the land who used some of the clay to make a small bowl.

Meanwhile, the cows looked on.

Hasta Luego, Miranda -- We Will Miss You!!

This morning we bid Miranda a fond farewell. We knew it was coming, but still .... the loss of Miranda on the heels of Black Truck and the ill-fated journey to Comayagua ... well, let's just say it's been a tough weekend for Team PADO.

Last night though, we feted her in style at our favorite local restaurant. The owners, somehow sensing we were Americans, played a "Best of the 80s and 90s" CD that allowed Miranda, Meredith and Sandra to share their vocal stylings with the group. The video of this will be found and destroyed (yes, this means you, Ivey).

Today, Bill went to San Pedro Sula in search of a pick-up to replace Black Truck. In his absence, students slept in, had bacon and eggs for breakfast, hiked into the mountains outside Jesus de Otoro and completed lab work on artifacts excavated on Friday. Speaking of lab work, check out the fancy lab we constructed in-between rainstorms yesterday afternoon. The first picture is the construction (don't ask what Emily is doing with the pick axe). The second is the finished product.

Later in the afternoon, after Bill returned with a rental pick-up, Team PADO caravaned to the nearby town of La Esperanza, the municipality for the department of Intibucá, Honduras. Everyone climbed up to La Gruta, a Catholic shrine that overlooks the town and then to the park that is above it.


So, tomorrow, it's back into the field. Thomas, Ivey and Inga will continue their work at Structure 1, Tomoe, Denton and Meridith will keep their noses to the grindstone at Structure 9, and Ben, Eric and Emily will return to the relative shade of Structure 5. Safe travels, Miranda. We will think of you often (and with envy) as we battle the sun, heat, dirt, bugs and unpredictable availability of showers.