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ANTH 385: Archaeology of the Maya (Professor Spenard)

Anthropology 385: Research Assignment

Maya Archaeological Site Tour: Story Map Group Project

For this project, groups will conduct library and internet research on one of the Maya sites listed below and create a StoryMap tour of it. Groups will have a lot of freedom of choice in how they construct their StoryMaps, but they must include each of the following 7 elements.

Archaeological sites

  • Caracol 

  • Yaxchilan 

  • Copan 

  • Quirigua

  • Calakmul

  • Chichen Itza

  • Chunchucmil

  • El Peru-Waka

  • Xunantunich

  • Dos Pilas

Project Elements

Background Assignments

Students will be assigned a number of low-stakes assignments to prepare them to do this project. For example, signing into the campus GIS page. Others will be announced later in the semester.            

Information about the site that includes at least four of the following:

  1. Major buildings/complexes and their function in the city

  2. Known rulers and their lives

  3. Public art (monuments, murals, building decorations, statues, etc.)

  4. Ritual landmarks (caves, springs, mountains, etc.)

  5. Unique site components

  6. Lives of common people at the site

  7. History of archaeology projects and findingsTextual descriptions of the evidence (text, images, and maps) that contribute meaningfully to the site tour.

Engaging multimedia

  1. Photos, videos, 3D models, etc. (Youtube, Sketchfab [for 3D models], Government webpages such as INAH, ResearchGate and Academia.edu)

    1. Search for “sitio arqueologico ______”

  2. These can come from your library research or the internet but be sure to give proper citations for all images.

Two map components related to the project

  1. Regional overview map showing location of site in relation to the Maya area

    1. Include locations of other sites if they are mentioned in the project

  2. Archaeological map of the site itself showing specific locations discussed in project.

Two peer-reviewed sources per group member (8-10 sources per group dependent on group size) cited/used to develop the project.

  1. The textbook is a place to start, but is not a peer-reviewed source for the purposes of this project.

  2. Start by searching the name of your group’s site on the library website.

Project bibliography

  1. MLA or APA format, consistent throughout project

  2. Must include ALL sources used to develop the project including media

Please consult Cougar Courses for full assignment guidelines.