As for so many others, 2020 has been a year of changes and challenges for Fundación El Caño. When making our plans in January, we had no idea how abruptly everything would change due to COVID-19. |
|
|
Administrator of Panama Tourism Authority (ATP) and his team tour El Caño Archaeological Site |
|
|
In January, Ivan Eskildsen, Administrator of ATP and his team carried out a diagnostic tour at the El Caño Archaeological Site. Dr. Julia Mayo, President of the Foundation, explained the importance of this site and shared the plans for the 2020 excavation season. Administrator Eskildsen and Dr. Mayo discussed ideas of how to bring increased attention and visitors to the necropolis noting that there is always an increase in the number of visitors to El Caño while excavations are taking place. Due to funding limits, she explained, the season would be focused on a study of the river rock causeway that was believed to have been used to access the ceremonial area from the Rio Grande, rather than continuing excavating the burial area. This type of excavation also would allow more attention to be given to the students scheduled to work with the El Caño team. |
|
|
Our New Two Volume Book "Memorias de Excavación" Will be Published Soon |
|
|
The Fundación El Caño team continued work on a forthcoming publication covering the first ten years of their research into the El Caño necropolis. This Spanish language publication will be a two volume book set and will be available by early 2021.We plan to have this and other merchandise available on our new online store. However, as a newsletter subscriber, you can reserve your copy now by emailing us at info@fundacionelcano.org | | |
|
|
The excavation season began in mid February under the supervision of Dr. Julia Mayo. Three students, doctoral candidate Abner Al Berda, Katherinne Guerra and James Chaves, joined the excavation. They completed activities that included diagraming, measuring and photographing the causeway. Abner Al Berda used photogrammetry to enable a 3D plan of the causeway to be created. Dr. Miguel Ángel Hervás joined the team from Spain. He worked with all of the students to improve their skill sets and understanding of the different tools and methodology related to excavations. |
|
|
Working from Home- Articles Published |
|
|
| | In its March issue, Latin American Antiquity published the results of one of the investigations by Foundation team members which has served to explain the nature of the mortuary practices behind multiple burials at the El Caño site. In the article, Julia Mayo Torné, Carlos Mayo Torné, Mercedes Guinea Bueno, Miguel Ángel Hervás Herrera,and Jesus Herrerín López test test the hypothesis that these burials were the product of sumptuous funerals held after the death of the Rio Grande rulers and that these funerals included human sacrifices among other practices. | | |
|
| | Another published article, “Wood in Pre-Columbian Funerary Rituals: A Case Study from El Caño (Panama, AD 880–1020) authored by María Martín-Seijo, Joeri Kaal, Carlos Mayo Torné and Julia Mayo Torné was published in the magazine Environmental Archaeology, The Journal of Human Palaeocology. | | |
|
|
Dr. Joeri Kaal et al published an article explaining the origin of the resins used to make objects for embalming at the El Caño site in the Journal of Archaeological Science 113 (2020) | | |
|
|
Working from Home - Webinars |
|
|
Even while working from home, thanks to technology, Dr. Mayo was able to continue sharing information related to the research about El Caño and participate in other virtual conferences. On July 20, Dr. Mayo presented the webinar titled “Mathematics and Archaeology”, which was organized by FUNDAPROMAT (Fundación Panameña para la Promoción delas Matemáticas). This webinar, like others organized by FUNDAPROMAT, are free and available to the general public. |
|
|
New Projects - Working with Harvard Medical School on DNA Study |
|
|
In December, Fundación El Caño was asked to participate in an academic research project with The Reich Laboratory Ancient DNA Lab, at Harvard Medical School. The Reich Laboratory is working to expand their DNA analysis of pre-Columbian remains. Until now, Fundación El Caño has not had success in extracting identifiable DNA from remains found at the El Caño necropolis. In the last decade, The Reich Laboratory has found that the cochlea is the most DNA dense part of the human skeleton, and has offered to conduct DNA analysis on individuals utilizing this ear bone. We are excited to participate in this joint project and look forward to sharing the results. |
|
|
Virtual Tour of Archaeological Park & Museum |
|
|
Fundación El Caño, the Panama Ministry of Culture, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and Footprint Possibilities, Inc. teamed up again, this time in the development of a virtual tour. As the students from WPI could not travel to Panama, Foundation members Alexa Hancock and Carlos Mayo (pictured left) took the photographs needed by the students. Alexa worked with the students via Zoom to coordinate and give feedback on the project. The International School of Panama-Near Space Program, assisted by lending a Samsung Gear 360 camera, one of two 360 degree cameras used to build the tour. We hope the tour will be available to the public in early 2021. |
|
|
Dr. Mayo - "TrowelBlazer" |
|
|
In November, Dr. Mayo was recognized by TrowelBlazers, an organization that celebrates women archaeologists, palaeontologists and geologists who have been doing awesome work for far longer, and in far greater numbers, than most people realize. Dr. Mayo is the first Panamanian Archaeologist to receive this honor. |
|
|
Please consider supporting the work of Fundación El Caño by making an online donation through our non-profit portal at Global Giving |
|
|
|
|
