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Community Development and Collaboration at Salinas de Los Nueve Cerros, Guatemala

Accomplishments, Failures, and Lessons Learned Conducting Publically-Engaged Archaeology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 January 2017

Brent Kerry Skoy Woodfill
Brent Kerry Skoy Woodfill*
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, Anthropology, & Child and Family Studies, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, 2716 Flag Ave N., New Hope, MN 55427 (brentwoodfill@gmail.com)
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Abstract

Since its founding in 2009 at the behest of local leaders, Proyecto Salinas de los Nueve Cerros has had the dual goals of scientific research and community development. Due to the regional political landscape, the initial goal of community-run ecotourism had to be abandoned. In its stead, the project has been seeking high-impact, low-cost development initiatives in collaboration with local villagers. The initiatives have had mixed levels of success, with best results in providing resources for multi-family wells and in organizing an ongoing lecture and workshop series detailing the results of the archaeological project. Through trial and error, project members have learned multiple lessons that can help other similar projects in the future. (1) Community investment in the project is essential, (2) as is the presence of a development specialist who can lead the efforts, leaving archaeologists to do archaeology. (3) Both the project and the local residents must have realistic expectations regarding the time the initiatives take and how ambitious they can be. (4) All of the initiatives must be informed by problems the locals themselves identify, and (5) it is possible to positively impact the region.

Desde su formulación en 2009, a petición de líderes locales, el Proyecto Salinas de los Nueve Cerros ha tenido dos metas duales, tanto de investigación, como de desarrollo comunitario. Ante el paisaje político regional existente, se tuvo que abandonar la iniciativa de impulsar un proyecto comunitario de ecoturismo. En su lugar, el proyecto ha estado buscando iniciativas de desarrollo de alto impacto, a bajo costo, en colaboración con los residentes locales. Las iniciativas han tenido relativo éxito, siendo las mejores aquellas que han provisto de pozos de agua a las familias, así como, las que comprenden pláticas y talleres relativos a los resultados del proyecto arqueológico. A través de la práctica de ensayo y error, los miembros del proyecto han aprendido múltiples lecciones que les podrán ayudar en un futuro. (1) La inversión comunitaria en el proyecto es indispensable, (2) como lo es la presencia de un especialista en desarrollo que pueda guiar los esfuerzos, dejando a los arqueólogos continuar son su práctica disciplinar. (3) Tanto el proyecto y los residentes locales tienen que tener expectativas realistas sobre el tiempo que toman las iniciativas y sobre que tan amiciosas puedan ser. (4) Todas las iniciativas deben ser guiadas por problemas identificados por los propios residentes locales y (5) por su posibilidad de impactar a la región de manera positiva.

Type
Research Article
Information
Advances in Archaeological Practice , Volume 1 , Issue 2 , November 2013 , pp. 105 - 120
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 2013

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