Community-Engaged Climate Adaptation Research in Yucatán, Mexico

In Yucatán, as in many regions around the world, a history exists of Indigenous land and heritage dispossession, which continue today. This presentation introduces a case in which archaeologists, in partnership with town leaders and residents, strive to counteract those tendencies. The current initiative of PACOY (the Proyecto Arqueológico Colaborativo del Oriente de Yucatán) involves research on past and present adaptations to climate change, with a focus on agriculture as practiced on commonly-held land (the town’s ejido). Methods employed as part of this project include interviews with expert farmers, LiDAR and ground survey within the ejido, and environmental studies. The goal is to generate activities that promote ongoing control of the land, as well as the cultural heritage it represents.

Speaker: Maia Dedrick, Santa Clara University

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