I study how human activities generate political and economic arrangements reflected on landscapes and smaller scale view-scapes. Specifically, I have analyzed the territorial appropriation of large areas by prehistoric political groups: how and why polities formed and expanded their territories and subsequently adapted to the intrusion of larger states and empires. I am expert in GIS software; have created new applications for the use of Unmanned Aerial Systems; and use terrestrial LiDAR for modelling archaeological and historical sites. I have also specialized on ancient pigments used in caves, murals, and codices, in particular examining through non-destructive analyses. I have created a mobile laboratory with capabilities in XRF, FTIR, Raman, FORS, MSI, and hyperspectral spectrometry to test the authenticity of archaeological objects and historical artwork. These new technologies can offer critical insights on archaeological and anthropological questions.
keywords
Mesoamerican Archaeology, History of Disasters, Ancient Urbanism, Ancient Imperialism, Ethnohistory, Mesoamerican Tributary Systems, Mesoamerican Writing Systems, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for archaeological applications, Non-destructive analysis of archaeological materials using XRF, FTIR, Raman, FORS, MSI and Hyperspectral spectrometry
