Archaeological Field School in
Costa Rica 2009

January 11 - February 22, 2009

Las Mercedes was the center of a paramount chiefly polity in the Limon province of the central Caribbean region of Costa Rica (see map). This is one of the largest monumental sites in the country and the political center of an important chiefdom. Radiocarbon dates suggest that the major phase of architectural construction at the site’s center began circa A.D. 1000 and that occupation continued through to the colonial period. Two paved causeways link the central monumental compound to outlying settlements 1.5 km away. Numerous stone sculptures (such as the 4.5 foot high example of a chief wearing a crocodile mask and holding a trophy head pictured below) have been recovered from the site. Furthermore, there are at least 5 secondary centers around Las Mercedes that were the seats of smaller secondary chiefs that likely paid tribute to the rulers of Las Mercedes. Las Mercedes was similar to other chiefly centers that were encountered along the Caribbean coast of Panama and Costa Rica by early Spanish explorers. Research goals of this project include documenting the processes required to establish political power and its maintenance in pre-state societies as well as the integration of ethnohistorical data to address these issues. The site of Las Mercedes is located on the property of EARTH University, which provides undergraduate degree in agricultural management. The Las Mercedes Archaeological Project will be the 3rd University at Albany field school run by Dr. Rosenswig (earlier projects were at San Estevan in Belize). This project contributes to the University’s priority of global outreach and also to the UAlbany Study Abroad office’s current focus on Costa Rica as a safe and affordable location for students to study. Dr. Rosenswig will run the Las Mercedes Project in collaboration with Ricardo Vazquez from the National Museum of Costa Rica. Mr. Vazquez is a doctoral Candidate in the Department of Anthropology at UAlbany who will soon be granted his Ph.D. In 2005, he ran a field school at Las Mercedes in collaboration with the University of Montreal. During the past decade, over 170 undergraduate and 50 graduate students have participated on a total of eight UAlbany field schools. Students participate directly in archaeological discovery and the recovery of primary scientific data about prehistoric society. Undergraduate students learn basic scientific skills essential for the archaeological excavation and they practice a variety of methodological approaches appropriate to a full range of research objectives. These skills provide the credentials needed for employment with private archaeology companies once they return to the US. A field school is also the first step in professional training of students who pursue archaeology in an academic setting.
Las Mercedes Excavation 2005	Las Mercedes Pottery
TO SIGN UP: 1) Fill out an application form and email it to rrosenswig@albany.edu . 2) Then log on to the UAlbany Study Abroad website and fill out an application. 3) Then send a check payable to "University Auxiliary Services " for $200 (non-refundable) to: Dr. Robert M. Rosenswig, Department of Anthropology The University at Albany-SUNY 1400 Washington Ave, AS 237 Albany, NY 12222 4) YOUR POSITION IN THE FIELD SCHOOL WILL BE GUARANTEED UPON RECEIPT OF YOUR FULL FIELD FEE OF $2600.  THE $2400 BALANCE OF THE FIELD FEE IS DUE TO THE UALBANY STUDY ABROAD OFFICE. THERE IS ROOM FOR ONLY 20 STUDENTS.   The Archaeological Field School in Costa Rica is sponsored by the Office of International Education, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Department of Anthropology.