Expertise:
Mesoamerica, Mesoamerican Archeology, Art and Religion, Archaeology and Identity, War Costume and Symbolism, Chiapas, Teotihuacan, Maya Civilization, Archeology Preservation, Cave Myths, Undergraduate Field Work, Trade and Interaction, Archaeology in Mexico, Archaeology in Guatemala, Early Trade Routes in MesoamericaClaudia Garcia-Des Lauriers studies the ancient cultures of Mesoamerica that flourished before European contact, how cultures have endured incredible change over time and what it reveals about the incredible resilience of the people in the past.
Dr. Garcia-Des Lauriers directs the Proyecto Arqueológico Los Horcones in Chiapas, Mexico where she has been investigating the complex relationships between the local regional center and the great metropolis of Teotihuacan. She has uncovered evidence of economic and ideological connections that speak to the importance of Los Horcones as a gateway community that controlled important trade routes on the Pacific Coast of Chiapas, Mexico.
An important part of her practice is engaging with the living communities in her project areas so that everyone is learning and contributing to the production of this knowledge.
Recent Grants and Fellowships:
- Cal Poly Pomona; President’s Research, Scholarly and Creative Activities Grant; $5000; 2017
- Cal Poly Pomona, President’s Research, Scholarly and Creative Activities Grant; $9050; 2015
- Cal Poly Pomona, Provosts Teacher-Scholar Grant, $11,000, 2014-15
Selected Publications:
- Editor with M. Love, Archaeology and Identity in the Pacific Coast and Highlands of Mesoamerica (University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City, 2016)
- “Gods, Cacao, and Obsidian: Early Classic (250-650 CE) Interactions between Teotihuacan and the Southeastern Pacific Coast of Mesoamerica,” In Teotihuacan: The World Beyond the City (K. Hirth, D. Carballo and B. Arroyo, eds., Dumbarton Oaks Library and Collections, Washington DC., in press, 2020)
- “The Regalia of Sacred War: Ritual, Costume, and Militarism at Teotihuacan,” Americae, The European Journal of Americanist Archaeology, 2017
- “Architecture and Identity at Los Horcones, Chiapas,” in Archaeology and Identity in the Pacific Coast and Highlands of Mesoamerica (C. Garcia-Des Lauriers and M.Love, eds., University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City, 2016)
- With M. Love, ”Archaeology and Identity on Pacific Coast and Southern Highlands: An Introduction,” in Archaeology and Identity in the Pacific Coast and Highlands of Mesoamerica (C. Garcia-Des Lauriers and M.Love, eds., University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City, 2016)
- “Public Performance and Teotihuacan Identity at Los Horcones, Chiapas, Mexico,” in Power and Identity in Archaeological Theory and Practice: Case Studies from Ancient Mesoamerica, 63-81 (E. Harrison-Buck, ed., Foundations of Archaeological Inquiry Series, University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City, 2012)
- “Juegos de Pelota, Escenificación eh Identidad en Los Horcones, Chiapas, México,” in Arqueológia Reciente de Chiapas: Contribuciones del Encuentro Celebrado en el 60º Aniversario de la Fundación Arqueológica de nuevo Mundo, 265-280 (L. Low and M. Pye, eds.,Papers of the New World Archaeological Foundation , No. 72, Brigham Young University, Provo)
Interviews:
- “Archeology: a conversation of material ‘stuff,” culture and humans,” D-Report, KUCR Radio, Oct. 26, 2018
- “How a Mormon lawyer transformed archaeology in Mexico – and ended up losing his faith,” Science, Jan. 18, 2018
- “’Los Horcones,’ en Tonalá, los mediadores entre Mayas y Aztecas,” Diario Ultimátum (Mexico), Oct. 26, 2017
- “Gods of Blood and Stone,” Scientific American (Erik Vance), 2014
- “CPP Professor Digs for Clues to Early Classic Societies in Mexico,” Cal Poly Pomona College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences
- “Teotihuacan influence in the South Coast of Guatemala,” Universidad Francisco Marroquín (Guatemala), July 7, 2005
Education:
B.A, Art and Art History, California State University Bakersfield
M.A., History of Art; M.A., Anthropology; & Ph.D., Anthropology, University of California, Riverside
Languages:
English, Spanish; Reading knowledge French, Classical Nahuatl