(Yaxunah Haciendas and Lands Archaeological Project)

  In summer 2026, University of South Carolina anthropology  students joined Dr. Chelsea Fisher for archaeological research at Hacienda Cetelac, the site of a colonial cattle ranch near Yaxunah, Yucatán, Mexico. During the first half of the field season, the team analyzed artifacts excavated from the hacienda, including colonial-era pottery and glass, and learned archaeological conservation techniques by constructing and operating an electrolysis tank to remove rust from iron artifacts such as a bridle, door lock, and nails. 

In the second half of the season, USC students worked closely with members of the Yaxunah community to conduct ethnobotanical surveys in natural sinkholes, known locally as rejolladas, where Indigenous Yucatec Maya communities have practiced traditional agriculture for centuries. The team also ground-truthed lidar data to map the hacienda settlement and documented the architecture of the hacienda's main house to better understand how people, animals, and the landscape have interacted from the colonial period to the present.  

The field season concluded with an interactive public exhibition, where USC researchers shared artifacts, photographs, and research findings with Yaxunah community members and local authorities. The project advances Dr. Fisher's long-term collaborative research with the Yaxunah community, investigating the enduring social and ecological legacies of cattle ranching in Yucatec Maya lands.