Summer 2026 Field Season at Palenque

Another successful field season at Palenque, thanks to our awesome UNLV students! MayaLab interns Devyn and Alexa and graduate student Alex assisted in the excavation of another residential structure in the GIV neighborhood. It was another hot and humid season but we are thrilled to learn more about the Maya communities living in Palenque’s neighborhoods.

April 2026 – 91st Annual Society for American Archaeology Conference, San Francisco!

Members of the Palenque project presented our ongoing work! Alex Castillo Espinoza presented a poster detailing the results of her groundstone study, Dr. Lisa Johnson and Dr. Lucas Johnson participated in a session in honor of Rosemary Joyce and presented on the materiality of stone in the Maya lowlands.

April 2026 UNLV Office of Undergraduate Research Symposium

MayaLAB interns presented their research on Palenque flaked stone at the Spring OUR symposium!

Ayat Azzah explains the results of her study on notched obsidian blades from the GIV neighborhood

Alexa Vitale presents on a collection of small chert drills, an important tool for crafting, in a workshop of Palenque

Summer 2025 Field Season at Palenque

Thanks to the UNLV undergrads and grad students that participated in the 2025 field season! Dylan, Ethan, Noah, Sydney and Alexa endured the extreme heat and humidity! Dee and Alex joined us later and provided some much needed help with excavations and analyses!

April 2024: 89th Annual Society for American Archaeology Conference, New Orleans!

Members of the Palenque project recently presented work at the SAA’s, including Lucas Johnson (Nellis Air Force Base), Lisa Johnson (UNLV), and Dayanira “Dee” Lopez (UNLV)

Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) Symposium, Spring 2024

Lab member (and recently graduated!) Ethan Williams presented his analysis of obsidian artifacts recovered from a Palenque household.