Event: Archaeometric Analysis of Ancient Mexican Lithics: Identifying Raw Materials and Methods of Manufacture

Spring 2025 Waystation Workshop

Dr. Emiliano Ricardo Melgar Tisoc
Researcher, Templo Mayor Museum, Instituto National de Antropología y Historia (INAH)

Using approximately 40 lithic artifacts recently accepted into the Waystation’s voluntary return program, Emiliano Melgar will demonstrate analytic methods through a first traceological examination to determine their ancient Mexican cultural affiliation and technological styles. He will discuss different techniques of identifying raw materials and manufacturing traces, what information can be obtained from them, the accuracy and limitations of these techniques, and the importance of reference assemblages for comparative purposes.

Register for the workshop here

Dr Melgar earned a BA in Archaeology from the National School of Anthropology and History (ENAH) in Mexico and an MA and Ph.D. in Anthropology from National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Since 2004 he has been a full-time researcher at the Templo Mayor Museum. Dr Melgar’research has been awarded the 2010 Alfonso Caso Award for best bachelor thesis in archaeology, the 2011 Teotihuacan Award for best essay on the materials of that city, and the 2019 Award of the Mexican Academy of Sciences for the best young researcher in the Mexican Humanities. He has written five books and more than 80 articles for domestic and foreign publications. His new book, “Lapidary Objects from the Great Temple: Styles and Technological Traditions”, received the Honorable Mention in the 2024 INAH Prize for the best archaeological research in Mexico.