Working with the Community in Ecuador

Part of: Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Working with the Community in Ecuador," at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The case of the Agua Blanca community in coastal Ecuador is always brought up as an example of a successful (and early-1980s) collaboration, when discussing the country's community archaeology. However, it is not until fairly recently that the topic of community archaeology has attracted more attention from professionals working in Ecuador. Most archaeologists need to be in contact with communities in whose territories we work. Institutions are now encouraging researchers to engage with local populations in the area where they are working. Some interactions have been limited to requesting permission to work in the area and to finding workers to help with the hard labor, as well as housing and food procurement for the research team. Others start as or become a closer commitment, with more or less interest from the community, and longer or shorter duration of that collaboration. This session explores all these kinds of involvements of archaeologists with the communities in different regions of Ecuador and aims at determining what the challenges are and what works (or not) in terms of an archaeology with and for the community.

Other Keywords
Public and Community Archaeology • Cultural Resources and Heritage Management • Andes: Late Horizon • Ecuador, community archaeology • Ethnography/Ethnoarchaeology • coastal Ecuador • Formative • Ecuador • Andes: Late Intermediate • Museums, Collections, and Repatriation

Geographic Keywords
Republic of Peru (Country) • Republic of Panama (Country) • Republic of Colombia (Country) • Netherlands Antilles (Country) • Aruba (Country) • Republic of Ecuador (Country) • Republic of Chile (Country) • South America (Continent) • South America • Department of Martinique (Country)

Resources Inside This Collection (Viewing 1-9 of 9)

  • Documents (9)
Documents
  • Arqueologia y Comunidad en la provincia de Manabi, dos casos de estudio (2019)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Juan Jijon. Marcos Labrada.

    This is an abstract from the "Working with the Community in Ecuador" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Tabuga, pequeña comunidad agrícola del norte de Manabi corresponde a un importante sitio arqueológico de la cultura Jama-Coaque (500 ac - 1650 dc). Ante años de expolio por huaqueros, del bloqueo del acceso al mar por el narcotráfico y de la falta de interés por la autoridades locales, la comunidad de Tabuga ha decidido enfrentar estos obstáculos...

  • Breaking the Site Museum Mold: Designing the Dos Mangas Community Museum (2019)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Roxanne Recinos. Sarah Rowe.

    This is an abstract from the "Working with the Community in Ecuador" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Archaeological investigations began in Dos Mangas in 2006, and continued with excavation of a Valdivia village site, Buen Suceso, in 2009. Those and subsequent excavations carried out by Sarah Rowe have combined archaeological inquiry with community engagement activities such as presentations in the primary school, workshops for community guides,...

  • Community Archaeology in Coastal Ecuador: Balancing Interests (2019)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Florencio Delgado Espinoza. Josefina Vasquez.

    This is an abstract from the "Working with the Community in Ecuador" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. More than 20 years ago, research in Agua Blanca, Manabí, changed the way in which archaeology in Ecuador was performed. Local community involvement in archaeology research took an active role. Since then, both Indigenous and peasant communities have called upon archaeologists that can collaborate with them on studying the past they consider as...

  • Cultura Viva y Arqueología, del Rgistro de la Memoria por Propios y Extraños (2019)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Amelia Sánchez Mosquera.

    This is an abstract from the "Working with the Community in Ecuador" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. El proyecto Cultura Viva se genera a partir de acciones públicas en comunidades interesadas en revalorizar sus costumbres, y que se encuentren dentro del área de influencia de las actividades de los proyectos arqueológicos realizados en la Costa del Ecuador, principalmente. Cultura Viva ha gestionado el levantamiento de rasgos de la herencia...

  • El Secuestro del "Tesoro de Huataviro": Cuando la Comunidad Manda. (2019)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Estanislao Pazmiño.

    This is an abstract from the "Working with the Community in Ecuador" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. En las últimas décadas se ha incrementado el interés de los arqueólogos por estrechar los vínculos con las comunidades locales. La participación de la comunidad adquiere cada vez más fuerza, y su voz empieza a tener un mayor espacio crítico sobre el rol que la arqueología juega en la sociedad. A pesar de ello, cabe también resaltar que, en los...

  • The Role of Women Following a Community Archaeology Project in Agua Blanca, Ecuador (1979-2018) (2019)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Amanda Brock.

    This is an abstract from the "Working with the Community in Ecuador" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The Agua Blanca community has participated in one of the most successful and sustainable community archaeology projects in Ecuador. Since the start of excavations in the Manabí region in 1979, archaeologist Collin McEwan and Maria-Isabel Silva have worked collaboratively with community members to excavate, interpret, and present findings about the...

  • Shared Spaces, Shared Stories: A Reflection on Archeology and Community from the Ecuadorian Rain Forest (2019)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Alejandra Gudino. Ronald Lippi.

    This is an abstract from the "Working with the Community in Ecuador" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. This presentation attempts to reflect on the dynamic relationship between archeology and communities, based on the 17 years of field experience of the Palmitopamba Archeological Project, in NW Pichincha Providence, Ecuador. The success and challenges of our experience demonstrate the need for a more reflective archeology that aspire to be...

  • The Transformation of Long-Term Anthropological and Archaeological Engagements in Communities: Cases from Southern Manabi Province (2019)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Valentina Martinez. Michael Harris.

    This is an abstract from the "Working with the Community in Ecuador" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. For the past 20 years, we have conducted research along the Ecuadorian coast in the province of Manabí. Over time, our work has evolved from that of strictly scientific issues to the incorporation of local community-based participatory research models. As other anthropologists have discovered, a continuous commitment with a research site leads to...

  • Working toward Collective Benefit? Reflections on Community Based Participatory Research in Cangahua, Ecuador (2019)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Zev Cossin. Ariel Charro. Jane Poss. Siobhan Boyd.

    This is an abstract from the "Working with the Community in Ecuador" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The Pambamarca Archaeological Project (PAP) has conducted research in the Cayambe region of Ecuador for nearly two decades. In that time, PAP has trained scores of national and international students and actively incorporated local community stakeholders in efforts like the development of small-scale heritage tourism projects. It became clear that...