ASM Affiliates Inc. to Assist in Geophysical Research at Kaminaljuyu

Kaminaljuyu was once the largest site in the Guatemalan highlands with over 200 structures in an area of approximately 5 square kilometers. Only 35 structure mounds associated with Kaminaljuyu remain. The World Monument Fund has declared Kaminaljuyu on their “watch” list due to urban growth. It is important to do as much research as possible of what remains of the site.

ASM will be working in conjunction with Dr. Hector Neff of California State University Long Beach to map portions of the remaining intact structures associated with Kaminaljuyu with remote sensing equipment, specifically ground penetrating radar. The geophysical survey will also assist in locating subsurface monuments that have yet to be uncovered. Our collaboration with Dr. Neff will efficiently and effectively provide much needed information for a larger area of the site than could be accomplished by traditional archaeological field methods. Our work will assist in the rescue efforts of Dr. Barbara Arroyo, a research associate at the University of Texas at Austin and the Center for Archaeological and Anthropological Research of the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Introduction and Preparing for the Trip to Guatemala

My name is Jimmy Daniels. I am a Senior Archaeologist at cultural resource management (CRM) firm in Carlsbad California. The firm is ASM Affiliates. In later half of 2010 I began discussing with my colleagues and supervisors at the firm the possibility of providing our services to an academic research venture in Guatemala in conjunction with my former professor from California State University Long Beach (CSULB). The project would involve an extensive geophysical investigation of the largest known Mayan Highland site of Kaminaljuyu. Much of the site has been impacted by urban development. Our work will assist in the rescue efforts of Dr. Barbara Arroyo, a research associate at the University of Texas at Austin and the Center for Archaeological and Anthropological Research of the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala. A portion of the site has been set aside as a national park. Little work has been done to determine the layout of the site.

Zzyzx Nov 2007 020ASM and CSULB will employ two Geophysical Survey Systems Inc. (GSSI) SIR-3000 ground penetrating radar (GPR) systems in an effort to characterize the subsurface of the preserved area of Kaminaljuyu including unexposed structure mounds. The operation of two of the instruments will allow us to cover a larger area in a shorter time.
In addition to using GPR to map the subsurface of the site. Dr. Neff will be employing a Geometrics magnetometer. This may prove very useful in detecting the locations of unknown monuments. A Bruker portable X-ray Florescence (XRF) will also be used to assay known basalt monuments in a provenience study to determine where the material for these monuments was transported from.

Today I will be preparing for the flight to Guatemala. We will most likely begin work as soon as possible, perhaps Sunday afternoon. I would like to begin by taking some video of the site itself. Hopefully I'll be able to post this to the blog. We undoubtable will be working long days to maximize coverage with the GPR units. As the work progresses I will post processed data results for any interesting discoveries.
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