Staff Profiles

I trained in archaeology at the University of Paris 1 - Panthéon Sorbonne and in geosciences at the University of Mexico to study pre-Hispanic agrarian societies and the landscapes they shaped. Specialist of Western and Central Mexico, I am curious to broaden my horizons and I now work also in the Maya area (Southern Mexico and Guatemala), in Ecuador (Upano Valley, Amazonia) and in Europe. Before coming to Newcastle, I worked closely (and still do) with colleagues from the laboratory Archaeology of the Americas (ArchAm) of the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the team Environmental Archaeologies (CNRS-ArScAn), as well as with the geology and geophysics institutes of the University of Mexico, among others. Besides research, I have been involved in teaching for over 8 years, at the University of Paris 1 in particular.

A résumé of my resume

2023 - Lecturer in Mesoamerican archaeology and methods in archaeology | Université Paris 1 - Panthéon Sorbonne, Paris

2022 - DGAPA research fellow, project "Infiernillo" | Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico UNAM, Institute of Geology, Mexico

2021 - Postdoctoral researcher, project "Pre-Hispanic urban argriculture on volcanic soils" | LabEx DynamiTe, Paris

2016-2020 - Contract teacher in Mesoamerican archaeology | Université Paris 1 - Panthéon Sorbonne, Paris

2013-2019 - PhD Archaeology, Ethnology, Prehistory "Archaeology of the agrarian system of the Zacapu area, Western Mexico, 7th-15th c. CE" | Université Paris 1

Research interests and methods

I am mainly interested in how pre-Hispanic societies perceived and shaped their landscape over time, particularly in terms of agricultural practices and how the latter modified, or even created, soils (anthroposols).

Methodologically, I combine landscape archaeology and geoarchaeology (soil science and geomorphology) to identify and characterize cultivated soils and associated settlements. I use GIS and remote sensing, notably airborne laser scanning (LiDAR). Ethnographic sciences provide frameworks for the interpretation with the ambition to understand the daily life of populations. I also try to look at landscapes from a long-term perspective, to help find keys for their sustainable management in line with the realities of the people who live there today.

Current research projects

2024-2026 project Marie Skłodowska-Curie LaVA (Landscapes of the Volcanic Highlands of Ancient Mesoamerica)

Since 2022 ANR PARCEDES (Western Europe) dir. M.  Watteaux (U. Rennes 2 UR7468 Tempora)

Since 2021 EDEN (Equateur) dir. S.  Rostain (CNRS UMR8096)

Since 2021 Rio Bec 2 (Mexico) dir. E.  Lemonnier (U. Paris 1/ CNRS UMR8096)

Since 2021 Chicoloapan-Coatepec (Mexico) dir. S.  Clayton (U. Wisconsin-Madison)

Since 2013 Uacúsecha (Mexico) dir. G. Pereira (CNRS UMR8096)

Recent research projects

2017-2020 Naachtun (Guatemala) dir. P.  Nondédéo (CNRS UMR8096) et L. Garrido (USAC, Guatemala)

2016-2018 ANR Mesomobile (Mexico) dir. V. Darras et G. Pereira (CNRS UMR8096)

A noteworthy workshop I co-organized

2021 Archaeological LiDAR and ancient territories Paris, 15-16 sep. 2021