CURRICULUM VITAE
Zachary Nelson, Ph.D.
31 October 2006
Current Address
- Dept. of Anthropology
- Box 1921 Brown University
- Providence, RI 02912
- Phone: (401) 863-6090
- email: Zachary_Nelson@brown.edu
Education
- Ph. D., Anthropology, 2005 Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
- M. A., Anthropology, 2000 Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
- B. A., with Honors, Anthropology, 1998 Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
Research Interests
- Ancient Maya Writing, GIS in Archaeology, Household Archaeology, Settlement Pattern Archaeology, Mesoamerican Cultural History, Urbanism, Lithic Analysis, Precolumbian Art
Language Competence
- Spoken and Read: English, Spanish
Positions
- Postdoctoral Research Associate in Anthropology, Brown University, July 2005 - June 2007
- Academic Computing Fellow, Pennsylvania State University, Fall 2002 - Spring 2005
- Graduate Research Assistant, Pennsylvania State University, Fall 2000 - Spring 2002
- Teaching Assistant, Brigham Young University, Fall 1998 - Spring 2000
Field Experience
- 2006 Field School Director, First Baptist Church, Providence RI (4 months)
- 2006 Survey in El Zotz, Guatemala (1 month)
- 2004 Survey and Excavation, Piedras Negras, Guatemala (2 months)
- 2003 Survey and Excavation, Kaminaljuyú, Guatemala (3 months)
- 2002 Lab analysis, Piedras Negras, Guatemala (3 months)
- 2001 Lab analysis, Piedras Negras, Guatemala (2 months)
- 2000 Excavation and lab analysis, Piedras Negras, Guatemala (4 months)
- 1999 Survey and lab analysis, Piedras Negras, Guatemala (3 months)
- 1999 Lab analysis, Lithics, Chiapas, Mexico (3 months)
- 1998 Survey and Excavation, Capitol Reef National Park, Utah (2 months)
- 1997 Survey and Excavation, Capitol Reef National Park, Utah (2 months)
Professional Memberships
- American Anthropological Association
- Society for American Archaeology, Member of Committee on Media Relations since 2003
Courses Taught
- Archaeological Field Work (Brown University 2006)
- South American Culture (Brigham Young University 1998)
Theses
- 2005 Urban Development of Piedras Negras, Guatemala; Unpublished dissertation, Pennsylvania State University.
- 2000 Analysis of an Obsidian Workshop at Hacienda Metepec, Teotihuacan, Mexico, AD 700-800. Unpublished Master’s Thesis, Brigham Young University
- 1998 Altar de Sacrificios Revisited: A Modern Translation of Ancient Writings. Unpublished Honors Undergraduate Thesis, Brigham Young University
Publications
- 2006 Una pirámide de primera: Investigaciones en la estructura K-5 y sus alrededores, Piedras Negras, Petén. Stephen D. Houston, Héctor L. Escobedo and Zachary Nelson. In XIX Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2005, edited by Juan Pedro Laporte, Bárbara Arroyo, and Héctor Mejía, pp. 345-352. Guatemala City: Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes, IDAEH, Asociación Tikal, Fundación Arqueológica del Nuevo Mundo (FAMSI).
- 2005 The Pool of the Rain God: An Early Stuccoed Altar at Aguacatal, Campeche, Mexico. Stephen Houston, Karl Taube, Ray Matheny, Deanne Matheny, Zachary Nelson, Gene Ware, and Cassandra Mesick. Mesoamerican Voices 2:1-29.
- 2005 Nuevas perspectivas sobre la Acrópolis de Kaminaljuyu, Guatemala. Stephen Houston, Zachary Nelson, Carlos Chiriboga, Carlos Alvarado, Héctor Escobedo, and Karl Taube. In XVIII Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2004, edited by Juan Pedro Laporte, Bárbara Arroyo, and Héctor Mejía, pp. 505-510. Guatemala City: Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes, IDAEH, Asociación Tikal, FAMSI.
- 2004 De la cartografía al cálculo de población de Piedras Negras, Guatemala. In XVII Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2003. Edited by Juan Pedro Laporte, Bárbara Arroyo, Héctor Escobedo and Héctor Mejía, pp. 7-15 (vol. 1). Guatemala: Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes, Instituto de Antropología e Historia, Asociación Tikal.
- 2003 The Acrópolis of Kaminaluyu, Guatemala: Recovering A Lost Excavation. Stephen Houston, Zachary Nelson, Carlos Chiriboga and Ellen Spensley. Mayab 16: 49-64.
- 2003 El papel de los machacadores en la economía doméstica Maya. In XVI Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2002. Edited by Juan Pedro Laporte, Héctor Escobedo and Bárbara Arroyo, pp. 509-512 (vol. 2). Guatemala: Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes, Instituto de Antropología e Historia, Asociación Tikal.
- 2002 Soil Chemical Analysis Applied as an Interpretive Tool for Ancient Human Activities in Piedras Negras, Guatemala. John Jacob Parnell, Richard Terry, and Zachary Nelson. Journal of Archaeological Science 29: 379-404.
- 2002 La función y distribución de artefactos liticos en una residencia de Piedras Negras, Guatemala. Zachary Nelson and Zachary Hruby. In XV Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2001. Edited by Juan Pedro Laporte, Héctor Escobedo and Barbara Arroyo, pp. 987-996 (vol. 2). Guatemala: Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes, Instituto de Antropología e Historia, Asociación Tikal.
- 2001 A Thematic Bibliography of Ancient Maya Writing. Stephen Houston and Zachary Nelson. Provo: Research Press, Brigham Young University.
Technical Reports
- 2006 Levantamiento preliminar y actividades de registro en El Zotz, Biotopo San Miguel La Palotada, Petén. Stephen D. Houston, Zachary Nelson, Héctor L. Escobedo, Juan Carlos Meléndez, Ana Lucía Arroyave, Fabiola Quiroa y Rafael Cambranes. Report submitted to the Instituto de Antropología e Historia, Guatemala.
- 2005 PN 64A: Excavaciones enfrente y atrás de la estructura K-5. Juan Carlos Melendez Mollinedo, Kelleigh Cole, Griselda Pérez Robles, and Zachary Nelson. In Informe de las intervenciones en la estructura K-5 de Piedras Negras, edited by Héctor Escobedo and Stephen Houston, pp. 9-60. Report submitted to the Instituto de Antropología e Historia, Guatemala.
- 2003 Informe Preliminar del Proyecto Parque Kaminaljuyú. Matilde Ivic de Monterroso, Stephen Houston, Héctor Escobedo, Marion Popenoe de Hatch, Zachary Nelson, Zachary Hruby, Carlos Alvarado, Karen Pereira, Juan Pablo Rodas, and Alejandro Seijas. Report submitted to the Instituto de Antropología e Historia, Guatemala.
- 2001 PN 33: Excavaciones en el grupo U, sobre el valle. In Proyecto Arqueológico Piedras Negras: Informe Preliminar No. 4, Cuatra Temporada 2000, edited by Héctor Escobedo and Stephen Houston, pp. 63-104. Report submitted to the Instituto de Antropología e Historia, Guatemala.
- 1999 El mapa preliminar de Piedras Negras: Temporada de 1999. In Proyecto Arqueológico Piedras Negras: Informe Preliminar No. 3, Tercera Temporada 1999, edited by Héctor Escobedo and Stephen Houston; pp. 415-426. Report submitted to the Instituto de Antropología e Historia, Guatemala.
Book Reviews
- 2005 Review of “Mexico’s Indigenous Past. By Alfredo López Austin and Leonardo López Luján.” Ethnohistory 52(1): 229-231.
Selected Papers
- 2006 A la sombra de un gigante: Epigrafía y asentamiento de el Zotz, Petén. Stephen Houston, Héctor Escobedo, Zachary Nelson, Juan Carlos Meléndez, Fabiola Quiroa, Ana Lucía Arroyave and Rafael Cambranes. XV Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, July 2006.
- 2006 Living la vida Maya. Invited lecture for the PIER Council on Latin American and Iberian Studies, Yale University, July 6, 2006.
- 2006 Domestic Architecture and Decision Making at Piedras Negras, Guatemala. Society for American Archaeology, April 2006.
- 2006 In the Shadow of a Giant: The Classic Maya City of El Zotz, Guatemala. Stephen Houston and Zachary Nelson. The Maya Meetings 2006, Austin Texas.
- 2005 Una pirámide de primera: Investigaciones en la estructura K-5 y sus alrededores, Piedras Negras, Petén. Stephen D. Houston, Héctor L. Escobedo and Zachary Nelson. XIV Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueologicas en Guatemala, July 2005.
- 2005 Metal Detecting in the First World Media. Society for American Archaeology, April 2005.
- 2005 Looting in International Territory: Sagas of Blood, Stones, and Steal. Kelleigh Cole and Zachary Nelson. Society for American Archaeology, April 2005.
- 2004 Nuevas perspectivas sobre la acrópolis de Kaminaljuyú, Guatemala. Stephen Houston, Zachary Nelson, Carlos Chiriboga, Carlos Alvarado, Héctor L. Escobedo, Karl Taube. XVIII Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueologicas en Guatemala, July 2004.
- 2004 La acrópolis de Kaminaljuyú: Su historia y arquitectura. Invited lecture at the Museo Popol Vuh, Guatemala, June 10, 2004.
- 2004 Population Size and Nearby Agricultural Production at Piedras Negras, Guatemala. Society for American Archaeology, March 2004.
- 2003 Desde mapeo a estimar poblacion en Piedras Negras, Guatemala. XVII Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueologicas en Guatemala, July 2003.
- 2003 How Far is an Hour? Maya Emic Views on Distance. Society for American Archaeology, April 2003.
- 2002 El papel de los machacadores en la economía doméstica Maya. XVI Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueologicas en Guatemala, July 2002.
- 2002 Residential Diversity and Wealth Distribution within Piedras Negras, Guatemala. Society for American Archaeology, March 2002.
- 2001 La función y distribución de artefactos liticos en una residencia de Piedras Negras, Guatemala. XV Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueologicas en Guatemala, July 2001.
- 2001 The Urban Household at Piedras Negras, Guatemala. Society for American Archaeology, April 2001.
Other Professional Activities
- 2006 Symposium: Meaning of Masonry: Choice and Practice in the Construction of Classic Maya Buildings. Organized by Cassandra Mesick and Zachary Nelson for 71st Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.
