From the Field: Terrestrial Field School Stories

August 6, 2018 | By: Jordan Ardoin | casshcommunications@uwf.edu

Archaeology and Anthropology students from this summer's Terrestrial Field School shared their experiences during archaeological investigations at the Luna Settlement site.

Christina Bolte

Christina Bolte is a graduate student in UWF’s historical and maritime archaeology program. She has been a part of excavations on the Luna settlement site since its discovery in 2015 and acted as field director of UWF’s summer field schools at the site for two years. Christina’s thesis research focuses on the Aztec component of the Luna expedition. As field director this summer, Christina managed field school students’ daily activities while herself participating in digs and gathering her own research.

Lisa Matthies-Barnes

Lisa Matthies-Barnes was a supervisor-in-training at the Luna settlement terrestrial field school this summer. Lisa is a historical archaeology graduate student at UWF. Of her experiences, she said one of her most important responsibilities during the field school was reinforcing the idea for her undergraduate students that “we as individuals are stewards of our cultural heritage and must maintain it to the best of our abilities for future generations.”

Casey Bleuel 

Casey Bleuel, UWF graduate student in historical archaeology, was a supervisor-in-training during this summer’s Luna settlement terrestrial field school. Casey’s focus is in Spanish colonial archaeology, and she has a bachelor’s degree in Spanish language, so she especially enjoyed working on the Luna site. She shared one of the most valuable parts of her experience was the opportunity to read old Spanish documents that supplemented the archaeology she did on site.