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On the latest episode of 13, Associate Professor of Anthropology Santiago Juarez shares his explorations and discoveries in the ancient Maya city of Noh K’uh, located in current-day Chiapas, Mexico. Juarez’s work is prominently featured in the new Disney+ series Lost Cities Revealed with Albert Lin, in the episode “Cradle of the Maya.”

Juarez’s research focuses on the rise of urbanism during the Preclassic period, between 250 B.C. and 200 A.D., at Noh K’uh. He utilizes a multi-scalar analysis of Preclassic households, community, and landscape to reconstruct the role of commoners during the incipient phase of urban development in the Maya region.

Juarez utilizes the latest methods in geographic information systems to spatially analyze landscape features, material culture, and chemical signatures. His methods combine satellite imagery and reflection radiometer data from online geographic databases with excavation data to reveal the nuances of spatial patterns that occur within and outside of households. He also incorporates techniques in micro-analyses, including inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry of soils from outdoor activity spaces to better understand behaviors that are beyond the scope of traditional excavation.

Juarez earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees as well as his PhD from Northwestern University.

Each episode of 13, 51����’s award-winning podcast, digs into the work of a University community member by asking questions. Episodes highlight the wide array of academic disciplines at 51����, with interviews featuring faculty from political science, sociology and anthropology, physics and astronomy, women’s studies, English, Africana and Latin American studies, and many more.

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