Rio Bravo Archaeology Field School

Accepting Early Applications for 2025 (details TBA); no 2024 Season

Orange Walk District Belize

The Rio Bravo Archaeological Survey (RBAS) is a summer Maya archaeology field school that trains students in archaeological field methods within the context of a state-of-the-art research project. The program is situated in an unexplored, tropical rainforest in northern Belize, Central America, and can be taken for 3 or 6 college credits through the University of Texas at Austin.*

Non-credit volunteers are also welcome!

Students who are interested in joining us for the 2025 season should review the information provided, including the 2019 Info Sheet (or forthcoming 2025 sheet), and contact us via email or by submitting an application.

To sign up, please fill out an application.

*RBAS operates in Belize under a permit issued from the Institute of Archaeology to Dr. Fred Valdez, Director of the Programme for Belize Archaeological Project (PfBAP). Academic credit from the Community College of Philadelphia is not available for the 2025 season.

Photo -Day trip to Lamanai (2015)

Project StafF

Stanley L. Walling, PhD., RPA
Project Director- Rio Bravo Archaeological Survey; Associate Director- Programme for Belize Regional Archaeology Project; Research Fellow- Mesoamerican Archaeological Research Laboratory, University of Texas at Austin; Associate Professor of Anthropology- Community College of Philadelphia.

Jonathan A. Hanna, PhD., RPA
Director of Residential Terrace Investigations, Website Coordinator; Previous RBAS Field Seasons: 2003-2007, 2013, 2015-16

Christine Taylor
Director of Ballcourt Investigations; Formerly senior staff on the Maax Na Archaeology Project; Previous RBAS Field Seasons: 2005-2007, 2010, 2012-2019

Chance Coughenour
Director of Mapping; Marie Curie Research Fellow, Institute for Photogrammetry, University of Stuttgart, Germany; PhD. graduate student at University of Seville, Spain; Previous RBAS Field Seasons: 2007, 2010, 2012-2013

JN Stanley
Junior Staff, Previous RBAS field seasons: 2006-2007, 2010, 2012-2013, 2016-19

Carola Garcia Manzano
Junior Staff, Website Assistant; Previous RBAS field seasons: 2007, 2018

Research Collaborators

James Brady- Cave Investigations, University of California at Los Angeles
CL Kieffer- Cave Investigations, PhD. Graduate Student, University of New Mexico
Nicholas Brokaw- Botanical Research, University of San Juan, Puerto Rico
Sheila Ward- Botanical Research, University of San Juan, Puerto Rico
Timothy Beach- Soils and Hydrology Investigations, UT-Austin
Sheryl Luzzader-Beach- Soils and Hydrology Investigations, UT-Austin

Previous Staff

Peter F. Davis
Field Director; Previous RBAS Field Seasons: 2000-2007

Travis Cornish
Director of Survey; Previous RBAS Field Seasons: 2007, 2010, 2012-2015

Iasha Doumanoff
Junior Staff, Previous RBAS Field Seasons: 2006-2007, 2012

Kathleen Fitzgerald
Junior Staff, Previous RBAS Field Seasons: 2010, 2012-2015

Jacqueline Fox
Junior Staff, Previous RBAS Field Seasons: 2012-2016

Denise Killeen
Junior Staff, Previous RBAS Field Seasons: 2010, 2012-2015

Karen McFadden
Junior Staff, Assistant Website Coordinator; Previous RBAS Field Seasons: 2012-2013

Lara Swan
Junior Staff, Ph.D. Graduate Student, George Washington University; Previous RBAS Field Seasons: 2010, 2012-2013

Nahum Prasarn
Junior Staff, Previous RBAS Field Seasons: 2002-2005

Melissa DeVito

Sandra Diaz