Dominique Rissolo

Late Pleistocene Human Skeleton and mtDNA Link Paleoamericans and Modern Native Americans

American Beauty Modern Native American ancestry traces back to an East Asian migration across Beringia. However, some Native American skeletons from the late Pleistocene show phenotypic characteristics more similar to other, more geographically distant, human populations. Chatters et al. (p. 750) describe a skeleton with a Paleoamerican phenotype from the eastern Yucatan, dating to approximately 12 to 13 thousand years ago, with a relatively common extant Native American mitochondrial DNA haplotype. The Paleoamerican phenotype may thus have evolved independently among Native American populations. The differences between Paleoamericans and Native Americans likely resulted from local evolution. Because of differences in craniofacial morphology and dentition between the earliest American skeletons and modern Native Americans, separate origins have been postulated for them, despite genetic evidence to the contrary. We describe a near-complete human skeleton with an intact cranium and preserved DNA found with extinct fauna in a submerged cave on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. This skeleton dates to between 13,000 and 12,000 calendar years ago and has Paleoamerican craniofacial characteristics and a Beringian-derived mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroup (D1). Thus, the differences between Paleoamericans and Native Americans probably resulted from in situ evolution rather than separate ancestry.

Fusion of multimodal three-dimensional data for comprehensive digital documentation of cultural heritage sites.

Geometry, appearance and context are essential aspects to capture in the digital documentation of cultural heritage sites. Geometry must be accurate and should provide a level of precision necessary for quantified diagnostics. Visual appearance should capture the “as-is” state, while site specific context is important for correlation, interpretation and analysis. Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) has established itself as the premier laser scanning modality for the acquisition of trusted geometry, while photogrammetry techniques like structure from motion (SfM) are used to construct visually compelling models. A common challenge of these line-of-sight techniques is that the imaging equipment must be systematically moved throughout the target environment to assure that the data captures the entire target and allows for the removal of occlusions in the final model. By combining terrestrial and airborne imaging techniques using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), also frequently referred to as drones, it is possible to streamline the acquisition of the target data sets. This paper discusses the fusion of full resolution three-dimensional data streams generated from laser scanning, ground based photogrammetry and drone based photogrammetry. Maintaining full resolution of the data sets allows for diagnostic analysis of very subtle deformations and defects like erosion and cracks. In a presented case study in Mexico, terrestrial laser scanning serves as a geometric scaffold that the photogrammetry data is registered to in order to generate a holistic model of a one hectare site containing two historic structures. The laser scanning and photogrammetry data sets have sufficient overlap to enable fusion, and more importantly the individual sets can supplement each other, providing geometry, photorealism and context that the other set lacks.

The Hidden World of the Maritime Maya: Lost Landscapes Along the North Coast of Quintana Roo, Mexico

While the Postclassic period is most often associated with Maya seafaring, in fact, the strengthening of maritime economies and the establishment of circum-peninsular trade routes occurred during the preceding Terminal Classic period (ad 850–1100). It was during this time when the major city of Chichen Itza demonstrated an increased reliance on maritime commerce to maintain and extend its control over much of the Yucatan Peninsula. Coastal settlements, however, have a deeper history in the Maya area, with occupations dating back to at least the Middle Preclassic period (800–400 bc), and the Costa Escondida Project, a long-term, interdisciplinary research effort, is focusing on the dynamic relationship between the Maya and their coastal landscape over the past 3,000 years.

EL PROYECTO COSTA ESCONDIDA: ARQUEOLOGÍA Y COMPROMISO COMUNITARIO A LO LARGO DE LA COSTA NORTE DE QUINTANA ROO, MÉXICO

El Proyecto Costa Escondida iniciado en 2006 se diseno para investigar las culturas maritimas previas y posteriores al contacto espanol, asi como para estudiar el paisaje del norte de Quintana Roo, Peninsula de Yucatan, Mexico. Este proyecto no promueve una agenda de desarrollo “tradicional”, sino que se inserta en la critica del desarrollo para ampliar los limites del compromiso comunitario a traves del aprendizaje social. Al encontrarse lejos de los principales sitios turisticos de la costa del Caribe, el area cuenta con una industria de turismo en expansion asociada a la isla Holbox. En este articulo se discuten las experiencias de este proyecto arqueologico que integra a varios actores de la region y, mas importante aun, traza una estrategia de investigacion trans-parente que involucra activamente a estos individuos a medida que el proyecto avance.