ASU archaeologists host community-focused exhibit, event in Apaxco, Mexico
Display of artifacts including ceramics, figurines and stone tools at the ASU-hosted museum exhibit in Apaxco, Mexico. Photo courtesy of Christopher Morehart
Engaging with local communities in meaningful ways is a core aspect of anthropology, but it's not something that archaeologists are always trained to do.
In a recent temporary museum exhibit in Apaxco, Mexico, researchers from Arizona State University demonstrated how engagement with local communities is a critical and essential part of archaeological research.
In December, Christopher Morehart, associate professor in ASU’s School of Human Evolution and Social Change and director of the Teotihuacan Research Laboratory, joined anthropology PhD students Eunice Villaseñor Iribe and Dean Blumenfield alongside representatives from community-based organization Ecopil to host a a three-day temporary museum exhibit on recent and ongoing archaeological work in Apaxco and Tequixquiac, Mexico. The exhibit highlighted recent and ongoing archaeological work in the region and was accompanied by a series of presentations with local communities and organizations.
Embedding long-term relationships with local communities is a way for researchers to show not only the progress or outcomes of the work, but also how it impacts local communities.
“Archaeological fieldwork is not just about digging in the dirt, finding ancient things and reconstructing past society. It’s about meeting people, making friends, learning the language, experiencing local culture and customs, understanding local lives and issues, and developing a strong commitment and empathy toward local communities,” said Morehart.
Since 2015, Morehart and the Northern Basin of Mexico Historical Ecology Project have been engaged in a long-term archaeological and historical research project in the municipalities of Apaxco and Tequixquiac, located north of Mexico City. The project examines how political and climate change have shaped human settlements and landscapes over long periods of stability and transition in the region. During the summer of 2025, members of the project participated in a reforestation operation on top of a large mesa that researchers have been excavating, setting the stage to bring the research to the community.
Folks respond extremely positively to being able to see, touch and handle their physical heritage. It also offers an opportunity to meet and chat with new people, most of whom have much better insight into the archaeology than we do.
Christopher MorehartAssociate professor, School of Human Evolution and Social Change
To accomplish this, exhibits were organized chronologically from the Pleistocene to the 19th century and displayed several kinds of artifacts including ceramics, figurines and stone tools. The exhibits presented information centering on differing aspects of pre-Hispanic archaeology such as politics, war, ritual and everyday life, ongoing work at a hacienda in Apaxco, and the natural environment both in the fossil record and today.
“What sets the Northern Basin of Mexico Historical Ecology project apart is the sheer scope of what Chris (Morehart) has built and that we have been fortunate to be part of,” said Blumenfield. “Very few projects move across so many time periods in this way, which allows us to ask different and much broader questions. It is also truly interdisciplinary, and we work alongside ecologists, geologists, biologists, cultural anthropologists and physical anthropologists. The result is a project that is not only expansive in scale but also in the kinds of questions it allows us to ask about landscapes, history and social change.”
As part of the project, researchers approached conservation efforts from a heritage standpoint, which allowed them to consider the different types of value that an area or place provides to the community.
“These types of value assessments are important when considering how changes in land development or use may impact continued access to these areas. Conservation of these locations can teach future generations about the past local inhabitants and create a sense of community that connects the past and present,” Villaseñor Iribe explained.
Morehart hopes these temporary exhibits can be developed into permanent exhibits for the municipal museum, where he also hopes to curate collections from the project.
“It was one of those events when you can’t stop smiling,” shared Morehart. “We regularly do events and presentations for local people, but the exhibits were tangible and real. They were organized historically but also in ways that sought to capture aspects of life that remain central to community: religion and ritual, preparing food, cultivating crops, manufacturing tools, even conflict.
"Folks respond extremely positively to being able to see, touch and handle their physical heritage. It also offers an opportunity to meet and chat with new people, most of whom have much better insight into the archaeology than we do.”