CSU Department of Anthropology and Geography

This summer, undergraduate student Olivia Sheley (ANTH: Archaeology) ducked out of the classroom and into the highland forests of western Mexico and Angamuco, a Purépecha archaeological site in the Pátzcuaro Lake Basin, under the direction of Professor Chris Fisher. Through excavation and LiDAR mapping since 2007, Fisher, a National Geographic Explorer, and his team have shown that Angamuco was a vast Purépecha city where more than 100,000 people may have lived during its peak 800-1,100 years ago.

Sheley and others on the team of CSU, University of Illinois, Chicago, and Mexican partners are investigating a ceremonial plaza featuring two altars and a yacata, a distinctive keyhole-shaped pyramid unique to the Purépecha. Sheley is excavating one of the altars to better understand how the structure was used, how it relates to the yacata, and what its architecture can reveal about life and ritual at Angamuco. Along the way, she is also learning some Spanish and how to collaborate across languages.

Classes including Archaeology of Mesoamerica (ANTH 452), Human Osteology (ANTH 372), and Archaeology of Death (ANTH 467) helped prepare Sheley to contribute to research involving ritual burials and human remains. "It's incredibly rewarding to apply what I've learned in the classroom to real-world research,” said Sheley who came to CSU as a transfer student after completing her Anthropology associate’s degree at Front Range Community College.

Sheley said the best moment of the field season so far was discovering a bezote—a lip plug worn as a permanent body adornment and an elite status marker reserved for office holders. "Being able to see and hold things that I've read about and talked about in classes is so amazing," Sheley said. "It was incredible."

Need to move 13,000 years of archaeological history in a week? We’ve got a crew for that!

This past week, an eager and capable group of ANTH/GR students loaded, transported, unloaded, and rehoused the complete CSU Archaeological Repository - hundreds of boxes of artifacts and items, including heavy, fragile, and culturally relevant items and stone, fossil, and bone material - from a temporary space in Morgan Library to its prior home in the renovated Clark Hall basement. Over four days, the students moved and reshelved the complete repository collection, supporting a smaller hired moving team.

A HEFTY THANK YOU to Annabelle Storey, Emily Davis, Travis Hallmark, Sarah Schiewe, AJ Thomas, CJ Kalter, and JoJo Cummings for the lifting and shifting, and ensuring boxes and items were safely and securely packed and organized throughout the project. You are rockstars! Many, many thanks to department administrator Valeria Meza Alba who coordinated and supervised the complicated project - and who continues to oversee and support all of ANTH/GR’s moves and shuffles amid the Clark Building revitalization since 2023. Gratitude to the movers and partners in Facilities Management as well as college administrators Emma Cleveringa, Emily Martin, and Alie Wise who volunteered their time and help too. ❤️💪🏼

The CSU Archaeological Repository, directed by Prof. Jason LaBelle, is an important collection and learning space that includes artifacts from over 1,200 archaeological sites, including past CSU field schools and research, and chronicles our region’s rich human and archaeological history. The renovated repository will have moveable shelves for expanded and more secure storage for collections and is scheduled to be open to students this fall.

Congratulations to our Class of 2026 graduate students in Anthropology and Geography! You did the thing! 🎉🎓🍾

We cannot wait to see where you bring and grow your scholarship, teaching, and engagement to communities and universities around the country and the world!

How sweet it is! Congratulations Anthropology & Geography Class of ‘26! Savor the moment and all your hard work! You’ve earned it!

On your feet for yourrrrrr 2026 Anthropology and Geography graduating class!

Congrats to all our graduating majors, minors, and certificate students!

On your feet for yourrrrrrrr 2026 Anthropology and Geography graduating class!

Congratulations to all our undergraduate majors, minors, and certificate students!