Santiago Juarez, associate professor of anthropology, and Josuhé Lozada Toledo, archaeologist at Mexico’s Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, have received an award of $73,052 for their project, “Immersive Archaeology at Iglesia Vieja: Rebuilding Ancient Worlds through Digital Reconstructions of Earth and Sky,” which combines spatial analysis and the creation of virtual environments at the archaeological site of Iglesia Vieja in Chiapas, Mexico.
This project, conducted in collaboration with the Ho Tung Visualization Lab (directed by Joseph Eakin), combines methods from archaeology, computer-generated imagery, and astronomy to test how astronomical alignments structured ceremonial behavior and shaped the ways people moved through and experienced monumental space. The interdisciplinary research will include high-resolution mapping, LiDAR, photogrammetry, and targeted excavations to evaluate architectural alignments, landscape relationships, and patterns of regional interaction. Using advanced spatial modeling and digital reconstruction, the team will generate a three-dimensional model of the site to assess whether Iglesia Vieja functioned primarily as a ritual center integrated into broader networks or as an independent regional outpost.