Archaeology of the Americas

North, Middle and South America together constitute the single largest area in World Archaeology that is taught as a single focus. It is also the only major world area that saw societies develop from hunter-gatherers to early empires entirely independent from developments in Eurasia & Africa. It is, furthermore, a world area rich in indigenous linguistic diversity and cultural continuity, situating the Americas at the forefront of collaborative approaches in archaeology.

At the Faculty of Archaeology, the deep indigenous history of the Americas is traditionally investigated using interdisciplinary approaches that involves linguistic expertise at the Leiden Center for Indigenous Americas Studies; collections-based expertise at the Museum Volkenkunde; the KITLV; and various critical heritage initiatives at Leiden University. Regionally, work is mainly clustered around the culture areas of Mesoamerica, the Isthmo-Colombian Area, and the Greater and Lesser Antilles.

Research and teaching themes gravitate around the emergence of monumentality; itineraries of materials and people; and forms of indigenous artistic expression and visual culture. In addition, archaeological research is designed in function of the contemporary struggles of indigenous peoples. Since around 2000, research is nearly continuously supported by ERC and NWO funding tools, most recently through an NWO VICI-grant (2023-2028).