Drago Archaeological Project
Panama
July 5 - August 9, 2008
Discovered in the summer of 2002, Sitio Drago is a large site located on the Caribbean shore at Boca del Drago, on northwest corner of Isla Colón in the Bocas del Toro archipelago. The local environment is hot, humid, and alive with all sorts of exotic tropical plants and animals – ashore, on the reefs, and in the mangroves. Test excavations at Sitio Drago have confirmed the stratigraphic integrity and archaeological potential of the site. To date, the site has yielded plentiful ceramic types and varieties, carved stone and shell, and evidence of plant food processing. Given the diverse array of artifacts the project is focused on examining what the site can tell us about prehistoric social organization, trade, and external relations in the region and whether Sitio Drago represents a unique chiefly settlement.
The project includes survey, excavation and laboratory work as well as trips to well-defined local ecosystems that provided a variety of food and raw material resources for the past inhabitants of the site. Student will be part of a team that excavates at Drago and cleans, catalogs, and analyzes materials recovered during excavation.