Hello, r/AskHistorians! I'm Sam Holley-Kline, most recently a Collegiate Fellow in the University Honors program at the University of Maryland, College Park. I study the politics of archaeology in Mexico—how different groups use and understand the pre-Hispanic past, beginning in the 1890s or thereabouts.
I've published work on the relationships between archaeology and the oil industry (surprisingly collaborative... sometimes), how archaeological research creates job opportunities
(for some), and archaeological labor
writ large—my current area of interest. I've just published a book dealing with these themes in the archaeological site of El Tajín, (Papantla, Veracruz): In the Shadow of El Tajín: The Political Economy of Archaeology in Modern Mexico
(University of Nebraska Press, 2025).The book focuses on the recent histories that, I argue, we tend to overlook when pre-Hispanic pyramids are in play. For the Indigenous Totonac communities with which I worked, these histories involve changes in land tenure, the decline of vanilla cultivation, and the effects of oil production—as well as different kinds of labor in the site. Or, as the publisher has it:
"In the Shadow of El Tajín tells the story of how a landscape of ancient mounds and ruins became an archaeological site, brings to light the network of actors who made it happen, and reveals the Indigenous histories silenced in the process. By drawing on the insights of Indigenous Totonac peoples who have lived and worked in El Tajín for more than a century, Sam Holley-Kline explores historical processes that made both the archaeological site and regional historical memory. In the Shadow of El Tajín decenters discussions of the state and tourism industry by focusing on the industries and workers who are integral to the functioning of the site but who have historically been overlooked by studies of the ancient past. Holley-Kline recovers local Indigenous histories in dialogue with broader trends in scholarship to demonstrate the rich recent past of El Tajín, a place better known for its ancient history."
AMA about archaeology in Mexico, the politics thereof, Totonac history, vanilla cultivation, oil development, labor in archaeology, etc. and I'll do my best to answer! I plan on stopping in later today (probably after 5 PM ET) and tomorrow.
Obligatory plug: the University of Nebraska Press is having a holiday sale! 50% off all books through the end of the year. If you're interested, that makes my book like $15 (plus taxes and shipping).
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