Amanda Suarez Calderon

Amanda is interested in the emergence of social complexity in pre-Columbian Southern Costa Rica, and particularly in the role of warfare in that process. In a region where lines of evidence typically used in the archaeological study of warfare (skeletal remains and fortifications) are not feasible to investigate due to preservation issues, but the ethnohistoric record, with detailed descriptions of intense warfare during the Contact period (Sixteenth century), and the artistic representations of trophy heads, warriors and captives in stone sculptures and ceramics, indicate that warfare was a relevant issue in the past, Amanda’s research proposes innovative ways of evaluating the intensity of warfare through the analysis of settlement patterns.

Degrees and Education

BA – Anthropology - University of Costa Rica (2014)

Awards

2009 Best Admission Score, University of Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
2015-2018 Heinz Fellowship, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
2017 Tinker Grant for field research, Centre for Latin American Studies, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
2016 Summer Travel Grant, Department of Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Research