Research at the LVA

Archaeological research is the cornerstone of the Laboratory of Valley Archaeology (LVA). All of our research involves academics and students, and a commitment to engaging local communities means that many of our projects include community members and/or partners. Our community partners work with us to develop research projects, and offer input at all levels of the project, from research design to dissemination of results. You can view summaries of ongoing research projects below.

Ongoing Projects

The Archaeology of Laguna Atascosa Project (ALAP) is a multi-year, multidisciplinary project exploring 5,000 or so years of human activitiy in the 120,000+ acres that make up the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge (managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service). This research draws on traditional archaeological methods as well as geoarchaeology, itself a multidisciplinary approach combining methods from the earth sciences to examine topics like the formation of archaeological sites, reconstruct paleoenvironments, and examine human-environment interactions.

This project focuses on human occupation of the area's clay dunes, or lomas. These stationary dunes began forming when modern sea levels were reached 5,000 or so years ago. Humans have used these features in various ways for thousands of years. However, the formation processes and human use of lomas remains poorly understood. Researchers from UTRGV are engaged in a multi-year research project to reveal more about this fascinating history.

Tools used for this research include real-time kinematic (RTK) global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), geographic information systems (GIS), portable x-ray fluorescence (pXRF), photogrammetry, and interactive mapping.

Participants in this research includes academics and students.

Archaeology of the Lower Rio Grande Valley begins with A. E. Anderson, a civil engineer based in Brownsville who traveled and collected thousands of artifacts from the region in the early and mid-20th century. Anderson's collection is currently housed at the Texas Archaeological Research Laboratory (TARL). As a civil engineer and enthusiastic avocational archaeologist, Anderson developed a sophisticated system for documenting the artifacts he gathered. His collection is important because it includes lithics, shell, and pottery from across the region. The LVA is currently analyzing lithics from Tamaulipas to better understand the prehistoric periods of our region. 

Tools used for this research include geographic information systems (GIS), portable x-ray fluorescence (pXRF), photogrammetry, and interactive mapping.

Participants in this research includes academics and students.

Historical cemeteries are important places for their related communities. Cemeteries serve as anchors for collective memory. In the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Hispanic, Jewish, and other groups all have extensive burial grounds across the region. Each group has unique beliefs, practices, and rituals attached to these places. The LVA continues to work with communities across our region to document these culturally significant places. 

Tools used for this research include real-time kinematic (RTK) global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), ground penetrating radar (GPR), geographic information systems (GIS), photogrammetry, and interactive web-based mapping.

Participants in this research includes academics, students, and community members.

Below are examples of interactive webmaps created by the LVA. 

Restlawn Cemetery - an African American cemetery located in Edinburg, Texas.

Brownsville Hebrew Cemetery - the first and only Jewish burial ground serving the Rio Grande Valley until 1950.

While initial Spanish discovery of the Lower Rio Grande Valley dates to the early 16th century, full-scale colonization of this area did not begin until the mid-18th century. The region was transformed as Spanish and later Mexican ranchers, or rancheros dug deep wells to supply water to ever-growing herds of cattle. This history was largely erased beginning in the early-20th century as Anglo American migration to the area replaced cattle ranching with irrigation and industrial agriculture. This collaborative archaeological project is investigating this history and its unique architectural signature to better understand this important period in regional history. Future collaborative research is being designed to investigate the Late Prehistoric period of the Lower Rio Grande Valley to better understand how Spanish contact and colonization impacted the region's Indigenous communities. 

Tools used for this research include real-time kinematic (RTK) global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), geographic information systems (GIS), photogrammetry, and interactive mapping.

Participants in this research includes academics, students, and descendant community partners.