An Unexplored Realm in the Heartland of the Southern Gulf ... - Famsi

Furtherance of my academic career was due to the support and encouragement of
many people. Foremost among them was the late George Llano, who was responsible for
my return to academia. George showed me, by example, that the joy of curiosity and the
accumulation of knowledge have no limits, spatial or temporal. In 1999, I was fortunate
to be invited to begin my graduate studies by Kathrine Josserand and Nicholas Hopkins at
the Florida State University (FSU), and it was here that Rochelle Marrinan taught me to
be a field archaeologist. Mary E. D. Pohl provided me the lab experience through the
opportunity to study and analyze materials from San Andrés, a support site to the Olmec
center of La Venta. I thank her for her continued assistance throughout my graduate
school tenure. I also received invaluable guidance and support from John E. Clark of the
New World Archaeological Foundation at Brigham Young University. I am very grateful
for his friendship and generosity, which continue to assist in expanding my opportunities
in Mesoamerican studies. At FSU, I also had the great opportunity to study with and learn
from fellow graduate students; Jeffrey Du Vernay, Christina Halperin, Christopher
Morehart, Allison Perrett, and Chelsea Blackmore. My study of the ancient peoples of
Mesoamerica was extended to the Soconusco Coast of Chiapas, Mexico through the
invitation of Robert Rosenswig to participate in his investigation of Cuauhtémoc, an
Early Formative site on the eastern margins of the Mazatán region.
My decision to pursue a doctorate at the University of South Florida has proved to
be an auspicious one. Due to the efforts of Robert H. Tykot and E. Christian Wells, I
have been guided through the intricacies of research and scholarship, and I thank both for
their support and patience. The assistance and encouragement given to me by Karla L.
Davis-Salazar has improved my examination techniques and expanded my research
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