Alana Pengilley, Department of Anthropology, The University of Texas at Austin. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Alana Pengilley is an archaeology PhD student at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research interests include the application of geochemical techniques to archaeological and geological assemblages to study past trade and exchange systems and how they impacted inter and intra-regional community interaction. Her current research is focused on understanding the lithic economy of the Preclassic Lowland Maya, with a focus on the procurement and distribution of chert utilitarian tools. She is currently developing a methodology of the sourcing of Mesoamerican chert artifacts that employes geoarchaeological techniques, primarily focused on petrological, mineralogical, and geochemical methods. This research is currently supported by grants from the Geological Society of America, The Society for American Archaeology, and the University of Texas.