Collections of photos with captions written by one of our cool anthropologists.
Standing 7,970 feet above sea level in the Andes mountains of Peru, the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu is probably among the most recognized and celebrated archaeological sites in the world. Its fame is not simply a result of …
For Maya communities in Guatemala and Belize, mid-October is a time to remember and participate in celebrations that were important to mark the passing of years long before Columbus arrived in this part of the world. These photos capture moments …
One of the most “classic” topics studied by cultural anthropologists is kinship. Back in the discipline’s history, we find Lewis Henry Morgan taking care to decipher the many complex ways human societies trace our relatedness to one another. In Santa …
On May 31, 1970, an earthquake in the Ancash region of north-central Peru sent a large mass of glacial ice from the mountain, Huascarán, down into the valley to on its western side, killing the 25,000 residents of the town …
Somehow the decaying neon motel sign, seen from the road while traveling across the United States, bears the weight of decades of expectations bound up in glimpsed histories of hope and hurt- with some debauchery thrown in. The signs are …
Many communities around the world share staple foods. These foods are not only the central to the nutritional needs of the people but also, very often, play a integral role in their social lives- dictating the rhythms of daily activities …
In a Maya village in Belize, a pig is commonly killed to celebrate a special event during which many people are expected to be fed. Days when men are working together to build a house or plant corn, weddings and …