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xiii The papers in the volume were presented in a workshop symposium held at the seventy-third annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) on March 28, 2008, in Vancouver, British Columbia, entitled “Current Archaeometallurgical Research in Mesoamerica: New Approaches, Discoveries and Perspectives.” Great thanks go to the participants of this symposium for their contributions to this volume as well as to the organizers of the SAA conference in Vancouver. In many ways, the genesis of this research can be traced much further back in time to the pioneering work of Dorothy Hosler. We would like to offer Dorothy our sincere thanks for the inspiration she has given us to pursue a greater understanding of the roles metals played in the lives of ancient Mesoamericans. Her initial interest in the ancient metallurgy of Mexico has inspired a new wave of research, as can be seen in the chapters presented here. Acknowledgments on behalf of Aaron Shugar: I would like to thank my coeditor, Scott Simmons. His enthusiasm and dedication to this project were infectious and made this experience all the more enjoyable. I would also like to express my gratitude to my colleagues in the Department of Art Conservation at Buffalo State College, who have offered their unwavering support for this project. A very special thanks goes to my wife, Natalie, whose understanding, endless patience, and encouragement make everything in life more pleasurable. Acknowledgments on behalf of Scott Simmons: I would like to thank my coeditor, Aaron Shugar, for envisioning the SAA working group that evenAcknowledgments xiv ACknowledgments tually led to this publication and for working so diligently on bringing it to fruition with me. I would also like to express my gratitude to Elizabeth Graham and Payson Sheets, both of whom were initially mentors and now are colleagues and friends. They have profoundly influenced my growth and maturation as an archaeologist and scholar. Liz introduced me to archaeology in Mesoamerica, specifically in Belize, well over a k’atun ago. Her guidance and wisdom over the years in which we’ve worked together there, beginning at Tipu and now at Lamanai and Marco Gonzalez, have helped me in countless ways. Mere words cannot adequately express my gratitude. Special thanks also go to Payson Sheets, with whom I had the privilege of working at Cerén, El Salvador. Payson’s boundless energy and enthusiasm for exploring the world of ancient Mesoamericans have strongly influenced my life, and my most sincere thanks go to him for all he has done for me over the years. I deeply appreciate the support of the Belize Institute of Archaeology, specifically Jaime Awe and John Morris, who have permitted me to investigate the ancient history of their country and helped make my years of fieldwork in Belize particularly enjoyable. Heather McKillop, Tricia McAnany, and Fred Valdez helped me to secure my first permit for archaeological investigations in Belize, and I would like to thank them for their continued support. I am also indebted to Karen Pierce, who helped me to get the Maya Archaeometallurgy Project (MAP) off the ground in 1999, our first year in the field. Special thanks go to Laura Howard, with whom I codirected the archaeology field school at Lamanai in 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2006. I am also indebted to Mark and Monique Howells and the great staff of the Lamanai Outpost Lodge for their support of the MAP during the first several years after its inception. Claude and Louise Belanger provided support for the MAP in those early years as well, for which I am very grateful . I would also like to express my thanks to the many University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW), students who worked on the MAP over the years. My colleagues in the UNCW Department of Anthropology have been tremendously supportive over the years: I would like to thank Midori Albert, Bill Alexander, Pat Lerch, Crystal Mascaro, Dale McCall, Barbara Michael, John Navarra, Nora Reber, Jim Sabella, Emma Smith, and Dan Temple. I am also grateful for the support of UNCW’s Office of International Programs, particularly Denise DiPuccio, Mark Gallovic, and Jim McNabb. In addition, the men and women with whom I’ve worked in Belize over the years, particularly those of Indian Church, deserve special recognition for their support . They include Oscar Ruano, Marvi Murillos, Rueben Arévalo, Jorge Vásquez, Marina Arévalo, Jorge Ramos, Félix Ramírez, Enrique Ruano, Israel López, Lorena López, Brenda Arévalo, Doña...

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