Dr. Anne Pyburn
Dr. Anne Pyburn is a professor in the Department of Anthropology in the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University. She studies ancient Maya cities and the ethics of heritage conservation.
Pyburn has directed major excavations of three ancient Maya cities in Central America, where she discovered a previously unknown style of water conservation and irrigation technology, developed a new perspective on ancient political economy, and has proposed an alternative explanation for the Maya "collapse." Most recently she has collaborated with colleagues in Central Asia promoting grassroots development of projects for cultural preservation.
Through her work she has inspired students, introduced curricular reforms and promoted the rights of indigenous communities. Pyburn has conducted numerous archaeological field schools in Belize, where she emphasized collaboration with the local community in the context of rigorous scientific research.
