DPhil Research: Jessica

Participants and training leaders posing next to the Monkey Bay National Park sign. From left: Aaron Cob, Ali Fernandez, Hannah Miller, Jessica, Gary Zuniga, Dennis McKoy, Kyle Voyles, Andres Novelo, Wendy Garcia, Vince Young, Denroy Palacio, Eli Miller.

In the jungle of central Belize’s little-known Monkey Bay National Park, a team of archaeologists, cave mappers, conservationists, and park staff is working to protect a fragile landscape where cultural heritage and biodiversity are intertwined. For Jessica, whose PhD research focuses on Maya cave archaeology and cultural heritage management, the mission is clear: use archaeological research to support the conservation of sensitive ecological and cultural landscapes that are difficult to monitor and increasingly at risk.
           

Working in partnership with Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary and the Belize Institute of Archaeology, Jessica’s research supports the development of a robust management structure for caves in the national park. The project combines archaeological documentation, collaboration with local and federal authorities, and the interpretation of speleo-archaeological findings to advance conservation, eco-tourism, and archaeological and ecological education. Since the first series of Maya caves were discovered in the summer of 2023, this partnership has focused on mapping newly discovered caves, documenting cultural materials, and building long-term stewardship plans.
       

Kyle Voyles instructing trainees in cave mapping in Actun Nohoch Chii.

The project began taking shape in February 2025, when Jessica mapped Altar Cave alongside Wendy Garcia (founder of Belize Rope Access and FIRST response) and Monkey Bay rangers Dennis McKoy and Vince Young. Jessica trained the rangers in basic cave mapping methods, while Wendy produced the first sketch of the cave. Kyle Voyles (Cave and Karst Management Lead of the Bureau of Land Management in the US) later transformed that fieldwork into a clean, detailed digitized map. Then in June 2025, the team returned to map and collect charcoal samples from four more caves. The samples represent ancient burning events linked to ritual activity; they were dated here at the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit (ORAU), funded by a NEIF grant. Jessica successfully completed the dating during Hilary Term and is now preparing those results for inclusion in her thesis.
           

That work set the stage for the most recent field season, held from January 22 to February 5, 2026. Jessica was joined by Wendy and Kyle, creating a lead team of experts responsible for both research and training. The team set out to achieve three goals: map three previously undocumented caves containing ancient Maya materials, train Institute of Archaeology and Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary staff in cave mapping and safe cave access, and add new speleo-archaeological data to the growing cave inventory used by the sanctuary for monitoring and protection.
          

A total of ten participants from the institute and the sanctuary joined in. Kyle introduced trainees to cave mapping, from classroom tutorials to practical field exercises in the park. Wendy took charge of safety training, and led the group in rope-access, knot and rigging work, and Single Rope Technique. Jessica led the instruction of artifact recording, helping participants develop the skills needed to document fragile cultural materials in difficult, sometimes treacherous, cave environments.
          

The results were significant. Three caves were successfully named and mapped, and all artifacts were recorded using site-specific field forms and digital photography. Actun Nohoch Chii (Cave of the Big Mouth) contained polychrome ceramics, faunal remains, evidence of speleothem breakage and removal, and artificial walls that either restricted visitor access or directed movement through the caverns. Kitchen Cave yielded Terminal Classic (AD800-1000) diagnostic ceramics, intact and in excellent condition. Conch Cave contained Early Classic (AD250-600) artifacts and a remarkable conch shell column, likely imported from the coastline. Together, these discoveries deepen understanding of ritual activity in the park’s cave systems while documenting critical information for future protection efforts, all the while bolstering local agency over the landscape through training efforts that aim to make Jessica's team completely redundant by the end of her PhD.

Jessica instructing trainees in Single Rope Technique

Monkey Bay National Park Camp

Kyle Voyles leading the cave mapping introduction at Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary

The team spent eight days camping in the park, transforming camp into a working training ground. They even built a rope-training station on the karst hillside beside camp, allowing participants to practice safe access techniques before entering the caves.
           

Behind the scenes, the effort required months of coordination: securing permits outside the regular field season from the Institute of Archaeology and National Biodiversity Office, and winning small grants from the National Speleological Society, the Cave Conservancy Foundation, the Meyerstein and School Awards, and the St. Hugh's Barbinder Travel Fund. The team also utilized their local connections within the American caving community to organize donations of cave-mapping supplies for participants to use and keep.
           

Jessica plans to return in June 2026 to continue the work with her team. The next phase will include collecting materials for dating and conducting GIS-based spatial analysis of the caves to better understand how and why these sacred spaces were used across the landscape, and whether cave sites were ritualistically connected.
 

Gary Zuniga photographing archaeological finds in Monkey Bay National Park.

Rope Training set up on the karst hillside at camp. Trainees are learning Single Rope Technique, a preferred method of safe cave access among experienced cavers.

The urgency of this work cannot be overstated. The landscape surrounding the park is now fully developed, and illegal activity inside the park (including poaching, logging, and artifact looting), is common. Signs of unauthorized visitors appear regularly. Sustained monitoring is essential not only to deter these activities, but to protect a landscape that is both ecologically rich and culturally irreplaceable.
           

That urgency has only grown in the wake of one of the worst wildfires on record in Belize during the spring of 2024, which tore through Monkey Bay National Park and left a burn scar visible for miles. Although the vegetation is beginning to recover, the fire exposed the vulnerability of the entire landscape. The local ecology and cultural materials are all defenseless against illegal activities, industrial development, and natural disasters. Preserving Monkey Bay is extremely hard work; it takes long-term commitment, practical support, and continued collaboration, yet the value of this landscape makes that effort indispensable.
           

Finally, in their effort to become redundant, Jessica's team has created a GoFundMe to pay for mapping and safety supplies for Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. The fundraiser aims to set the sanctuary up for sustainable success in their ongoing efforts to protect the park.  Please consider donating to the cause to support this fundamental objective.