Immigration Archaeology: What’s Left at Border Crossings
From water bottles and love letters to tequila and a Bible, items discarded by immigrants help tell their story, says archaeologist Jason De León.
By Rachel Hartigan Shea
Jason De León began his career as a traditional archaeologist. He excavated ancient sites in Mexico, uncovering artifacts that were centuries—if not millennia—old. But as he was finishing his dissertation on stone tools, he found himself increasingly drawn to the digs’ laborers, who told him harrowing tales of crossing the border into the United States, only to be deported.
Although he grew up near the border in Texas and California, “I realized I didn’t know anything†about immigration, De León says now. But he thought archaeology could be used to understand the contentious issue.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/08/embark-genius-jason-immigration-archaeology/
