Judith Margarita López Aceves

PhD student with specialization on archaeometry and a background in anthropology, archaeology and analytical chemistry applied to the study of human, animal and material remains. My research is concerned with the study of drug culture and its representation in the precolonial Caribbean (ca. 1500 BC – 1492 AD). Specifically, my work aims to examine and identify the intoxicants consumed by the indigene communities along the Caribbean Islands, their contexts of use and how these were part or creators of their cosmovision and identity. Archaeological research has recently shown that it is possible to use metabolomic approaches to learn more about what plants indigenous communities were using through the analysis of smoking and intoxicant equipment (e.g. pipes, snuff pipes etc) with tobacco, mint and marigold being identified. My work aims to use and develop these methods to look at drug paraphernalia from the Caribbean region for the first time and to integrate this evidence into wider narratives about intoxication in the region, which are currently being researched. Applying an interdisciplinary methodology is one of my main goals for this PhD project, I firmly believe this is one of the best approaches for archaeological research.

PhD student with specialization on archaeometry and a background in anthropology, archaeology and analytical chemistry applied to the study of human, animal and material remains. My research is concerned with the study of drug culture and its representation in the precolonial Caribbean (ca. 1500 BC – 1492 AD). Specifically, my work aims to examine and identify the intoxicants consumed by the indigene communities along the Caribbean Islands, their contexts of use and how these were part or creators of their cosmovision and identity. Archaeological research has recently shown that it is possible to use metabolomic approaches to learn more about what plants indigenous communities were using through the analysis of smoking and intoxicant equipment (e.g. pipes, snuff pipes etc) with tobacco, mint and marigold being identified. My work aims to use and develop these methods to look at drug paraphernalia from the Caribbean region for the first time and to integrate this evidence into wider narratives about intoxication in the region, which are currently being researched. Applying an interdisciplinary methodology is one of my main goals for this PhD project, I firmly believe this is one of the best approaches for archaeological research.