People Background
David M. Hyde PhD

David M. Hyde PhD

Moncrief Distinguished Lecturer of Archaeology, Director of the Hurst Museum

Contact Information

970.943.2222 dhyde@western.edu
Hurst Hall 031A

Academic Divisions

Natural & Environmental Sciences Department School of Graduate Studies

Functional Areas

Anthropology Cultural Resource Management

Education

PhD., University of Texas at Austin
MA, Washington State University,
BA, University of Texas at Austin

Biography

David Hyde, PhD., has taught at Western Colorado University in the Anthropology program since 2011, and was one of the founders of the MGMM program.

Areas of Expertise or Experience

My primary research interests broadly encompass the socio-political and economic organization of hinterland communities in the Maya lowlands. My current research contributes to the growing body of literature on the complex nature of commoner society, specifically dealing with themes of economic autonomy, commoner ritual behavior, social inequality, and political competition. I have investigated these themes and others as director of the Medicinal Trail Site Archaeological Project, part of the Programme for Belize Archaeological Project (PfBAP), a research program in northwestern Belize.

Publishing or Professional Activity

Scholarly pursuits include over 50 publications, including 6 peer-reviewed, and more than 40 papers presented at professional conferences across the United States, and internationally. I am co-editor of the journal El Conejo and the Occasional Papers monograph series, both published through the Center for Archaeological and Tropical Studies.

I have and continue to present papers at regional, national and international conferences, including the Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, the Rocky Mountain Pre-Columbian Association Research Colloquium, the Annual Meeting of the Colorado Council of Professional Archaeologists, and the Belize Archaeology Symposium.