anthropology student maps cultural heritage sites

History literally runs quite deep. Beneath parking lots, in muddy river-beds and even on military testing grounds: no matter where one stands, records of the earth’s and humanity’s history dwell below. Accidental discoveries of these archaeological sites fuel curiosity and wonder, and connect people to their cultural heritage. But these discoveries often prompt another important question: how does one protect a site that hasn’t yet been found?

For Julio Gonzalez Tepetla, a Boise State’s master student in applied anthropology, Boise State offered him the opportunity to do exactly that. Under the mentorship of associate professor of anthropology Pei-Lin Yu and Distinguished University Professor Emeritus Mark Plew, and in coordination with the Idaho National Guard, Gonzalez Tepetla is working to predict and protect archeological and cultural heritage sites that may exist in the Orchard Combat Training Center.