Research Assistant
William L. Brown Center
Missouri Botanical Garden
P.O. Box 299
St. Louis, MO 63166-0299 USA
email: tpelch@lindenwood.edu
Education
2006 M.A. Anthropology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
2001 B.A. Anthropology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
General Research Interests
Domestication/Origins of Maize
Curation and Museum Studies
Mayan Ethnobotany and Ethnobiology
Paleoethnobotany
Ethnoarchaeology
Current Projects
Curation and research pertaining to the historic Anderson-Cutler Maize Collection
Research Experience
Evaluation of flotation samples and identification of carbonized seed remains from the Bruce Catt archaeological site, northeastern Arkansas.
Assisted with excavation and artifact curation at Blue Creek, Belize.
Assisted with ethnographic research and community projects in Yaxunah, Mexico.
Assisted with research on the identification of botanical and faunal components utilized in the manufacture of Classic Maya headdresses.
Contributed to the creation of a museum exhibit: assisted with research, artifact curation and transport, photography, diagrams, artifact labels, and displays.
Contributed to the research and data collection for recording, mapping, and interpreting petroglyphs based on current archaeological method and Shoshone cultural perspectives: surveyed and mapped Fremont petroglyphs of the Uinta Basin in Northeastern Utah, interviewed and worked with members of the Eastern Shoshone nation, and transcribed recorded interviews with Eastern Shoshone participants.
Selected Publications
Weber, Sarah, Charles Zidar, and Taryn Pelch. 2012. The Construction of Ancient Maya Headdresses: Materials and Methodology. Paper presented at the 77th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Memphis.