John Morris is New Director of Archaeology…
Dr. John Morrison
A new Director of Archaeology has been appointed to succeed Dr. Jaime Awe at the helm of the Institute of Archaeology. Following a lengthy board meeting today, Dr. John Morris emerged to confirm his promotion to the post. As former Associate Director of Archaeology, Dr. Morris has worked closely with his predecessor, as well as the National Institute for Culture and History, in shaping the objectives of the department. While he does admit to having big shoes to fill, Dr. Morris says the idea is to expand and build upon a solid foundation that has already been laid down for archaeology in Belize.
Dr. John Morris, Director of Archaeology
“Well I’ve worked with Dr. Awe, Jaime, for the last twenty-something years, he was actually my teacher in high school and over the years I’ve grown together with him. Both of us received training abroad in archaeology and in the last ten years, well from the inception of NICH, we’ve worked together, him and director and I have been the Associate Director for Research and Education. So we worked very closely together. He has laid the foundation for the Institute of Archaeology in NICH and what I will try to do is just make good on that foundation and enhance some of the areas that need to be worked on, not because of anything else but because of the lack of funds at the time that we wanted to do them. Like I said, Jaime has left a really rich institution and we’ve accomplished many goals, many of our objectives we’ve accomplished. I am hoping to build on those and where new initiatives arise to enhance on those and to work to make Belize proud of the Institute of Archaeology and the National Institute of Culture and History.”
As we reported, Dr. Jaime Awe resigned from the post a few weeks ago to return to the classroom and to continue research in the field of Maya archaeology.
Well deserved! Congratulations to a fellow son of Cayo and a student of my alma mater, Sacred Heart College. I am sure that Dr. Morris (“Johnny”) will build on Dr. Awe’s (another son of Cayo and Sacred Heart College) successes and take the Department to an even higher level.
My daughter, Janelle, is an Anthropoolgy student at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Oh. She is doing a research paper on Mayan culture and architecture. Her goal is to work in the area of archeology someday. OSU has no undergrad major in that area. She was discussing her paper with me about a week ago. As a young American female of African ancestry she has no peers interested in the field she has wanted to enter since she was a young child digging rocks in the backyard. She has met one other female archeologist of African lineage who spoke at OSU but Columbus, Ohio isn’t a hotbed of archeological contacts.
After talking with her about her paper I saw a documentary on Crystal Skulls in which you provided some commentary. It would be wonderful if you could provide her some information on Mayan ruins. She says she is comparing Mayan architecture to the archetecture of the Egyptian pyramids. Along with basic info on culture and the reasons why the structures may be similar. Sounds like a good paper to me but I’m a mom not an archeologist.
Well, I don’t know if it is even possible for you to provide Janelle with information for her paper, but I thought I’d at least ask.
Thank you,
Angela R. Tyler
2202 Balmoral Rd.
Columbus, OH 43229
614-8066352
Dr. Morris is a protector of the history of Belize and its’ people. They are lucky to have a person with his passion in this position.