My work bridges field-based archaeology, laboratory analysis, and community collaboration. I center my research on Indigenous histories, colonial entanglements, and the dynamics of agricultural systems in Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines. Much of this work is rooted in long-term engagement and partnerships with local institutions and communities.
Ifugao Archaeological ProjectThe Ifugao Archaeological Project (IAP) remains a cornerstone of my research. What began in 2002 as a Master’s thesis has since evolved into a sustained, multi-institutional collaboration involving the National Museum of the Philippines, the Save the Ifugao Terraces Movement (SITMo), the Archaeological Studies Program at the University of the Philippines, and UCLA. Our early work focused on Old Kiyyangan Village in Kiangan, Ifugao, where our excavations provided key evidence that the rice terraces were constructed in response to Spanish colonial incursions. This revised timeline challenges longstanding assumptions and repositions Ifugao agency at the center of historical narratives.
We continue to conduct excavations and heritage work in Ifugao, with community-led outreach and participatory analysis as core components. Our partnership with SITMo allows for a grassroots approach to research and conservation, especially in promoting public understanding of Ifugao history and cultural heritage.
Bicol Archaeological ProjectBuilding on earlier work in the region, the Bicol Archaeological Project investigates culture contact, colonial transformation, and Indigenous agency in the Camarines Sur area. In partnership with the National Museum, the Archdiocese of Caceres, and UCLA, we examine how Bicolanos negotiated Spanish colonialism through changes in settlement patterns, subsistence strategies, and religious conversion. This project also explores the deeper maritime history of Bicol, emphasizing its role in global trade and cultural exchange.
Expanding ResearchI have since launched the Taiwan Indigenous Landscape and History Project, a collaboration with scholars and Tayal communities, as well as the Highland Ecology of Morocco Project, which explores Iberian colonialism from a comparative, cross-regional perspective. These projects expand the scope of my research while maintaining a focus on Indigenous histories, land use, and colonial transformation.
Across these diverse landscapes—Ifugao, Tayabas, Bicol, Taiwan, and Morocco—my work continues to interrogate the impacts of empire, the adaptability of local communities, and the shaping of cultural landscapes in response to historical and environmental change.
 

Rice terraces in Brgy. Dapdap, Tayabas City, Quezon

The crew and partners of the 2012 Field Season of the Ifugao Archaeological Project