As far back as I can remember I’ve had a fascination with Anthropology and Archaeology. After I retired, I subscribed to Archaeological magazines and learned that amateurs could volunteer for and participate in archaeological digs. The race was on… a race against aging. I felt I needed to do this before age 70, before my knees gave out, arthritis set in or my occasional senior moments became one continuous moment. Now I ‘m not the picture of health, having had a sedentary career in corporate taxation. I was overweight and felt unfit so a year and a half before I volunteered, I joined a gym. I engaged a personal trainer and started a cardio fitness program to increase my stamina and strength training to build up my muscles. As my brother said viewing photos of the program, “the pictures I’ve seen show young college age kids, not people in their late 60’s”.
Since I wanted to dig in one of the Cradles of Civilization, the best possibility seemed to be the Maya Civilization. It was closer to home, safer than others, and a civilization less known to me. One of the best preparations was reading. Not only did I take a course on the Maya, but also read several books. And I traveled to Guatemala and Honduras to visit the restored ruins of Tikal, Copan, Yaxha, and Quiriqua.
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