AntroDialogues, Inc. (ADI), formerly the Diálogos en Oaxaca Archaeology collective, has been bringing together leading scholars from Mexico, Canada and the USA to present pioneering research in Oaxacan archaeology since 2020. Over recent decades, the field has seen substantial growth in addressing critical topics such as gender dynamics, ideology and religion, economy and political changes, while also expanding our knowledge on the development of social complexity in the region.
This project is focused on addressing two significant challenges in Oaxacan archaeology. First, it sought to counter the negative legacy of the 1990 volume Debating Oaxaca Archaeology, which, despite summarizing important research and debates, was notorious for its contentious tone and exclusion of women, Mexican, and Indigenous scholars. This history of exclusion and hostility has left a lasting impact on the American archaeological community in Oaxaca. Second, the collective aims to tackle persistent inequities, including barriers to access and participation, that prioritize Global North archaeologists over their Mexican counterparts. These inequities are reflected in citation practices that favor American researchers and in economic and political disparities that influence who conducts research and disseminates findings.
ADI’s goal is to promote greater and more equitable collaboration among Mexican, Canadian, and American archaeologists working in Oaxaca. By promoting constructive dialogue, we seek to move beyond the negative and neocolonial attitudes of the past. We are particularly focused on both creating spaces where students and emerging scholars from these countries can present their research and build relationships with peers and established colleagues; and promoting further collaboration and communication between researchers and the local heritage and descendant communities that enable their work.
Organizing academic encounters at professional conferences, such as the annual meetings of the Society for American Archaeology, has been one approach towards these goals. However, barriers to participation for Mexican scholars in Canada and in the USA have increased due to travel restrictions exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the current political climate, in particular the harsh immigration policies enacted by the second Trump Administration. In response, ADI decided in 2025 to hold its own conference, Diálogos por Oaxaca, in Oaxaca, Mexico. After exploring potential venues, the collective secured support from the Ervin Frissell Oaxacan Museum of Archaeology in Mitla. Originally established in 1952, the museum’s recent reopening as a key cultural venue in the Zapotec town of Mitla provides an ideal setting to promote anthropological and archaeological studies that are accessible to local Indigenous communities.
We continue to organize sessions for the SAAs and the Diálogos por Oaxaca conference. We look forward to organizing a session at the 2027 meeting of the American Anthropological Association.
antrodialogues.org 