Coral Montero Lopez

Current position

Specialist Heritage Approvals at Rio Tinto Iron Ore.

Where did you study?

B.A. at Universidad de las Américas Puebla (UDLAP), Mexico; M.A. at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico; PhD at La Trobe University.

How did you become interested in archaeology?

My father was an avid history reader and loved archaeology. He used to take my sister and I to all the archaeological places that we would learn about in High School. I remember taking my camera and photographing the pyramids. My notebook had all my photos, and I must say, it was the prettiest notebook; everyone wanted to borrow it!

What archaeological projects are you working on at the moment?

I'm working in approvals for a mining company, and on a personal note, I'm still slowly publishing papers on the results from my PhD, as well as interdisciplinary collaborations with people in Mexico.

Tell us about one of your most interesting archaeological discoveries.

I have had the pleasure to excavate inside one of the most important pyramids in Mexico, have discovered my own pyramid, excavated hundreds of human burials and animal bones and done ethnoarchaeological research in the middle of the rainforest in Mexico.

Tell us about a funny / disastrous / amazing experience that you have had while doing archaeology.

I excavated many burials from pre-farmers groups in Mexico, but the most amazing one was that of a male with a beautiful collar made of shell fragments. A pipe made of ceramics and shell was also found inside. I did the flotation analysis and discovered that this person had been smoking wild mustard, so I had to try it. It was the roughest thing I've ever smoked, it was like burning pepper gas!

What’s your favourite part of being an archaeologist?

Being able to put together a story, find all the pieces to the puzzle, work with other archaeologists that may hold other parts of it. I think the more I do archaeology the more I realise it is definitely a team work.

Follow up reading.

Montero Lopez, Coral (2022) From Ritual to Refuse: Faunal Exploitation by the Elite of Chinikihá, Chiapas, during the Late Classic Period. https://www.archaeopress.com/Archaeopress/Products/9781803270241