“Tracing the Footprints of Imperial Expansion at Monte Lima, Peru”
Dr. Sarah Taylor Professor of Instruction University of South Florida

University of South Florida and an archaeologist who has spent years conducting fieldwork across several parts of the Americas. Her research focuses on the archaeology of coastal Peru and Ecuador, particularly political organization The Chira Valley in northern Peru is often overlooked in discussions of the ancient Andes. Considered a frontier far from the centers of political power, it has nevertheless been shaped by the rise and expansion of powerful states and empires. Drawing on recent findings from the Proyecto de Investigación Arqueológica del Valle de Chira (PIAChira), this presentation examines how imperial influence transformed the landscape and what these discoveries reveal about the region's past.

Dr. Sarah Taylor is a Professor of Instruction in the Department of Anthropology at the and its footprint on the land-scape over time. Dr. Taylor is passionate about sharing archaeology with the public and helping people connect with the human stories revealed through archaeological research.