Jordan Dalton

Jordan Dalton is an Assistant Professor in the Anthropology Department at the State University of New York at Oswego. Her research focuses on human-environment interactions, particularly in the Chincha Valley of Peru, examining how land use, agricultural practices, and material culture (e.g., ceramics, scales, textiles) reflect sociopolitical dynamics during Inca expansion and Spanish colonialism. She directs the Proyecto de Investigación Arqueológica Las Huacas, analyzing mortuary practices, economic systems, and cultural continuity.

Her work emphasizes public engagement through YouTube content, activity books, and community outreach, aiming to diversify archaeological communication. Key projects include studying balance technologies (wipi scales) for understanding pre-Columbian economic practices and interpreting communal ossuaries to map sociopolitical changes. She has published extensively on topics ranging from ceramic production to ancestor veneration in coastal Peru.

Jordan’s research bridges archaeology with modern communities, leveraging material culture to reconstruct past social structures and environmental adaptations. Her findings contribute to understanding Andean prehistory’s complex trajectories, from Inca administration to colonial transformations.