Dominican Republic hosts 31st International Congress of Caribbean Archaeology
Santo Domingo.- The Dominican Republic has officially inaugurated the 31st International Congress of Caribbean Archaeology (IACA/AIAC), the region’s leading scientific gathering dedicated to the study of the Caribbean’s Indigenous civilizations and colonial history.
Held in Santo Domingo’s Colonial City through July 18, the congress has brought together 237 researchers from 23 countries and territories to present the latest archaeological discoveries and discuss new perspectives on the Caribbean’s pre-Columbian and viceregal past. The main venue is the auditorium of the Dominican Telecommunications Institute (Indotel) Cultural Center.
Organized by the Academy of Sciences of the Dominican Republic in partnership with the García Arévalo Foundation, Centro León, the Guahayona Institute, and the Casa del Cordón Taíno Cultural Center, the event is also supported by the Ministry of Culture, the Vice Ministry of Cultural Heritage, the General Directorate of Museums, the Central Bank, Banco Popular, and other cultural institutions.
The congress features 97 presentations across 15 specialized symposia, highlighting advances in ancient DNA analysis, isotopic and starch studies, archaeozoology, archaeobotany, underwater archaeology, and digital documentation using photogrammetry and 3D modeling. Researchers from leading institutions—including Harvard University, the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, the University of Copenhagen, the University of Minnesota, and Leiden University—are participating in the scientific program.
In addition to academic sessions, attendees will take part in cultural and field activities throughout the week, including lectures at the Academy of Sciences, visits to the Museum of Underwater Archaeology, a workshop at Centro León in Santiago, and a field survey of archaeological sites at the Cabo Samaná Natural Monument.
Organizers said the congress reinforces the Dominican Republic’s role as a regional hub for archaeological research and international collaboration while promoting the preservation and study of the Caribbean’s rich cultural heritage.
