About the project

As climate change and development threaten the natural and cultural resources of the Guana Peninsula, this 2021 collaborative research project used a combination of archaeological investigations and applied anthropological methods to increase understanding of how people past and present have used the resources to inform their future management.

About this resource

The People of Guana project combined historical and archaeological research with applied anthropological methods to better understand and address heritage at risk on the Guana Peninsula. The project area, located at the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve, spans 2,600 acres at the peninsula’s southern end and 6,000 years of continuous use by humans. It is in a fragile coastal environment experiencing impacts from development, environmental pressures, and climate change. The project served as a first case study for the research pipeline and decision-making tool developed by the North American Heritage at Risk (NAHAR) working group. As State owned and managed lands, archaeological research efforts were permitted through the Florida Division of Historical Resources (DHR) and included site monitoring, shoreline mapping, and 3D documentation with photogrammetry and terrestrial laser scanning. This report details the historical and archaeological research including the methods and findings of the monitoring efforts, and includes findings on other aspects of the project, namely 3D modeling, in the appendices.

Sensitive site location information has been redacted from the report. Questions about the report can be directed to Sarah Miller, Northeast Director, Florida Public Archaeological Network, Email: semiller@flagler.edu.

Data Access

Monitoring, mapping and modeling data associated with this report are archived and available as described in this dataset description. Due to their file size and/or inclusion of archaeological site locations which are protected by law in the State of Florida, many of the datasets are available by request only. Major datasets and model products include the following:

• Heritage Monitoring Scout report data
• Results of the shoreline analysis
• 3D shoreline and artifact models