Samuel Holley-Kline

Sam Holley-Kline, author and scholar of anthropology and archaeology, centers Totonac perspectives and labor histories. He traces how El Tajín became an archaeological site through land tenure shifts, extractive industries like oil and vanilla, and the everyday work of custodios and administrativos. The conversation highlights regional livelihoods, infrastructure, and who actually maintains heritage sites today.

Sam Holley-Kline, anthropologist and author who studies the political economy of archaeology in Mexico. He recounts discovering El Tajín and explores land tenure, oil and vanilla economies, and the labor of custodios and administrativos. He highlights how extraction, infrastructure, and everyday work shaped the site and local histories.