Abstract
This article examines the contradictions, responsibilities and opportunities that inhere when the authenticity of the tourist experience results at least in part from having an archaeologist guide. It is argued that archaeologists are always participants in tourism, through the visions of the past they offer in even the most scholarly of papers, that make their way to tourists and tour guides through a wealth of secondary literature. It is argued that, even if most are not aware of it, archaeologists are engaged with the cultural heritage industry and it would be irresponsible to try to step aside. It is argued that archaeologists should take responsible action in light of the undeniable influence of archaeologists in defining the routes and meanings of site tours.
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Acknowledgments
The original version of this paper was presented at the 2003 World Archaeological Congress in Washington DC., in the session “Ethical Interactions: National Modernities, Tourism and the Archaeological Imaginary” organized by Lynn M. Meskell. My experiences as an archaeological tour “study leader” took place between 1988 and 1994, and the sources for the tourist narratives that I consider here come from that period. I continue to introduce student groups to Copan and other archaeological sites. I would like to thank John S. Henderson and Julia A. Hendon, each of whom has shared the experience of touring Copan with me, for their help in seeing the site differently. Unless other sources are cited, my description of the development of cultural heritage sites, parks, and programs in Honduras is based on my first-hand observations. I also would like to acknowledge the opportunities extended me by Teresa Pastor de Campos, Director of the Museo de Antropología e Historia de San Pedro Sula, to assist in the great interpretive project undertaken at the museum; by Dr Rodolfo Pastor Fasquelle, who during his two terms as Minister of Culture promoted projects multiplying the sites of interpretation of the Honduran past; and Dr Darío Euraque, historian and leader of the most innovative phase of cultural heritage management in the history of modern Honduras.
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Joyce, R.A. Confessions of an Archaeological Tour Guide. Int J Histor Archaeol 17, 296–314 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10761-013-0222-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10761-013-0222-5