Daniel Pierce Archives - Reynolds College Blog

Significant new findings by Pierce and Bodine highlight successful Amazon research trip

January 22, 2026 by Lynn M. Lansdown

Two research archaeologists from Missouri State University’s Bernice S. Warren Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) returned from the Amazon in December with information that will advance our understanding of the region’s ancient history.

Two men standing outside on a river bank — Dr. Daniel Pierce (left) and Christopher Bodine get ready to start their journey on the Rio Negro.

During their expedition to the region Dec. 14-19, Dr. Daniel Pierce and Christopher Bodine discovered evidence of large-scale ancient settlements. In addition, they confirmed the presence of previously undocumented geographical formations.

This information suggests that sophisticated civilizations existed in the Amazon long before the arrival of Christopher Columbus.

From geoglyphs to ancient settlements

Pierce and Bodine launched their Amazon expedition primarily to research previously unreported geoglyphs. Using data they collected from NASA, the pair identified those geoglyphs with LiDAR technology.

“We were especially interested in a specific geoglyph that we had identified in a region hundreds of miles from any other known glyphs,” Pierce explained. “In this regard, we were successful. We were able to locate the glyph in the field and confirm it on the ground in person.”

The pair didn’t just confirm their LiDAR observations, though. They also discovered evidence of a large-scale pre-Columbian settlement deep in the Amazon.

“The specifics of that evidence will all be in our scientific publication,” Pierce said. “We want to keep that information a bit closer to the vest for now to ensure the scientific process is maintained” through the peer review process, he added.

CAR’s Daniel Pierce and Christopher Bodine named Explorers Club Fellows

November 6, 2025 by Lynn M. Lansdown

Missouri State University archaeologists Dr. Daniel Pierce and Christopher Bodine have been named Fellows of The Explorers Club.

In addition, Bodine has been named a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (RGS), headquartered in London, England.

Pierce and Bodine work in the Bernice S. Warren Center for Archaeological Research Center (CAR). They are members of the St. Louis chapter of The Explorers Club.

Dr. Mabel Purkerson, Professor Emerita of Medicine at the Washington University School of Medicine, and Ted Bakewell of the Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis nominated Pierce. Robbie Hart, a director of the William L. Brown Center at the Missouri Botanical Gardens, and Dr. Michael Frachetti, Professor at Archaeology Washington University-St Louis, nominated Bodine.

Fellowship honors significant contributions to exploration

According to its website, The Explorers Club is a “multidisciplinary society dedicated to the advancement of field research, scientific exploration and resource conservation.”

Bodine said Explorers Club fellowships are awarded to individuals who make “significant contributions” to the field. The club recognized him for his work in Israel, Belgium, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Nominees must submit a list of all fieldwork, publications and honors received in the name of exploration and discovery, Pierce said. The club recognized his nearly two decades of research in Mexico and Guatemala.

CAR archaeologists launch Amazon research fundraiser

September 4, 2025 by Lynn M. Lansdown

Members of the Bernice S. Warren Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) have launched a fundraising campaign for a research project in South America’s Amazon jungle.

CAR archaeologists Dr. Daniel Pierce and Chris Bodine will visit two specific regions of the Amazon to verify their research on ancient archaeological geoglyphs. The pair plan to travel in October 2025.

Pierce’s research expertise is on ancient cultures in Central and South America. Bodine specializes in geospatial science with a focus on remote sensing tools like Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR).

Two additional team members, Micah Phoenix and Jasmine Pierce, will remain in Missouri. Phoenix will help interpret and process the data retrieved from the expedition. She recently graduated from Missouri State and now works part time at CAR. Jasmine Pierce is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in history at Missouri State and will support the project with historical research.

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CAR’s Dr. Daniel Pierce conducts research in Mexico

July 23, 2025 by Lynn M. Lansdown

Missouri State University’s Dr. Daniel Pierce, research archaeologist in the Bernice S. Warren Center for Archaeological Research (CAR), recently completed a trip to western Mexico to investigate an ancient pottery find. During his visit, Pierce also viewed a potential research excavation site and gave a presentation on his research.

Funded by a Missouri State faculty research grant, the trip ran from May 28-June 4.

Ancient pottery holds clues to the past

Pierce traveled to Mexico to analyze a collection of Classic Period pottery (ca AD 700). This collection was found at a site in the western Mexico state of Nayarit.

For the analysis, Pierce used geochemical and neutron activation processes. The University of Missouri-Columbia’s Archaeometry Laboratory granted Pierce access to its nuclear reactor for the neutron activation testing. Neutron activation, which takes several weeks, causes each ceramic artifact to radioactively decay. “Through this radioactivity, we can determine the chemical composition — or elemental make-up — of the artifact,” Pierce explained.

This testing process reveals the artifacts’ composition, which should be the same as any artifact produced with the same material. Thus, because pottery is made of clay, its composition will resemble the soil where the clay was extracted. “This means that we can tell where the artifact was created,” Pierce said.

Pierce expects to have the test data in early September. He will analyze the data and draw a firm conclusion about the pottery at that time.

New book features research of CAR’s Dr. Daniel Pierce

January 13, 2025 by Lynn M. Lansdown

Research archaeologist Dr. Daniel Pierce of the Bernice S. Warren Center for Archaeological Research (CAR), has published his findings on Aztatlán culture in a new book from University of Utah press.

Edited by Michael D. Mathiowetz and John M. D. Pohl, “Reassessing the Aztatlán World: Ethnogenesis and Cultural Continuity in Northwest Mesoamerica” presents the work of leading West Mexican scholars. The book provides a broad perspective of Aztatlán culture through a variety of different studies, Pierce said.

Pierce’s chapter, “Obsidian Usage and Trade in Postclassic West Mexico,” examines the Aztatlán culture’s obsidian trade. Obsidian is a volcanic glass used to make stone tools such as blades, knives and spear points.

“This book has been in the works for nearly a decade, so it is exciting that it has finally seen the light of day,” Pierce said. “I think it will be the go-to text for anyone interested in West Mexican archaeology, as it is the first volume of its kind.”

The book was published in 2024.

Examining Aztatlán culture

According to Pierce, scholars believe that Aztatlán society, especially its trade activity, helped shape Mesoamerican culture in the American Southwest, including religion, culture and exotic goods.

“The Aztatlán culture of West Mexico dominated western Mexico during the Post Classic period (AD 900-1350),” Pierce said. “Though it is less well known than other Mesoamerican cultures, the Aztatlán were seemingly the link that connected the great cultures of the American Southwest with those in Mesoamerica.”

“They even brought things like chocolate and macaws into the deserts of the southwest,” he added.