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Payson Sheets

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description Payson Sheets Overview

Payson Sheets is an American archaeologist and professor at the University of Colorado Boulder. He is best known for directing the excavations at Joya de Cerén, a pre-Columbian Maya farming village in El Salvador buried by a volcanic eruption around 600 CE. The site is often called the "Pompeii of the New World" because the volcanic ash preserved organic materials and everyday architecture that rarely survive in the archaeological record. His work focuses heavily on Mesoamerican archaeology, ancient agriculture, and volcanology.

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Who is Payson Sheets?

Payson Sheets is an American archaeologist and a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder. He is best known for directing excavations at Joya de Cerén in El Salvador.

What is Joya de Cerén?

Joya de Cerén was a pre-Columbian Maya farming village in El Salvador. Payson Sheets directed excavations at the site after it was buried by a volcanic eruption.

Why is Joya de Cerén called the Pompeii of the Americas?

The village was buried by volcanic material, preserving evidence of everyday Maya farming life. That unusually detailed preservation led to the nickname Pompeii of the Americas.

When was Joya de Cerén buried?

The village was buried by a volcanic eruption around 600 CE. Payson Sheets's excavations helped reveal the homes, tools, and farming life preserved beneath the volcanic material.