THE INTERNATIONAL Association of Caribbean Archaeologists (IACA) has voted unanimously to host its 22nd biannual conference between July 23 and 27 in Jamaica.
The Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT) will be the organising body for the conference locally.
IACA is the premier regional body that promotes archaeological research in the Caribbean and at their last meeting in July of last year the delegates overwhelmingly agreed that Jamaica should host the next conference.
The association began hosting its conferences in 1961 in Martinique and since then has convened 21, the most recent being in Trinidad and Tobago in 2006. The conference has never been hosted in Jamaica and many of the attendees at the Trinidad conference voiced the opinion that it was time for them to see and experience Jamaica's diverse archaeological heritage.
Founded in 1961, IACA has since its inception sought to actively promote regionally-based archaeological research and international academic interaction in the field of Caribbean archaeology.
Among the principal interests of IACA are Caribbean pre-historic and historic period archaeology, terrestrial and marine archaeology, public education in archaeology, the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, the ethnics of archaeological inquiry and the protection of sites and cultural objects of the past.
The conference is usually attended by between 200 and 250 delegates from the United States, Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America. Organisers are hoping to attract 400 delegates in 2007.
