John Carlton brings a unique blend of archaeological expertise and strategic business development to the Maya Heritage Center. Beyond his deep field experience, John plays an integral role in our outsourced CRM initiatives, where his ability to connect with relevant prospects, generate opportunities, and close partnerships is critical. John Carlton is the founder and editor of archAIology.org, a growing global archaeological research platform that integrates archaeological site data, digital corpora, field research, geospatial technologies, LiDAR, archaeoastronomy, and AI-assisted methods across multiple archaeological regions and traditions.
John ensures that our growth strategies are rooted in a profound respect for cultural heritage, creating meaningful and impactful experiences for our customers and partners. His strategic mindset and extensive experience make him a vital asset as the organization expands its reach and impact.
In addition to his development work, John is a specialist in iconography and archaeoastronomy—the study of how ancient cultures understood celestial phenomena and incorporated them into their worldviews. His academic achievements include graduating cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Sociology from Millsaps College and completing graduate studies in Anthropology at the University of Alabama. His master’s thesis, “The Origins of Minoan Bull-Leaping Iconography,”.
John has worked at four sites in the northern Maya lowlands and has contributed to the management of projects on pre-Columbian cultures in Mississippi.
An archaeologist and independent researcher, John’s research interests include Mesoamerican archaeology, iconography, archaeoastronomy, ancient calendrical systems, and the relationship between material culture and ancient understandings of the cosmos. His current research also extends into comparative studies of ancient astronomical traditions and archaeological evidence from the Near East. His research and publications are featured through archAIology, an independent archaeological research platform that brings together field scholarship, comparative research, and emerging digital methods. It is a platform at the intersection of field scholarship and artificial intelligence. Its map brings together archaeological sites and external archaeological atlases across Mesoamerica, North America, Europe, the Near East, and South America.
His dual focus on research and strategy strengthens the Maya Heritage Center’s ability to bridge scholarship with innovative approaches to sustainable growth. At Maya Heritage Center, John helps connect archaeological scholarship with contemporary opportunities for education, collaboration, and sustainable organizational development.