John E. Douglas is an anthropological archaeologist with diverse experiences and interests. He earned a doctorate at the University of Arizona in 1990. Now a Professor in Anthropology, he has been employed since 1991 at The University of Montana (Missoula). His foremost area of expertise is the Native people and archaeology of northwest Mexico and the U.S. Southwest; he has also worked in Belize, Brazil, the Central African Republic, and France. He is a pioneer in examining the archaeology of far southeast Arizona and northeast Sonora, conducting both survey and excavation. This long-term research on the U.S.-Mexico borderlands has focused on regional interaction during population aggregation and the ascendancy of Paquimé, the ancient center in present-day Chihuahua.
Dr. Douglas’ current project began as a Visiting Scholar at the Amerind Foundation in 2021, when he began examining the archeology and sixteenth through eighteenth century Spanish documentary history related to the Indigenous peoples of northwest Chihuahua. Thus far, he has published an article on the topic (2023, J. Douglas and L. Brown, “Reevaluating the Suma Occupation in the Casas Grandes Valley, Chihuahua, Mexico,” American Antiquity). Dr. Douglas continues his investigation into the archaeological and written histories of the region.