Former Earthwatch principal investigator finds the first wooden ruins and artifacts from Maya civilization in Belize Dr. Heather McKillop, William G. Haag Professor of Archaeology at Louisiana State University, has been investigating the ancient sea trade of the Maya civilization for 25 years, in the 1980s and 1990s with the help of Earthwatch volunteers. But her recent find of the remains of wooden structures and even a wooden paddle, perfectly preserved under the water of a Belize lagoon, was a turning point in Maya research. Her discovery, recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, confirms that...