I am an Associate Professor in the Anthropology Program at Athabasca University as well as a professional archaeologist. My research interests focus primarily on urban development and household activity patterns of the past and present. I have researched ancient and not-so-ancient places in North America, Central America, and Northern Europe. Currently, I co-direct the community-engaged Stann Creek Regional Archaeology Project (SCRAP) in Belize and the community-based Old Bezanson Archaeology Project (OBAP) in Alberta. My teaching at AU takes place entirely online; as a result, I am particularly interested in technology-enabled learning in archaeological pedagogy, education, and outreach. I enjoy reading mystery novels, binge-watching bad Netflix shows, running, and volunteering with Girl Guides of Canada during my free time.
Research interests
Archaeology
Community-Engaged and Community-Based Research
Urban Studies
Settlement and Household Studies
Frontier and Boomtown Studies
Materials Science
Educational credentials
PhD Archaeology, University of Calgary (2013)
MA Artefact Studies, Institute of Archaeology, University College London (2004)
BA Archaeology, University of Calgary (2003)
Professional affiliations
Registered Professional Archaeologist (44090926)
Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology & Archaeology, University of Calgary
Visiting Researcher, Grande Prairie Regional College
J. M. Jordan, M. Peuramaki-Brown, S. Chiac, A. Saqui, & F. Tzib. 2021. It’s What’s Inside that Counts: Developing a paste group typology in Belize. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 37: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2021.103019
M. Peuramaki-Brown et al. 2020. Maya Archaeology of the Stann Creek District, Belize: Early Explorations to Recent Research. Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 17:221-235.
S. G. Morton & M. Peuramaki-Brown (eds.). 2019. Seeking Conflict in Mesoamerica: Operational, Cognitive, and Experiential Approaches. University Press of Colorado, Louisville.
M. Peuramaki-Brown & S. G. Morton. 2019. Maya Monumental ‘Boom’: Rapid Development, Hybrid Architecture, and ‘Pretentiousness’ in the Fabrication of Place at Alabama, East-Central Belize. Journal of Field Archaeology 44(4):250-266.
M. Peuramaki-Brown & S. G. Morton. 2019. Archaeological Reconnaissance at the Pearce Sites of the Cockscomb Basin, Stann Creek District. Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 16:283-293.
R. Horowitz, B. Cap, J. Yaeger, M. Peuramaki-Brown, & M. Eli. 2019. Raw Material Selection and Stone Tool Production: Limestone Bifaces in the Mopan Valley, Belize. Latin American Antiquity 30(10):198-204.
W.J. Stemp, M. Peuramaki-Brown, & J. Awe. 2018. Ritual Economy and Ancient Maya Bloodletting: Obsidian Blades from Actun Uayazba Kab (Handprint Cave), Belize. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 53:304-324.
M. Peuramaki-Brown. 2017. Revisiting the Ancient Maya of Alabama, Belize: Description, Recent Research, and Future Directions. Mexicon 39(3):64-72.
J.L. Brewer, C. Carr, N.P. Dunning, D.S. Walker, A. Anaya Hernández, M. Peuramaki-Brown, & K. Reese-Taylor. 2017. Employing airborne lidar and archaeological testing to determine the role of small depressions in water management at the ancient Maya site of Yaxnohcah, Campeche, Mexico. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 13:291-302.
K. Reese-Taylor, A. A. Hernández, F. A. F. Esquivel, K. Monteleone, A. Uriarte, C. Carr, H. G. Acuña, J. C. Fernandez-Diaz, M. M. Peuramaki-Brown, & N. Dunning. 2016. Boots on the ground at Yaxnohcah: ground-truthing LiDAR in a complex tropical landscape. Advances in Archaeological Practice 4(3):314-338.
M. Peuramaki-Brown et al. 2016. The Dynamic Maya City: Methods for Modelling Pedestrian Movement in Ancient Civic-Ceremonial Centres. In Proceedings of the 17th European Maya Conference, Helsinki 2012, edited by Harri Kettunen and Christophe Helmke, pp. 115-127. Verlag Anton Saurwein, Markt Schwaben, Germany.
M. Peuramaki-Brown. 2014. Neighbourhoods and Dispersed/Low-density Urbanization at Buenavista del Cayo, Belize. Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 11:67-79.
S. Morton, M. Peuramaki-Brown et al. 2014. Peopling the Past: Interpreting Models for Pedestrian Movement in Ancient Civic-Ceremonial Centres. In Mapping Spatial Relations, Their Perceptions and Dynamics: The City Today and in the Past, edited by S. Rau and E. Schönherr, pp. 25-44. Springer, Heidelberg, Germany.
M. Peuramaki-Brown. 2013. Identifying Integrative Built Environments in the Archaeological Record: An Application of New Urban Design Theory to Ancient Urban Spaces. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 32(4):577-594.
M. Peuramaki-Brown. 2012. Rural Ceramic Manufacture in Precolumbian Honduras: Applying Petrographic Analysis to the Study of the Chaînes Opératoires. Canadian Journal of Archaeology 36(1):166-187.
S. Morton, M. Peuramaki-Brown et al. 2012. Civic and Household Community Relationships at Teotihuacán, Mexico: A Space Syntax Approach. Cambridge Archaeological Journal 22(3):387-400.