The Aztec Empire ruled the Basin of Mexico from the 1420s to 1521. Created by the city-states of Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tlacopan they formed the Triple Alliance that governed over the Empire. With the provinces they controlled, the tributary provinces had to travel to Tenochtitlan to pay their tribute by bringing different types of goods. In the literature about the commerce or trading in the Aztec Empire there is no mention of the pathways taken to carry out these activities, so this research aims to figure out the possible pathways taken to bring goods into Tenochtitlan. To answer this question my research will be divided into two parts: finding literature that explains the structure of commerce and trading within the Aztec Empire along with hopefully pinpointing the origin place of goods and using ArcGIS Pro to map out the possible pathways used to have a visual representation of where they used to travel.

Through civil conflict followed by the collapse of the government in 1991, many aspects of Somalia’s regulatory systems have been severely damaged, including the regulation of Somali pharmaceutical companies and the importation and distribution of drugs within Somalia. Despite the lack of regulation, Somalia has not had much of a history of illicit substance abuse. However, some news sources have revealed that opioid abuse has been increasing within Somalia in recent years. This can have severe consequences since Somalia does not have the resources necessary to aid those who might develop a dependence on these substances. There are few studies that address the issue of substance use within Somalia despite the combination of vulnerability of substance abuse due to conflict, lack of regulation of drugs to and within Somalia, and an increasing amount of opioids being trafficked through East Africa as a whole. The perceptions of substances, in particular, is critical information as it can give insight into patterns of use. In order to get a better understanding of what the perceptions of opioids within Somalia are, several sources need to be consulted. This can include conducting a thorough review of the current and past literature, interviewing native-bon Somalis, including those well acquainted with the topic, and looking into any available documents aside from official studies that may provide insight into substance use within Somalia.

My research involves creating and analyzing a 3D model of an inaccessible petroglyph panel in southeastern Utah. Petroglyphs are images created on rock surfaces by removing material, chiefly by chiseling (pecking) and incision. The rock art panel occupies a cliff face 10-30 meters above the modern ground surface making it difficult to document and likely caused the initial archaeologists who record the site in 1961 to miss the panel. Development of photogrammetry and drone technology provides an effective way to overcome the inaccessibility challenge of this panel. A drone was used to systematically capture over 1,300 partially overlapping high resolution images of the cliff face, including a few measured control points. These images were then “stitched” together using a digital software (RealityCapture) to generate a 3D model of the cliff face and petroglyph panel. This model allows observers to view the panel in great detail without visiting the field and to export 2D images of the wall face as needed. The model can be used to make an inventory of motifs and rock art production techniques and attempt to determine cultural context, time period, and potentially interpretations of cultural meaning. Much of the imagery appears to derive from the Basketmaker II period (~400 BC to AD 400); some earlier elements are also present. Generating a permanent record of an inaccessible petroglyph panel using a non-invasive and efficient method meets the objective of both heritage management and archaeological research. This approach has wider applicability in other archaeological contexts.