Rate My Professor Carl Wendt

Carl Wendt, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Division of Anthropology at California State University, Fullerton, where he also serves as the Coordinator of Archaeology. His research specializes in Olmec archaeology within ancient Mesoamerica, examining household assemblages, sociopolitical transformations, the processing and trade of bitumen and tar, site structure, and pottery production. Wendt employs archaeological methods including refuse disposal pattern analysis, GIS, and advanced chemical analyses such as biomarkers and chemometrics to reconstruct economic activities and spatial organization in early Formative period communities. His fieldwork has focused on key regions in Veracruz, Mexico, including the Arroyo Pesquero area and the San Lorenzo region, contributing detailed insights into Olmec commoner life, resource exploitation, and interregional exchange networks.

Wendt's scholarly output includes numerous peer-reviewed publications in prominent journals. Notable works are 'Using Refuse Disposal Patterns to Infer Olmec Site Structure in the San Lorenzo Region, Veracruz, Mexico' (Latin American Antiquity, 2005), 'How the Olmec Used Bitumen in Ancient Mesoamerica' (Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 2009), 'The Scale and Structure of Bitumen Processing in Early Formative Olmec Households' (Archeological Papers of the American Anthropological Association, 2009), 'A San Lorenzo Phase Household Assemblage from El Remolino, Veracruz' (Ancient Mesoamerica, 2010), 'Olmec Archaeology in the Arroyo Pesquero Region' presented at the 80th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology (2015), 'Some Temporal Markers in Olmec Pottery from Los Soldados' at the 84th SAA meeting (2019), and 'Ancient Olmec Tar Trade Revealed by Combined Biomarker and Chemometric Analysis' (Journal of Archaeological Science, 2023). As a faculty member affiliated with the Latin American Studies program, Wendt advises graduate students in archaeology, coordinates departmental archaeological initiatives, and supports student clubs such as the Society for Interdisciplinary Archaeology. His contributions have advanced knowledge of technological and economic practices among the formative Olmec, highlighting the significance of everyday activities in broader societal developments.