Dr. Clark Wernecke is a true rockstar in the world of archaeology, captivating audiences with his extensive knowledge and infectious passion for human evolution. With over three decades of experience as a researcher, educator, and archaeologist, Clark has worked on sites across the globe, from the Middle East to Central America and various locations in the United States. His academic journey, which began with a history degree from Southern Methodist University, culminated in a doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin, along with master’s degrees in business and anthropology.
As the Executive Director of the Gault School of Archaeological Research since 2006, Clark has been instrumental in bringing archaeology to life for people of all ages. His ability to weave delightful tales of human history has engaged over 65,000 people through outreach programs and more than 6,000 volunteers at the Gault Site. Whether he’s leading tours, speaking to civic leaders, or teaching classes for lifelong learners, Clark’s enthusiasm shines through, making complex archaeological concepts accessible and fascinating to everyone.
His dedication to understanding our past and its impact on our future continues to inspire and educate, making him a true gem in the field of archaeology.
2024 Chapter 3 Gault Site History. In M. Collins and T. Williams (Eds) The Gault Site, The Archaeology of an Upper Paleolithic site in North America. In Press, Texas A&M Press, College Station, TX
2024 with Jennifer Gandy: Chapter 6 Methods. In M. Collins and T. Williams (Eds) The Gault Site, The Archaeology of an Upper Paleolithic site in North America. In Press, Texas A&M Press, College Station, TX
2023 A One-of-a-Kind Marker. Texas Heritage 1:8-12.
2021 Wrestling with the Truth: Erich Pohl, Musician, Sportsman, and Artifact Collector. Bulletin of the Texas Archeological Society 92: 33-44.
2021 Dogma and the Peopling of the Americas. Institute of Maya Studies Newsletter 7:1,3.
2020 Tuna Blood: The History of a Color. Good Water Ripples 9(4):6.
2017 From Maya Pyramids to Paleoindian Projectile Points: The Importance of Public Outreach in Archaeology. Journal of Archaeology and Education, 1(1):1-34.
2017 Professor J.E. Pearce at the Gault Site, Bell County, Texas. The Newsletter of the Friends of the Texas Archeology Research Laboratory, June. PP.4, 9.
2015 Pleistocene figurative art in the Americas: some cautions. Reply to: Pleistocene Fauna Depictions in American Palaeoart by Robert Bednarik. Rock Art Research
2015 with Ashley K. Lemke and Michael B. Collins: Early Art in North America: Clovis and Later Paleoindian Incised Artifacts from the Gault Site, Texas (41BL323). American Antiquity 80(1):113-133.
2012 with D. Wescott, L. Baker and M. Collins: A Mass Grave of Mexican Soldiers from the Resaca de la Palma Battlefield (41CF3): Demography and Battle-related Injuries. Bulletin of the Texas Archaeological Society 83:1-22.
2012 with M. Collins: Patterns and Process: some thoughts on the incised stones from the Gault Site, Central Texas, United States. In L’Art Pleistocene Dans Le Monde, edited by J. Clottes, pp120-121. Revue Editee Par La Societe Prehistorique Ariege-Pyrenees, Tome LXV-LXVI.
2009 Freedom’s Eagle loudly calls: the misinterpretation of the Battle of Resaca de la Palma. In People, Places and Conflicts in Northeastern Mexico and Texas, edited by R. Arboleyda Castro, J. Hawthorne, G. Lara Cisneros, and G. Ramirez. Castilla, pp. 507-520. INAH, Mexico D.F.
2009 Foreword. In Analysis and Evaluation of Lintel Beams in Maya Building Construction by Rodriguez, J, pp. 1-2. Institute of Maya Studies and the Broward County Archaeological Society.
2008 Ancient Maya Builders and a Tradition of Waste. Journal of Ethnobiology 28(2):200-210.
2006 Mesoamerican Measurement Systems. Institute of Maya Studies Newsletter35(4):1,3,6
2005 A Stone Canvas: Interpreting Maya Building Materials and Construction Technology. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Anthropology, The University of Texas at Austin.
2004 A Gault Project Update. Texas Archeology, 48(4):12-13.
2003 Ancient Maya Urban Design and the Development of El Pilar. In Cuarto Congreso Internacional de Mayistas Memoria, edited by Ruz, M.H., Falcon, M. A., Izquierdo y de la Cueva, A. L., Leon Cazares, M.C., Suarez, T.P., Valdes, M., pp. 396-402. UNAM, Mexico.
2002 with A. Ford: Trails of El Pilar, Exploring Solutions Past: The Maya Rainforest Alliance, Santa Barbara, CA.
2001 El Pilar: A Maya Rainforest Refuge. The Explorer’s Journal 78(4):22-25.
2000 with A. Ford, Dr. D. Clark Wernecke : Assessing the Situation at El Pilar: Chronology, Survey, Conservation, and Management Planning for the 21st Century, ISBER/MesoAmerican Research Center, UCSB.
2000 An Update from El Pilar. Institute for Maya Studies Newsletter 29 (8):2
1999 El Pilar Opens New Educational Area. Institute for Maya Studies Newsletter 27(7):5
1998 El Pilar Program in Belize. Institute for Maya Studies Newsletter 26(8):5
1998 A New Way of Examining the Past: The El Pilar Multidisciplinary Model, ISBER/MesoAmerican Research Center, UCSB.
1998 Architecture and Urban Design at El Pilar, Belize. In Memorias del Tercer Congreso Internacional de Mayistas, UNAM.
1997 with A. Ford, M. Grzybowski, and R. Larios
Interpreting the Past to Protect the Future, BRASS/El Pilar Field Report 1997,
ISBER/MesoAmerican Research Center, UCSB.
1997 Belize’s Newest Mayan Archaeological Site Focuses on Everyday Life. Belize First 4(1):73-79
1997 with A. Ford: Review of Tikal Report 14 by William R. Coe. Mesoamerica 33:270-273
1997 Envisioning the Future of El Pilar: The Integrated Research and Development Plan for the El Pilar Archaeological Reserve for Maya Flora and Fauna in Belize and Guatemala. (Forward and Archaeological Section) World Monument Fund and US State Department, Washington, DC.
1997 UCSB Archaeologist Closer to Establishing Maya Preserve. Institute for Maya Studies: Newsletter 26 (5):2
1996 with A. Ford, M. Grzybowski, and C. Ocampo: The Final Steps Towards Revitalizing El Pilar: BRASS/El Pilar Program Field Report 1996. CORI/Mesoamerican Research Center, UCSB.
1996 El Pilar Update. Institute of Maya Studies Newsletter 25(12):2-5
1996 The El Pilar Reserve for Maya Flora and Fauna. El Planeta Platica, V3 (3), August
1995 with A. Ford and M. Grzybowski: Archaeology at El Pilar: A Report on the 1995 Field Season. CORI/Mesoamerican Research Center, UCSB
1994 Urban Design in an Ancient Maya Center: El Pilar, Belize. MA Thesis, Florida Atlantic University.
1994 The BRASS/El Pilar 1994 Field Season: A Collaborative Experiment. CORI/Mesoamerican Research Center, UCSB.
1993 with Anabel Ford : Interpretations of Architecture at El Pilar: Results of the 1993 Season. CORI/Mesoamerican Research Center, UCSB.
1993 “Baked Clay Objects from the Jupiter Inlet I Site”. Florida Anthropologist, 46(2):282-290, December 1993.
Article: Authentic Texas:
https://authentictexas.com/meet-rock-star-clark-warnecke/
Article: Austin American Statesman:
https://www.statesman.com/story/news/history/2019/12/24/texas-history-we-turn-clock-back-20000-years-at-gault-site-in-central-texas/2014244007/
Article: Texas Highways
https://texashighways.com/culture/history/the-gault-site-in-central-texas-reveals-new-details-about-the-oldest-north-americans/
Talk: Dogma and the Peopling of the Americas
https://www.instituteofmayastudies.org/d-clark-wernecke-july-21-2021/
Talk: The Gault Site and the Peopling of the Americas
Talk: An Idiot’s Guide to the American Upper Paleolithic
Talk: Caves, Archaeology, and the Search for the Earliest Peoples in the Americas
Interview: SevenAges.org
https://sevenages.org/tag/clark-wernecke/
Interview: Central Texas Life
Interview: Traveling Texas
https://www.kxxv.com/news/traveling-texas-with-ann-harder/traveling-texas-archaeological-site-unearths-wealth-of-information
Interview: Adan Medrano Atlas Obscura
https://adanmedrano.com/before-tex-mex-15000-year-comida-casera/
Paper: Motifs et procédés : quelques réflexions sur les pierres incisées du site de Gault (Texas central, États-Unis)
https://journals.openedition.org/palethnologie/3074
https://journals.openedition.org/palethnologie/3088
Paper: From Maya Pyramids to Paleoindian Projectile Points: the Importance of Public Outreach in Archaeology
https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/jae/vol1/iss1/1/
Paper: A Burning Question: Maya Lime Technology and the Maya Forest
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.2993/0278-0771-28.2.200
Paper: A One-of-a-kind Marker Between the Republic of Texas and the United States
https://texashistoricalfoundation.org/file_download/292ecc65-1882-42fc-9b99-0e2c9fde2a97
Paper: Artifacts older than Clovis at the Gault Site, Texas, USA
https://novoscriptorium.com/2019/08/09/artifacts-older-than-clovis-at-the-gault-site-texas-usa/
TV: NOVA – America’s Stone Age Explorers
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcripts/3116_stoneage.html
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xe61y4
TV: BBC- The Incredible Human Journey Pt. 5
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8gte2q
TV: Scientific American Frontiers – Coming to America
http://www.chedd-angier.com/frontiers/season14.html
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