PCAS General Meetings
Monthly lecture meetings feature noted archaeologists and anthropologists who provide insight into a variety of topics. Lecture meetings are held at 7:30 pm on the second Thursday of each month. Meetings are free and open to the public.
Many past PCAS lectures are available on the PCAS YouTube channel.
PCAS In-Person Meetings
Regular Meeting Location: IRWD Community Room
15500 Sand Canyon Ave, Irvine (See Map)
Irvine Ranch Water District makes its facilities available for use by residents and nonprofit organizations merely as a public service, but does not, by allowing this use, endorse or support the purpose of the event or its sponsor.
PCAS Zoom Meetings
March 12, 2026
Zoom Only Meeting
Dr. G. Richard Scott
Teeth Tell the Tale: Dental Evidence and the Peopling of the Americas
Long before DNA, teeth were telling the story of the first Americans—and they still have more to say.
Dental crown morphology has long contributed to debates over the peopling of the Americas, and recent advances in the study of tooth root morphology have further expanded its analytical power. Because dental traits are highly heritable, developmentally conservative, and minimally affected by environment, they provide a robust line of biological evidence for assessing population history. This talk reviews how patterned variation in crown and root traits has been used to evaluate competing models for the timing, number, and source populations involved in the initial settlement of the New World. Particular attention is given to contrasts among Northeast Asian, Southeast Asian, and Austral-Melanesian dental complexes, the Sundadonty–Sinodonty distinction, and the implications of founder effects and regional differentiation within the Americas. Dental evidence is considered alongside archaeological and genetic data, highlighting both areas of convergence and instances where teeth reveal additional population structure not readily captured by genetic models alone. Together, these data point to a peopling process originating in the high Arctic during the last glacial maxima that was complex and multistage.
Dr. G. Richard Scott is a Foundation Professor of Anthropology at the University of Nevada, Reno. He earned his BA and PhD degrees in Anthropology at Arizona State University. After completing his degree in 1973, he taught at the University of Alaska Fairbanks from 1973 to 1997. After a short-lived retirement, he resumed his academic career at the University of Nevada, Reno in 2001. His specialty is dental anthropology, with a focus on human tooth crown and root morphology. Dr. Scott has written or edited five books in this area, including The Anthropology of Modern Human Teeth (1997), which came out as a second edition in 2018. Geographically, he has worked in the American Southwest, Alaska, the North Atlantic, Spain, and Hungary. Recent publications focus on how dental morphology contributes to questions regarding the peopling of the Americas.
April 9, 2026
Richard Carrico
El Presidio de San Diego: The Story of Alta California’s First European Settlement and Its People
In this presentation archaeologist and historian Richard L Carrico will discuss his latest book, El Presidio de San Diego: Excavating Southern California’s Lost City, in which he explores San Diego’s first European settlement. Founded in 1769, the ruins of upper California’s first mission and fort lie buried beneath the landscaped hills in Presidio Park. Mr. Carrico’s extensive research on the presidio and its people include materials from Spanish archives housed in Mexico City and at Berkeley, Kumeyaay oral tradition, and nearly a decade of archaeological excavation at the site—he directed two seasons himself. In this talk, Mr. Carrico will discuss the men, women, and children who lived and died at the presidio.
Richard Carrico is an Army veteran and award-winning author of non-fiction and historical fiction on eclectic topics including Indigenous people, Spanish colonial history, archaeology, and, most recently, true crime. He grew up in San Diego, California, and received a BA in history from San Diego State College, a BA in anthropology from San Diego State University, and an MA in history from the University of San Diego. Mr. Carrico taught history, anthropology, and Native American studies at San Diego State University for 30 years before retiring in 2024.
May 14, 2026
Dr. Mark Q. Sutton
June 11, 2026
John W. Foster
The Archaeological Study and Preservation of a Deep-Water Sinkhole in the Dominican Republic