The Constitution of the Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology – Latin America and the Caribbean Chapter
Eduardo Herrera Malatesta (Chair)
Sebastian Fajardo (Secretary)
Yoly Velandria (Treasurer)
Daniel Sanchez Gomez (Membership and Outreach Officer) Philip Riris (Publication Officer)
1. The full title of the organisation is “Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology – Latin America and the Caribbean”. This shall be abbreviated to “CAA LAC”. CAA LAC is constituted as a chapter of the International Computer Applications in Archaeology organisation, abbreviated “CAA” (https://caa-international.org).
2. The CAA LAC will represent countries in Latin America and the Caribbean that do not have an existing CAA chapter.
a) The aim of having an umbrella chapter for these regions is to better promote activities, integrate colleagues across regions, and have higher chances of finding funding to organise events, activities, courses, and finance participants to attend the CAA International’s annual meeting.
b) This chapter should be connected as much as possible with the existing ones in Brazil and Mexico, as well as with any other national chapter that might be created in the future.
c) Any individual or organisation from a country with an existing chapter is welcome to become a member and have the same benefits as any other member in the CAA LAC chapter.
d) CAA LAC is a non-profit organisation.
3. The aims of CAA LAC are:
a) To bring together professionals and students from archaeology, as well as related disciplines such as history, social sciences, life sciences, engineering, arts, mathematics, computer science, and/or members of other disciplines to complement and extend the interests of the CAA LAC and CAA International in the study, protection, and dissemination of archaeology, heritage, conservation, and similar interests.
b) Encourage communications and interactions between these disciplines and colleagues by organising an annual general meeting (AGM), either in person or virtual.
c) To stimulate discussions and future progress in the application of information technology to archaeological research and practice.
d) To offer support and training in digital and computational archaeology through seminars and workshops.
e) To support relevant research in the above fields in the Latin American and Caribbean regions.
f) To contribute to the necessary communication between computational archaeologists and scientists from Latin America, the Caribbean, and their international counterparts.
g) To foment and support the participation of Latin American and Caribbean colleagues in the annual meetings of the CAA International.
h) To recognise the national, ethnic, and linguistic differences in the region by adjusting, as much as possible, all contents and activities organised by the chapter to the diversity of the regions.
4. Membership
a) The membership of CAA LAC shall be open without payment to anyone supporting the aims of CAA International and CAA LAC. Membership of CAA LAC does not include a free membership to the CAA International (https://caa-international.org). Members who wish to attend the annual conference of the CAA International must become members of that organisation according to the constitution published at https://caa- international.org/constitution/ (article 3).
b) Members of CAA LAC are entitled to the following:
Keep their name and address on the mailing list held by the convenors of CAA LAC.
Receiving a copy of all electronic mailings circulated to the membership of CAA LAC.
Voting at the general meetings of CAA LAC.
The CAA LAC will treat all members’ information following the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
5. Structure of the CAA LAC
a) CAA LAC shall be administered by the steering committee (SC), consisting of five convenors (chair, secretary, treasurer, membership and outreach officer, and publication officer).
b) The convenors will be elected every three years at the CAA LAC annual general meeting.
c) In the case a convenor must leave the SC earlier, an extraordinary meeting will be called so members can choose a replacement.
d) Considering the international character of the CAA LAC, all voting for convenors, modifications of this constitution, and/or AGMs can happen virtually or should have a virtual component where all members can participate.
e) One convenor of CAA LAC will be designated, by the convenors, as the representative of the national chapter to the CAA International (ex-officio member of the steering committee of the CAA International; https://caa-international.org/constitution/ [Article 4. iv]).
f) Convenors may resign by sending notice to the remaining convenors. Afterwards, the remaining convenors will notify all members of CAA LAC through the current mailing list to seek a new convenor.
g) The main task of the convenors is to ensure, to the best of their ability, that an annual national meeting does take place.
h) Other key tasks of the convenors are:
i. To promote activities related to computational archaeology in the region.
ii. To promote the chapter to involve other potentially interested colleagues.
iii. To seek funding for the participation of CAA LAC members in the CAA International annual meeting.
i) The convenors shall meet at least once a year, normally during the annual meeting.
j) The CAA LAC will have an advisory board composed of three (5) colleagues from the region or other regions. The convenors will choose this advisory board.
6. Annual General Meeting
a) Notice of the Annual General Meeting, together with the formal proposals for discussion, and particularly any changes to the Constitution, must be posted at the CAA LAC website at least 21 days before the date of the meeting and emailed to all members with email addresses held on the membership role at that date.
b) The Annual General Meeting (AGM) shall be held at the annual conference of the CAA LAC chapter. Participation in the AGM shall be open to all CAA LAC members, whether they are attending the conference or not.
c) The election of convenors shall take place at the AGM, normally by show of hands. All nominations must be submitted to the convenors prior to the election, and the willingness of the candidate to stand must be demonstrated. If the AGM happens in person, the elections and voting must always provide a hybrid option for other members to participate online.
d) If it is impossible to hold the AGM during the annual conference of CAA LAC, then the convenors shall call an AGM as quickly as is compatible with the required notice period for members.
e) The CAA LAC will attempt to publish peer-review proceedings of the papers presented at the AGM. This publication will appear either as a book or a special edition in a journal.
7. Language
a) To recognise the linguistic diversity of the regions included in this chapter, all emails and communications from the steering committee to members will be in Spanish, Portuguese, English, and French.
b) Talks, courses, seminars, and workshops will be provided in one language, either Spanish, English, Portuguese, French or any other language, based on the instructor’s preference and possibilities. When possible, there will be translations or captions.
c) Sessions at the AGM of CAA LAC can be organised in any language the session organisers decide, and papers can be presented in any language the participants feel more comfortable with. However, to increase communication among colleagues, the CAA LAC suggest the standard use of English.
d) Communications with the CAA International will be in English as this is the organisation’s official language.