This article presents the methodological reflections of two anthropological studies in Oaxaca, the Guiengola Archaeological Project and the San Carlos Yautepec Ethnographic Landscape Project. Both projects emphasize not only the involvement of local people, descendant communities, or both in archaeological work as temporary workers or spectators of the research results but more importantly as active participants in development of the archaeological research design. This includes involvement in such processes as the proposal of and reflection on an anthropological study, the formulation of relevant questions, ontological considerations when interpreting the results, and participation in dissemination tasks after these studies are concluded. Involving people from local and descendant communities does not detract from the scientific nature of anthropological work but instead results in much richer data, as the mapping of the archaeological city of Guiengola and the analysis of pre-highway pedestrian mobility patterns in Oaxaca in the past demonstrate.
