Meet Our FFF Director: Margarita de Guzman

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Margarita de Guzman, Founder of The Fair Field Foundation. Also Managing Director and CEO of Circle CRM Group, Margarita has over 20 years of extensive archaeological experience and knowledge in all services related to historical resource consulting. She is an approved permit-holding archaeologist in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Yukon and the Northwest Territories and has managed many large-scale archaeological impact assessments (HRIAs in Alberta) and excavations throughout her consulting career and recorded numerous archaeology sites. Her experience includes field assessments and mitigations for projects ranging from small-scale oil and gas to Class I pipelines and Forestry Management Areas, as well as infrastructure, power, residential/industrial subdivisions, and other developments in the private and public sectors.

A graduate of the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, and Durham University (UK), Margarita holds degrees in Archaeology and Economics. Her Master’s studies involved relational artifact analysis of three central European sites: Austria, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. Upon completing her studies, Margarita spent five years working in Europe on a variety of archaeology sites, including an Iron Age hillfort in Schwarzenbach, Austria, a complex Roman bath site in Grumentum, Italy and an Urartu fortress outside Yerevan, Armenia. Want to learn more about her? Read on for more!

What would you say your #1 hardship in the field was, and what did you do to overcome it?

Over 20 years in, it’s hard to remember what my #1  hardship was. I know that in the early days, people find it very difficult to be away for long periods of time, and I still struggle with that, especially because my partner is also an archaeologist (who works with me and for me) and our shifts often do not align. I remember my first job in Alberta though; I was on an excavation near Stettler and everyone was so excited about all the things they were finding. I, on the other hand, was not. I had come from Europe where artifacts were everywhere and they weren’t “just a bunch of rocks” (as many people say). I had to learn and rediscover that the joy in archaeology for me is about the rare finds; the rarer it is, the more exciting it is! 

On the flip side, what is the funniest thing that has happened to you in the field? 

Funnest or funniest lol? Either way, I can’t think of anything specific. I have a lot of fun excavating and finding artifacts, but I also have a lot of fun getting quads unstuck; there is something so fulfilling about it. It is also so cool to see so much of the country through work; we go to places that I would never have otherwise visited.

Could you tell us something about yourself that we do not know? 

I own archaeology.ca – my old boss had the foresight to purchase it many years ago and when we acquired his company, he said I could have it if he could keep his laptop. I think I got a smokin’ deal!

Also, I am a city girl. As a kid, we spent weekends at the mall, not in the mountains. So every now and again, when I’m trudging through the bush or pulling out that quad, I say to myself, “If my mom could see me now…” 

What made you first pursue Archaeology as a career path?

I was double-majoring in art history when I was doing my Economics degree, and one day, I was flipping through the course calendar and found a field school. I slapped the whole thing on my credit card and went to England for the first time, and changed my life.

What is your archaeological dream?

I honestly don’t think I have any more archaeological dreams; perhaps I have fulfilled them. I have worked in places around the world and have found whole pots, really old pots and really old rocks, and have excavated burials, mosaic floors, hill forts, and houses. It will always be cool to find more things, especially if they’re really old and rare, but now my dreams revolve around legacy – building and growing archaeology.ca + of course, The Fair Field Foundation.

What inspired you to create The Fair Field Foundation?

I come from a family of “feisty” women (and I only put that in quotations because they might think that word is negative, but for me, it’s bold and inspiring), and as a female archaeologist and employer of other females, I have seen a lot of women ask for less and not step up for opportunity. Some would say that we have made a lot of advances over the years; there are more women in leadership positions in archaeology (and other field-based disciplines). But I continue to see it, and I continue to hear stories of people feeling marginalized, unheard, unseen, undervalued, or even just so uncertain about what the future holds. We wanted to create a support system and network for those people. And, it’s like they say, when women come together, great things happen.

Where do you hope The Fair Field Foundation will go in the future?

We are really hoping that The Fair Field Foundation will have continued and increased reach and impact to students and young grads, through to intermediate and senior-level archaeologists, across the country and potentially across the globe. From what we have witnessed, and we have only scratched the surface, there is a need to champion and support each other, and it is so exciting to see the positive impact we can have. 

If you want to take part in the important work that we’re doing or join us as a mentor or mentee, we encourage you to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. Make sure to keep an eye on our blog for more Founding Director bios so you can get to know the amazing people behind the foundation.