The Archaeological Institute of America–Jacksonville Society will meet at noon on April 22, 2017 in Building 51 at the University of North Florida to hear a lecture by Dr. William Keegan, a professor of Caribbean archaeology with the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville. The lecture is titled “Columbus and Cannibals in the Land of Cotton.” In the decade prior to the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s voyage there was a mad scramble to “discover” where Columbus made first landfall in the Americas. Historians, geographers, geologists, navigators, computer specialists, journalists, and even archaeologists joined the hunt. Three locations still claim that honor. However, in the process of trying to solve this mystery, it became clear that virtually everything we thought we knew about Columbus was wrong. This lecture focuses on archaeology’s contributions to revealing the mysteries surrounding Columbus’s voyages. In the process Dr. Keegan will take the audience through lands of cotton and cannibals, and explore new research into production and exchange in the prehistoric Caribbean. The lecture is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served afterwards in the Archaeology Lab. On Saturday, parking is free and the faculty /staff/vendor spaces are open to everyone. For more information, contact Melva Price at (904)241-9411 or aiajaxsoc@gmail.com