The earliest expeditions carried out in the country goes back to the later part of the 19th century. But it was only in 1921 that systematic archaeological activities were started. Archaeological activities have been conducted by foreigners and notable among these were the ones conducted by Alfred Marche in 1881. Marche was a French traveller and explorer who came to the country for the purpose of collecting antiquities particularly trade ceramics. He travelled and explored the islands of Catanduanes and Marinduque. Upon his return to France, he brought back with him thousands of artifacts for the Paris Natural History Museum and Musee du Trocadero.
