Southwest Archaeology Today for Dec. 2, 2005

Archaeology making the news — a service of the Center for Desert Archaeology.

– New Archaeology Video at The Archaeology Channel: A big archaeological project can serve to illustrate what archaeologists really do. One of the products of the giant Central Arizona Project was Archaeology: A Journey Into the Past. This video takes you on a virtual tour of archaeology and explains why the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation sponsored archaeology before the Central Arizona Project was built to irrigate the desert. It shows the entire archaeological process from beginning to end: how sites are located, how they are excavated, how artifacts are processed, and what happens to the materials when the project is finished. Combining live action with graphic simulations brings to life the painstaking and detailed study of forgotten remains that is the study of the human past. This latest video is featured on the nonprofit streaming-media Web site, The Archaeology Channel:
http://www.archaeologychannel.org

– Alleged 40,000-year-old human footprints in Mexico much, much older than thought: Alleged footprints of early Americans found in volcanic rock in Mexico are either extremely old – more than 1 million years older than other evidence of human presence in the Western Hemisphere – or not footprints at all, according to a new analysis published this week in Nature.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-11/uoc–a4h112805.php

– 29th Annual Pueblo Grande Museum Indian Market: The 29th Annual Pueblo Grande Museum Indian Market will take place at Steele Indian School Park from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, December 10 and Sunday, December 11, 2005. Sponsored by the Pueblo Grande Museum Auxiliary, the Market has been named one of the “10 Best Markets in the Nation” according to both Cowboys & Indians and Native Peoples magazines.
http://www.azreporter.com/?itemid=182

-Wisdom of the Ancestors: A Hopi leader fought a lonely battle to stop a mining company from stealing water that helped build Phoenix. He succeeded.
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/Issues/2005-12-01/news/dougherty.html

– The University of Colorado Museum has recently concluded rehousing and reinventorying over 300,000 artifacts from Yellow Jacket, Colorado. Between 1954 and 1991 Joe Ben Wheat led 21 field schools at three sites (5MT1, 2, and 3) just southwest of Yellow Jacket Pueblo (5MT5), the largest prehistoric site in the Mesa Verde region. Basic site reports for sites 5MT1, 2, and 3, as well as summary information on the field schools and Joe Ben Wheat’s work at the site, are now available at:
http://yellowjacket.colorado.edu/index.html

– 13-acre core of Oro Valley Hohokam village to be preserved: Honey Bee Village, an 87-acre chunk of land that according to the town was home to one of the most significant Hohokam villages in the region for nearly 1,000 years, was once projected to become the Town Center for Oro Valley.
http://www.azstarnet.com/dailystar/allheadlines/104760.php

– Ancient Canals Reveal Underpinnings of Early Andean Civilization Canals discovered in the Peruvian Andes dating back over 5,400 years offer long-sought proof that irrigation was at the heart of the development of one of the earth’s first civilizations.
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/516405/

– Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society and Alta Mira Press, the publishers of Kiva, recognize the substantial contributions of out-going Acquisitions Editor, Dr. Ronald Towner. During his 8 year tenure, Towner has enhanced the journal’s standing as a major publication emphasizing regional archaeological, ethnographic, and historical research. The search for a new Acquisitions Editor will begin early in 2006. Please visit http://www.statemuseum.arizona.edu/aahs/aahs.shtml after January 1, 2006 for more information. Candidates (or those with suggestions for likely candidates) should contact Sarah Herr (sherr@desert.com) or Jenny Adams (jadams@desert.com) (520-881-2244).