Southwest Archaeology Today for April 17, 2006

Archaeology Making the News – A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology

– Tombstone’s Quest for Reestablishing Dusty Authenticity: The mayor’s attempt to make this city look more like it did in its gunfighting glory days has caused a dust storm of controversy. While there don’t figure to be any 1880s-style high-noon showdowns, Tombstone Mayor Andree DeJournett’s decision to cap the asphalt on a three-block stretch of historic Allen Street with dirt and gravel has created some bad blood among store owners and residents. “It’s a mess,” said Maureen Jenkins, who’s owned Bronco Trading for 15 years. “The oil and the dirt and the dust – we didn’t have any of these problems when we had the asphalt.”
http://www.azstarnet.com/dailystar/metro/124873

– Public Lecture, (Tucson): The Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society presents Philip O. Leckman speaking on “An Elevated Perspective, Visibility, Performance and Power at the Marana Platform Mound.” 7:30 pm. Tonight (April 17) at the Duval Auditorium of the Arizona Health Sciences Center, 1501 N Campbell.

– Mesa Verde Celebrations Continue: Most national parks protect natural wonders — mountains, forests, canyons. But Mesa Verde was the very first national park created to preserve man-made wonders — cliff dwellings, made centuries ago from sandstone, perched on ledges at elevations of 7,000 feet. This intricate architecture, dating to the 12th century, is as awesome to behold today as it was when cowboys and ranchers first saw it. Two men looking for lost cattle, Richard Wetherill and Charles Mason, came upon the most spectacular site, the 150-room Cliff Palace, in 1888.
http://www.newsobserver.com/105/story/429264.html

– Tim Lewis & the Restoration of San Xavier: When Tim Lewis turned from his dead-end path, he never dreamed his new one would lead so far – to museums in Austria and palaces in Spain, to love and a growing reputation as a man to be trusted with masterpieces of ancient art. Restoration is slow, painstaking work, a series of careful steps that Tim Lewis has learned well over the past 14 years, applying them to the task of preserving Mission San Xavier del Bac and to rebuilding his own life. In early morning, before the Franciscan priests begin the day’s first Mass, before visitors arrive to marvel at this Baroque masterpiece of Spanish mission churches, Lewis and his wife, Matilde Rubio, scan the plastered, painted walls for marks and gouges.
http://www.azstarnet.com/altds/pastframe/accent/124638

– San Xavier Update: The west tower of Mission San Xavier del Bac is encased in scaffolding and construction cloth as Morales Restoration and Builders Inc., the family firm that has helped preserve the mission’s exterior for four generations, continues its work.
http://www.azstarnet.com/altds/pastframe/accent/124514

– Southwest Seminars Presents an Impressive Array of Lectures to benefit the Archaeological Conservancy (Santa Fe): All lectures held Monday evenings, 6 pm at the Santa Fe Hotel.
http://www.southwestseminars.org/AncientSites2006_II.html

– Tour Hohokam Sites with Old Pueblo Archaeology: his Old Pueblo Archaeology Center tour includes two of the largest Hohokam prehistoric sites in Arizona – the Pueblo Grande ruins in Phoenix and the Casa Grande ruins. While in Phoenix, participants will also spend some time at the 55-acre Desert Botanical Garden.
http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/124652