2011 Mule Creek Field School

Center for Desert Archaeology and University of Arizona
2011 Preservation Archaeology Field School at Mule Creek, NM

The Center for Desert Archaeology and the University of Arizona School of Anthropology are offering a preservation archaeology field school from May 29 through July 4, 2011. The field school will combine training in basic excavation and site recording skills with a curriculum highlighting the goals, ethics, and practice of preservation archaeology, which integrates research, education, and preservation within a community-based framework.

Check out our “Meet the Mule Creek Staff” video for more information on the staff, as well as plans for this year’s field school.

Project Location: Mule Creek, New Mexico, located roughly 50 miles northeast of Safford, Arizona and 5,200 ft above sea level, is situated in a scenic valley with a rich archaeological record. Mule Creek is located near one of the largest and most widely distributed obsidian sources in the ancient U.S. Southwest. Recent work by Center for Desert Archaeology researchers has shed light on 14th century occupation in Mule Creek and the surrounding Upper Gila region, including immigration of people from northern and southern Arizona. This season, students will participate in test excavations at Fornholt, a settlement occupied during the poorly documented 13th century. Data from the excavations will contribute to the understanding of Mule Creek’s role in 13th century regional networks as well as the social context of the later migration into the Upper Gila.

Schedule: The field school will be taught between May 29 and July 4, 2011. In addition to field work during the day, there will be evening lectures and instruction in artifact analysis techniques. Students will have the opportunity to interact with local experts and distinguished faculty from several academic institutions. Field trips will include visits to major archaeological sites in the region. Students and staff will camp at a ranch with limited facilities in Mule Creek. All meals will be provided by the project. Transportation between Tucson and Mule Creek before and after the field school will also be provided.

Faculty: Deborah L. Huntley is a Preservation Archaeologist at the Center for Desert Archaeology. She received her Ph.D. in Anthropology from Arizona State University in 2004. While her expertise is in Southwestern prehistory, particularly ceramic studies, she has been involved in a wide variety of archaeological research projects in Arizona, New Mexico, southern California, and Germany. Her research interests include prehistoric Southwestern socio-political organization, prehistoric technology and the transfer of knowledge (especially related to pottery production), chemical compositional analysis, quantitative methods, migration and long-distance interaction, and interpreting archaeology for the public. In addition to a monograph, several book chapters, and an edited book, her research has been published in Kiva, the Journal of Archaeological Science, and American Antiquity.

Jeffery J. Clark is also a Preservation Archaeologist at the Center for Desert Archaeology. He received his Ph.D. at the University of Arizona in 1997. Dr. Clark has worked extensively in both Southwest Asia and the southern U.S. Southwest. His primary research interest is assessing the scale and impact of ancient migration from archaeological data. He has written extensively on the topic, including one monograph, an edited book, several book chapters, and articles in American Antiquity, Kiva, Journal of Field Archaeology, and Journal of Archaeological Research.

Application and Fees: Interested students should submit an application by March 1. Enrollment is limited, and students will be notified of acceptance by March 10. Students will register for two three-credit courses through the University of Arizona. Summer tuition at the University of Arizona is identical for in-state and out-of-state students, and students from all colleges and universities are encouraged to apply. University tuition and fee rates for Summer 2011 have not yet been set; 2010 summer rates were $550.50 per credit hour for undergraduates and $616.50 per credit hour for graduate students. There is an additional $700 special course fee, which helps to defray the costs associated with the field school. Three scholarships covering the $700 course fee will be awarded based on academic achievement, letter of recommendation, previous experience, and application essay quality.