The City of Mesa Plans to Open Interpretive Park for Mesa Grande

The City of Mesa Plans to Open Interpretive Park for Mesa Grande
Once the center of a thriving, powerful Hohokam village, the Mesa Grande ruins may be available for regular public viewing for the first time this winter when the Arizona Museum of Natural History opens a long-anticipated “welcoming center” at the site.  The site is Mesa’s only Arizona Centennial project, and the small center represents the culmination of a 30-year quest by Mesa archaeologist Jerry Howard to preserve the ruins and open them to public access, despite indifference and a chronic lack of funding aggravated by the state budget crisis. http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/2011/07/03/20110703mesa-grande-ruins-open-public.html

NPR’s Ira Flatow and Dr. Solveig Turpin Discuss Archaic Rock Art Along Texas Border
When you think of the Texas-Mexico border, you probably think about the desert, the border fence, immigration. But does art ever come to mind? Well, in today’s debates about the border, you don’t often hear about this. But the borderlands are a treasure trove of archaeological history. Along the Rio Grande, the river that separates Texas and Mexico, in hidden rock shelters, under cliff overhangs, you can find hundreds of mysterious drawings of humans and animals. The area has one of the highest concentrations of archaic rock art in all of North America. I bet you didn’t know that.  http://www.npr.org/2011/07/08/137704350/archaic-texan-rock-art-reveals-prehistoric-culture?ft=1&f=1007

2011 Leupp Kiln Conference Invitation
Although there was no Kiln Conference in 2010, thanks to the initiative of Jo Ann Weldon and Bob Casias, we would like to announce that the 2011 Leupp Kiln Conference will be held at Pecos National Historic Park, New Mexico on July 29-31. http://leuppkilnconferenceorg.web.officelive.com/default.aspx

Hiking Opportunity – BLM El Malpais Ranger-led Hike Explores 1000 Years in Cebolla Canyon
On July 23,  Join us near Grants NM, for an off-trail exploration of land occupied over 1000 years, a mesa-top site with stunning views, rock art with solsticial marker, and numerous seldom-visited structures spanning an amazing period. Ponder the climatic, cultural, political, agricultural, and ecological swings of the peoples of the southwest. Immerse yourself in the beauty of wild life and wild flowers in Wilderness atop 90 million year old shores. Leave with foresty feelings and that glow of spending a day in nature. 505.289.3308 or see https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/sat/1000_yrs_in_Cebolla_Cyn-_ 7-23-11.doc

Video Essay – Trails of the Canyons of the Ancients
Colorado’s Canyons of the Ancients National Monument is a place where you can still explore without having to step over the ropes. Designated in 2000 as a monument to cultural and natural history, CANM allows and encourages its visitors to wonder through time, with little more than curiosity to guide them. http://www.newwest.net/adventure/article/video_essay_canyon_of_the_ancients_cortez_colorado/C620/L41/

Lecture Opportunity – Tucson
Ronald Towner will present “Tree-Rings, Documents, and Oral Histories in Cebolla Creek, NM” at the Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society July Lecture, 18 July, DuVal Auditorium (inside UMC),  1501 N. Campbell Ave. The Cebolla Creek area of west-central New Mexico is an isolated area of lava flows, pinyon-juniper forests, and flat valley bottoms that is part of the El Malpais National Conservation Area.  Completely depopulated today, in the early 20th century the area was home to Navajo, Hispanic, and Anglo populations who hunted, gathered, and farmed the canyon’s resources.  Research over the past five years has illuminated aspects of interaction and land-use by these groups during a critical time in New Mexico’s history. http://www.az-arch-and-hist.org/2010/09/ronald-h-towner-tree-rings-documents-and-oral-histories-in-cebolla-creek-new-mexico/

On the 100th Anniversary of the Rediscovery of Machu Picchu, Archaeologists Express Concern for Preservation
Tourists love the enigmatic Inca citadel of Machu Picchu high in Peru’s Andes. They may love it too much. As the country prepares to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the rediscovery of the “Lost City of the Incas” on Thursday, archaeologists are warning that a heavy flow of visitors and poor administration are threatening one of the wonders of the world. http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=48903