The Original American Revolution

The Original American Revolution
The Pueblo Revolt is a complicated narrative. However this narrative, though it is complex, came up in a protest by a group of Native people on the Santa Fe Plaza on Friday, September 11. The peaceful demonstration was held by over a dozen people holding signs during the Entrada, the annual re-enactment of conquistador Don Diego de Vargas and his cuadrilla arriving on horseback to negotiate the resettlement of Santa Fe and, essentially, the surrender of the Pueblo people. As the main event of the Fiesta de Santa Fe – and termed The Bloodless Reconquest of Santa Fe – one can see the potential for conflict in a small community over its history and who wrote it. The ‘bloodless reconquest’ took place 12 years after the Pueblo Revolt, in which 400 Spanish colonists, including 21 priests, were killed and Santa Fe was besieged by 2,000 Pueblo warriors. http://bit.ly/1PYvjDH – Indian Country Today

Wright House, Wrong Place?
Things were heated at a neighborhood meeting to discuss the future of a historic Valley home. The focus is the last residential masterpiece ever built by Frank Lloyd Wright. Developers want to expand it. Some neighbors say it’s fine the way it is. “The notion that they have signs saying ‘Wright House, Wrong Place’ is probably a really bad idea by some consulting PR company that doesn’t understand Arizona’s history and culture,” said Chuck Coughlin, a consultant for the developer looking to restore the Wright home near Camelback and 54th St. in Phoenix’s Arcadia neighborhood. http://bit.ly/1MT9UeH – AZ Family.com

Looking at the Human Past of the Upper Rio Grande Valley
Living in the Taos area it would be hard to not have some familiarity with the region’s archaeology. Black on white pottery shards are ubiquitous and easily recognizable. Projectile points and other stone tools are frequently seen in shadow boxes. The Taos Pueblo, whose architecture is characteristic of Native peoples throughout the Southwest, is the nation’s oldest continuously inhabited community dating back at least 600 years ago. But the Upper Río Grande Valley has seen seasonal influxes of nomadic tribes and bands for roughly 10,000 years. The artifacts they left behind are evidence of their presence, and they provide some indications of their way of life as it changed and evolved over time. http://bit.ly/1VxmyaK – Taos News

Petroglyphs of the Taos Region
Down in the Río Grande Gorge just a little south of Taos and near the southern end of the Río Grande del Norte National Monument is the Taos Junction Bridge. A few steps past that is Vista Verde trail, an unassuming footpath in an otherwise brilliant landscape. There, an ancient and deep past lies almost hidden in plain sight. Under the blazing New Mexican sun, they are almost impossible to see. But with a little cloud cover, these markings — petroglyphs — come to life. Petroglyphs are symbols, images and sometimes words carved, pecked and scratched into the black basalt of Taos’ volcanic flows and rifts. Some are dots and lines, others clearly human. Still others detail down to the day when a particular Spanish settler made their way through the Gorge. http://bit.ly/1M9JZwh – Taos News

Troubling Developments in Montezuma County
Montezuma County officials are pushing back after being presented a preliminary BLM map that includes the county in a proposed master leasing plan for oil-and-gas development. During a tense exchange with BLM officials, county commissioners expressed concerns that the additional planning could lead to more regulations and stifle new business. http://bit.ly/1PYxbfU – Cortez Journal

Archaeology Southwest’s Archaeology Café (Phoenix): Pan-Regional Exchange Systems and High-Status Goods
In 2015–2016, we feature presenters who will explain the “so what?” of their findings. Accordingly, we encourage audiences to consider not only the past, but also their own place in our human story. On October 20, 2015, Arthur Vokes (Arizona State Museum) will present Pan-Regional Exchange Systems and High-Status Goods. We meet in the Aztec Room of Macayo’s Central, 4001 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, near the Indian School light rail stop. Presentations begin after 6:00 p.m. It is best to arrive at about 5:30 p.m. in order to get settled, as seating is open and unreserved, but limited. Share tables and make new friends! http://bit.ly/1iWzzZt – Archaeology Southwest

One Man’s Connection to the Past Leads to a Lifelong Exploration of the Ancient Southwest
Ruins attract rodents, rodents attract snakes, and king, pine and corn snakes were what we were looking for, so we crawled around and picked apart a lot of rubble. We didn’t know that many of the crumbled buildings we upended were remnants of glass-blowing, brick-making and iron works dating back to the American Revolution and Civil War eras. The Pine Barrens contained bog iron in its swamps, and that was the source of cannon balls fired at British troops. When iron ore and coal were found together in Pennsylvania the industry shifted, and South Jersey became a glass-making center. We sometimes found intact, hand-made little bottles, treasures then, even if we didn’t understand their significance.  Those were my first experiences with archaeology, although I didn’t even know the word then. http://bit.ly/1PdxFR4 – Popular Archaeology

The Historic Preservation of Outhouses
At a time when life could be harsh in the American Southwest, outhouses served more than one important role. They provided structure, protected water resources and created important social norms, a New Mexico professor says. Many of the aging wooden structures still dot the landscape in the region and across the Great Plains. Richard Melzer, a University of New Mexico-Valencia history professor, wants to see the iconic buildings preserved before they’re gone from the memory and legacy of the Old West. http://abcn.ws/1OdouiB – ABC News

Lecture Opportunity – Albuquerque
As part of its La Canoa Series, the National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC) will be sponsoring the talk Arreglos entre vecinos: Foundations of Community in the Rio Arriba, by Jose Rivera on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 6:00 p.m., at the History & Literary Arts Research Library, 701 4th St. SW, Albuquerque, NM (NE side of the Plaza Mayor in the center of the NHCC campus).

Reminder: The Return of Archaeology Southwest’s Archaeology Café (Tucson)—Big Data and Big Questions
In 2015–2016, we feature presenters who will explain the “so what?” of their findings. Accordingly, we encourage audiences to consider not only the past, but also their own place in our human story. On October 6, 2015, Jeffrey Ferguson (University of Missouri) will present Big Data and Big Questions: The Archaeometry Laboratory at the University of Missouri Research Reactor. Presentations begin after 6:00 p.m. It is best to arrive before 5:30 p.m., as seating is open and unreserved, but limited. Share tables and make new friends! http://bit.ly/1Qy2GxL – Archaeology Southwest

Lecture Opportunity – Cortez
As part of the Four Corners Lecture Series, the Hisatsinom Chapter of the Colorado Archaeology Society is pleased to present Chuck LaRue and Laurie Webster on October 6, 7:00 p.m. at the Sunflower Theatre, 8 E. Main St., Cortez, CO, to discuss Ancient Woodworking, Animal Use, and Hunting Practices in Southeastern Utah: New Insights from the Study of Early Perishable Collections. Chuck and Laurie will discuss some of the over 1,500 perishable artifacts from Cedar Mesa that have been “re-excavated” from museum collections as a part of the Cedar Mesa Perishables Project. Contact Kari Schleher at 505-269-4475 with questions.

Lecture Opportunity – Durango
Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance presents Dan Simplicio, Cultural Specialist for Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, on Tuesday, October 13, 7:00 p.m., at the Anasazi Heritage Center in Dolores, CO. Prior to the passage of NAGPRA in 1990, the Zuni Pueblo has long been involved in the repatriation of sacred objects. Repatriation of human remains has been an ongoing dilemma, however, due to cultural and religious beliefs. Mechanisms to offer solutions have been applied on a small scale and, hopefully, will result in the return of thousands of individual remains. This is a free event. Please contact Diane McBride at 970-560-1643 or diane.mcbride@swcocanyons.org for more information.

Lecture Opportunity- Grand Junction
On Friday, October 16, the Grand Junction Chapter of the Colorado Archaeological Society (CAS-GJ) and the Museums of Western Colorado will welcome Kevin Black, Colorado’s Assistant State Archaeologist, to make a presentation, More Than Just a Pretty Rock: Cherts and Jaspers in Central Colorado. The 6:00 p.m. event is open to the public. Admission is free for CAS-GJ or Museum members; $5 for non-members. It will be held at the Whitman Education Center, 462 Ute Ave., in Grand Junction. For more information, see the CAS-GJ website at http://bit.ly/1PHPeXo.

Learning Opportunity – Grand Junction
Saturday and Sunday, October 17 & 18, the Colorado Archaeological Society (CAS-GJ) and the Museums of Western Colorado will host a class offered through the State of Colorado’s Program for Avocational Archaeological Certification (PAAC). The 12-hour introductory class is Archaeological Practice in Colorado. The $20 class, taught by Colorado’s Assistant State Archaeologist, Kevin Black, is open to the public. No prior archaeology knowledge or experience is necessary. Pre-registration is required by October 6. Register on the Museum’s website – http://bit.ly/1jIb96M. For more information 970-433-4312, CASGJinfo@gmail.com or http://bit.ly/1PHPeXo.

Lecture Opportunity – Santa Fe
Southwest Seminars Presents Dr. Nicole Waguespack, Associate Professor of Archaeology, University of Wyoming and Author, “Early Paleo-Indian,  from Colonization to Folsom,” in Oxford Handbook of North American Archaeology. Dr. Waguespack will give a lecture Clovis Subsistence, Pleistocene Overkill and Diet Breadth Models on October 12, 6:00 p.m., at Hotel Santa Fe, as part of the Native Culture Matters Lecture Series. Admission is by subscription or $12 at the door. No reservations are necessary and refreshments are served. Seating is limited. Contact Connie Eichstaedt,  505 466-2775, email: southwest seminar@aol.com. http://bit.ly/YhJddr – Southwest Seminars

Lecture Opportunity – Taos
The Taos Archaeological Society is pleased to present Matthew Barbour, Manager of Jemez Springs Historic Site (Giusewa Pueblo/San Jose de los Jemez Mission) in Jemez Springs, NM, who will lecture on Coronado, Onate, and the Mixton War, 1540–1542, on Tuesday, October 13, at 7:00 p.m., at the Kit Carson Electric Board Room, 118 Cruz Alta Road, Taos.  Contact Chris Riveles @ 575-776-1005 for questions or further information.

Hands-On Archaeology: Learn How to Build an Atlatl – Tucson
In this class, Allen Denoyer will teach you how to make a replica atlatl and an expedient dart. Hunters in the distant past used the atlatl to propel the dart and shaft.
Saturday, 10/24/15, from 9:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m., $50.00. Patterned after archaeological examples known from the Southwest, our atlatls will be made of oak. Our darts will be very simple, so that participants have a dart to shoot when they leave the class. For the most part, participants will use stone tools, though we may employ modern hand tools in the interest of timeliness. Note that this class will require lots of hands-on carving work, making it hard on the hands. Please bring work gloves. http://bit.ly/1KUqzh3 – Archaeology Southwest

Lecture Opportunity – Tucson
As part of the Western Parks and Monuments Association’s Emil Haury Lecture Series, on Tuesday, October 13, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology Patricia L. Crown will present Old Sites, New Insights: Returning to Snaketown and Pueblo Bonito. The talk will be held in the Center for English as a Second Language, Room 103 on the University of Arizona campus. For more information visit wnpa.org, or call Susan at 520-789-7405.

Lecture Opportunity – Tucson
The Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society (AAHS) is pleased to present Chuck LaRue and Dr. Laurie Webster on Monday, October 19, 7:30 p.m., in the University Medical Center’s Duval Auditorium (1500 N Campbell Ave, Tucson 85724), who will discuss Ancient Woodworking, Animal Use, and Hunting Practices in Southeastern Utah: New Insights from the Study of Early Perishable Collections. Meetings are free and open to the public. For more information, contact John D. Hall at jhall@sricrm.com with questions about this or any other AAHS program. http://bit.ly/1uhONZh – AAHS

Lecture Opportunity – Winslow
Jim West, of the Archaeological Conservancy, will speak on the topic, The Archaeological Conservancy, Saving Arizona Archaeological Sites for over 30 Years. Jim is the SW Regional Director and Vice President of The Archaeological Conservancy in Albuquerque. He has worked for the organization since 1981. Jim holds a BA in Anthropology and an MBA in Marketing, from The University of New Mexico, as well as extensive experience and education in real estate and cultural resource management, which makes him ideally suited for the work he does now. The Homolovi Chapter of the Arizona Archaeology Society meets at the Winslow Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center (Historic Lorenzo Hubbell Trading Post), 523 W. Second St, Winslow, AZ, the second Wednesday of the month. You can also join us for dinner at 5:00 p.m. at the Historic La Posada Turquoise Room (on your own tab).

Thanks to Brian Kreimendahl for contributions to this week’s newsletter.