The Chaco Landscape Is Too Important to Lose

Chaco Canyon Might Lack the Monumentality of Egyptian Pyramids, but the Chaco Landscape Is Too Important to Lose
In Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, it is still possible to wander the maze of rooms of an ancestral Puebloan village erected roughly 1,000 years ago. Visitors use the same staircases and duck through the same T-shaped doorways as residents did at the time. A jigsaw puzzle of rocks form walls that stand several feet thick and multiple stories tall. Where rooftops are gone, windows now let in glimpses of sky. It’s a simultaneous experience of vast space and marvelous connection. http://bit.ly/2yUtJVo – The Guardian

Fast Track for Fossil Fuels: Abandon Years of Planning to Open the Taps
Currently, thousands of acres of BLM land across La Plata and Montezuma counties are in limbo awaiting the federal agency to complete its Master Leasing Plan. But, with the MLP no longer required, that acreage could suddenly be eligible for the auction block. Some of those acres are adjacent to Mesa Verde National Park and Phil’s World, out-side Cortez. Under the MLP, these two locations – considered essential to the area’s economic health – would have received extra care, guidance and protection. http://bit.ly/2yT4Yc1 – Durango Telegraph

How to Wreck Public Participation in Resource Exploitation
A master leasing plan to further regulate oil and gas in Southwest Colorado has not been approved by the federal government, despite an announcement in December that it was, according to officials with the Bureau of Land Management. http://bit.ly/2mg0ypK – Cortez Journal

Editorial: The President Is Attacking Teddy Roosevelt’s Legacy
President Trump, ever intent on expunging the legacy of Barack Obama, is on the verge of undermining the priceless conservation vision of Theodore Roosevelt as well. After ordering a review of 27 national monuments last spring, Mr. Trump is reported to have decided to greatly shrink two monuments covering millions of acres in Utah, weakening strict federal protections and reopening vast areas to possible commercial use. http://nyti.ms/2mjoGYT – New York Times

Steve Lekson on Mimbres History and Politics Then and Now at the Next Tucson Archaeology Café
On Tuesday, December 5, 2017, Dr. Steve Lekson visits Tucson to explore the roles modern history and politics have played in our understanding of the 11th century societies of southwestern New Mexico. Lekson recently completed a study of Chaco archaeology framed by the history and politics of “Pueblo Space” – an idealized image of Pueblos, crafted in Santa Fe in the early 20th century and thereafter applied to archaeology. Mimbres – the 11th century societies of southwestern New Mexico – provides an interesting comparison. Archaeology Café is held at The Loft Cinema (3233 E. Speedway Blvd). Due to the expected attendance, we’ve added a second “showing” that evening to accommodate more Café-goers. Lekson will speak at 6 p.m. and again at 7:30 p.m. that evening. While seating is open and unreserved, it is limited to 98 guests for each showing, and you must have a ticket. You can pick up your free tickets from The Loft Cinema box office anytime the day of the Café. (Limit two tickets per person.) Archaeology Café is free. Guests are encouraged to purchase their own refreshments from The Loft’s impressive concession bar. Offerings include tamales, pizza, wraps, sandwiches, snacks, and a great selection of local beers and wines. http://bit.ly/2miZXUx – Archaeology Southwest

Sapiens Looks at Dendrochronology
Because of dendrochronology, or the study of “tree time,” we know when the young lumberjack cut down the juniper and when he and his construction-worker friends repaired what archaeologists now call Kiva D at Spring House in present-day Mesa Verde National Park. And as a result of nearly a century of collaboration between archaeologists and dendrochronologists, there are now 4,348 tree-ring dates available from 143 sites at Mesa Verde. We definitively know that most of the cliff dwellings were built and used in the 13th century. And when we look at the tree-ring dates decade by decade, some intriguing patterns emerge… http://bit.ly/2mipDRc – Steve Nash via Sapiens

Senator Heinrich Advocates for Protection of Tribal Objects
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., continued his push on Capitol Hill for legislation that would prohibit the exporting of sacred Native American items. Standing before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on Wednesday, Heinrich introduced the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony Act of 2017, or STOP Act. The bill looks to increase penalties for illegally trafficking tribal, cultural patrimony, in addition to explicitly prohibiting the exporting of these objects. It also looks to establish a federal policy that encourages the voluntary return of these items from private collections. http://bit.ly/2yTs8z7 – KOB4

Audio Link: Take Me Out to Dig Up the Ballgame
The 2017 baseball season is now history, as the Astros beat the Dodgers in the World Series. But, there’s a different kind of history being discovered at Warren Ballpark in Bisbee. A team led by archaeologist Robert Schon is doing an excavation at the park, which dates back to 1909 — to get a sense of what life was like for the fans who took themselves out to the ballgame over the past century-plus. Schon is an associate professor of Archaeology at the University of Arizona. http://bit.ly/2yUmLj8 – KJZZ.org

An Ultramarathon through Canyon de Chelly
The Canyon de Chelly Ultra on the Navajo reservation tests hearts, minds and legs on a treacherous, 34-mile path up 1,000 feet, to finish “in beauty.” http://nyti.ms/2mkRvns – New York Times

Related Content: Teachers’ Resources for Exploring Running through the Heart of Navajo – http://nyti.ms/2mkShkm

Arizona Archaeology Expo Planning Meeting
Please join us for the 3rd Archaeology Expo Planning meeting. This meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 14 at 10 am at the Arizona Museum of Natural History, located at 53 N. Macdonald in downtown Mesa. We will continue to discuss the planning efforts for the upcoming Arizona Archaeology Expo which is scheduled for March 10, 2018 at the Museum. All are welcome to attend. Teleconferencing options are available for this meeting for our out of town partners. Any questions about the planning meet or the Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month, please contact Kris Powell at 602-542-7141 or kpowell@azstateparks.gov.

Lecture Opportunity – Grand Junction
Colorado Archaeological Society Grand Junction chapter meets in Grand Junction Monday, November 13. The meeting is at 6:30 PM, at Redlands United Methodist Church 527 Village Way. This month’s speaker is Manti-LaSal National Forest archaeologist Charmaine Thompson whose topic will be “Big Fuss About a Small Pot:  The Mickelsen Pot from Central Utah.” The meeting is open to the public and a small donation is appreciated. ​For more information call 970-433-4312 or visit http://www.cas-gjEvents.org.​

Lecture Opportunity – Santa Fe
Southwest Seminars Presents Dr. Chris Fisher, Archaeologist and Professor, Colorado State University; Recipient, Gordon R. Willey Prize, American Anthropological Association; Co-Author, Identifying Settlement Patterns in the Mosquitia Region of Honduras, who will give lecture The Lost City of the Monkey God on November 20 at 6 pm at Hotel Santa Fe. Admission by subscription or $15 at the door. No reservations are necessary. Refreshments are served. Seating is limited. Contact Connie Eichstaedt tel: 505 466-2775; email: southwestseminar@aol.com; website: southwestseminars.org

Thanks to Cherie Freeman and Brian Kreimendahl for the continued support of Southwest Archaeology Today.