Dear Friends,
Earlier this week we had a small staff meeting of folks who are responsible for our long-running and beloved Archaeology Café series. We met in the library of the Bates Mansion complex, our wonderfully charismatic headquarters here in Tucson, where it has been brutally hot already.
The library reeks of scholarship! The shelves are lined with archaeological books from decades gone by; there is nothing to replace the smell of books, at least in my mind. It gets my intellectual juices flowing, and frankly brings up strong feelings of nostalgia for a research life in a pre-internet age.
We gathered to discuss the 2024–2025 Archaeology Café series, and you heard it here first: Change is coming! Not in substance or style, but in location—the Loft Theatre, which has hosted us for years, is undergoing renovations this fall and as a result is not yet taking bookings for the spring, so we are in search of a new home.
Rest assured, our team knows what you love about Archaeology Café because we love the same things. A chance to hear from great scholars and public speakers. A place to mingle, break bread, and have a drink with fellow archaeology lovers. An event that leaves us smarter and with more ideas and questions to pursue. And, of course, a place that is conveniently located with lots of parking! We are currently in negotiations with a great venue, and we’ll announce the location soon.
Following on the great success of our series on birds, the 2024–2025 season is going to be focused on archaeological and anthropological insights into the relationships between dogs and humans. Archaeologist R.E. Burillo of the Bureau of Land Management is helping organize the speakers, most of whom will contribute to an issue of Archaeology Southwest Magazine on the subject. It’s going to be great, and Kate Sarther, our communications director, has some great marketing activities lined up that will really help us get the word out.
Mark your calendars for October 1, November 5, December 3, 2024, and February 4, March 4, and April 1, 2025.
Until next week,
Steve Nash
President & CEO, Archaeology Southwest
Crow Canyon Welcomes Theresa Pasqual as EVP of Indigenous Affairs
Crow Canyon Archaeological Center has named Theresa A. Pasqual as Executive Vice President (EVP) of Indigenous Affairs. Ms. Pasqual is the first to hold this new leadership position with the nonprofit organization. She joins the Executive Team to work with the Board of Trustees and stakeholders to set the strategic direction of Indigenous Affairs for the organization, with emphasis on integration of Indigenous knowledge and interests into administration, programming, and research, as well as setting long- and near-term vision and goals for the organization. … A Tribally Enrolled Member of Acoma Pueblo, Ms. Pasqual brings more than 20 years of experience in management of cultural, archaeological, and historical resources, and coordination with tribal, federal, state, and local governments and nonprofit organizations. Crow Canyon Archaeological Center | Read more »
Arizona State Museum Honors Repatriation Obligations under Challenging Circumstances
The museum has been in desperate need of more space to do its repatriation work, but the university and the Arizona Board of Regents, the decision-maker for university resources, has failed to implement promised improvements, according to records and interviews. Without adequate resources of its own, the museum has relied on federal grants, relationships with federal agencies and private donations to accomplish its repatriation work. These efforts have been time-consuming but successful in repatriating large numbers of Native American remains and artifacts, according to records journalists reviewed. The investigation also found the museum has been successful in fostering meaningful dialogue and consultation with Arizona tribes, a central goal of NAGPRA. Reagan Priest and Christopher Lomahquahu (Cronkite News/Howard Center) in Indian Country Today | Read more »
The Great Bend of the Gila from the Air
“If you look to your right, there is the Fortaleza. And that is a historical site for us. That’s where we have dwellings, up there. And not so many years—this was in the ‘40s—before the land was taken from us, people would live there. And then they moved us into a little 40 acre [garbled] south of that. Um, you have a lot of petroglyphs out there, burial sites. … Um, I heard your question to this gentleman here about you feel when you go out there. We’re still out there, so we’re still here. We still use that,” said [Tara] Ortiz. That person whose question Ortiz says she heard, I realize that’s me. I make a note to ask her some questions as soon as we’re on the ground. “I’m from the San Lucy District Council, of the Tohono O’odham Nation,” Ortiz said. Sam Dingman for KJZZ Fronteras Desk (public radio) | Read more or listen now »
Continuing Coverage: Tribes, Co-Litigants Appeal to 9th Circuit to Reconsider SunZia Case
Arizona tribes are appealing the dismissal of their legal challenge against a massive electric transmission line that they claim would threaten important historical sites in the San Pedro Valley. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal will now weigh in on whether the Tohono O’odham Nation, San Carlos Apache Tribe and other challengers had grounds to oppose the 550-mile SunZia line. Last week, Judge Jennifer Zipps of the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona ruled that the tribes, along with the Center for Biological Diversity and Archaeology Southwest, had waited too long to file their challenge against the project, which is designed to provide about 3 million customers in California and Arizona with mostly renewable power. Niina H. Farah for E&E News | Read this excerpt (remainder behind paywall) »
Robin Silver, a co-founder of the Center for Biological Diversity, rejected the judge’s treatment of the statute of limitations. “It did time out with respect to the National Environmental Policy Act,” Silver said in an interview. “But the tribes, in particular, have been waiting to be consulted under the National Historic Preservation Act for years. … They’ve been waiting, and it never happened … that’s the major point of appeal.” Silver is concerned about the precedent the case could set for other large-scale energy and mining projects. “If [the order] stands then it means that the Bureau of Land Management and any federal agency can then just continue to play shell games with tribes and not obey the law to the letter,” Silver said. Garrett Hering in S&P Global | Read more »
“Your House Was Built over the Court Street Cemetery”
Some homeowners in the Dunbar Spring neighborhood of Tucson had no idea their homes were built on top of a cemetery when they purchased their properties near the intersection of Stone Avenue and Speedway Boulevard. One of those is Moses Thompson, who bought his home in 2006. … But for people like Thompson and [archaeologist Homer] Thiel, the history is part of what makes the neighborhood so special. Thiel gives tours of it to keep the history alive. “I like to find out the stories of the forgotten people—not the famous people but the people that nobody remembers,” Thiel said. Thompson maintains a shrine in his front yard to make sure the people of the past are not forgotten. Bridget Dowd for KJZZ (public radio) | Read more or listen now »
Reflections on the First Anniversary of the Chaco Protection Zone
On the one-year anniversary of the administrative withdrawal of Federal lands in the 10-mile zone around Chaco Canyon to protect its cultural resources from oil & gas drilling, I reflect on this hard-won victory. I am grateful to everyone who spoke up to #ProtectChaco and to @POTUS & @Interior for listening. As I look ahead, I see these next steps that must happen in order to protect the Greater Chaco Landscape. Paul F. Reed for the Preservation Archaeology blog (Archaeology Southwest) | Read more »
Video: Clays Used in Indigenous Pottery
With Andy Ward. “In which I show how the native clays of the American Southwest are used to make the beautiful traditional pottery from this region.” Andy Ward’s Ancient Pottery | Watch now »
June Subscription Lectures (Santa Fe NM)
June 24, Scott Ortman and Robert Weiner, Continuity and Rupture in Pueblo Ritual Landscapes from the Chaco World to the Rio Grande Valley. Monday evenings, 6:00 p.m., Hotel Santa Fe, $20 at the door or $55 for the June series. Southwest Seminars | Learn more »
June 14 In-Person Event (Albuquerque NM): Film Screening of “Written on the Landscape”
With Anna Sofaer and Petuuche Gilbert, presented by the Solstice Project and New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, cosponsored by New Mexico Academy of Science, at New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science, 1801 Mountain Road NW, 6:30 p.m., $8. This third film in Anna Sofaer’s Chaco Canyon film trilogy follows her exploration of the Chaco Canyon world of magnificent architecture that flourished 1,000 years ago across 70,000 square miles of the American Southwest. It blends stories from Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars to tell the story of an ancient culture with relevance for contemporary society—both cultures, in the words of Petuuche Gilbert (Pueblo of Acoma), having the choice between the good and the bad, between power used with wisdom, and power capable of destroying the world. After this premiere the film will be broadcast to the public by New Mexico’s PBS station KNME at 7 p.m. MDT on June 20. New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science | Learn more »
REMINDER: June 17 Online Event: Equity, Access, and Public Lands
This event highlights the importance of raising civic engagement and awareness for greater equity and access in our public spaces. We will explore the significance of advocating for the preservation and restoration of public lands. Through insightful discussions and inspiring talks, learn how you can support the movement towards inclusivity and environmental justice. Let’s come together to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy and protect our natural heritage. Black Voice News and Conservation Lands Foundation | Learn more and register (free) »
REMINDER: June 17 Online Event: What’s in a Symbol? A Look at Hohokam Art and Imagery
With Linda Gregonis. All cultures use symbols to convey ideas. In archaeological contexts, those symbols have become ways to define and differentiate archaeological cultures. But what did the symbols mean to the artisans who created them? The art that Hohokam craftspeople produced embodied the world (seen and unseen) as they understood it. They were influenced by weather, animals they encountered, plants they grew and used, pilgrimages they made, other people they met, and their ancestors. They translated their experiences into art, creating iconic motifs that were shared across a wide region. Using objects, design elements, and motifs that were made and used during the pre-Classic period (circa 600-1150 CE), Linda Gregonis will discuss how the Hohokam may have used symbols on different media including pottery, shell, stone, and rock surfaces to define group identity and express their view of the world. Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society | Learn more and register (free) »
June 18 Online and In-Person Event (Colorado Springs CO): History of the Baca National Wildlife Refuge
With Jen Kolise. Nestled against the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the northeastern portion of San Luis Valley, the Baca National Wildlife Refuge is a haven for migratory birds and resident wildlife. Established in the early 2000s, the Refuge protects important cultural, ecological, and natural resources in the valley. Due to its rich and diverse natural resources—including grasslands, wet meadows, and riparian corridors—this area has been home to human populations for over 12,000 years. Of more recent note, the Refuge includes 44,500 acres of the original 100,000-acre Baca Land Grant No. 4 that was granted to Luis Maria Baca in 1862. In 2023, the Baca Ranch Rural Historic Landscape was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. This rural historic landscape includes multiple historic buildings, along with historic agricultural lands. The Colorado Archaeological Society, Pikes Peak Chapter | Learn more »
REMINDER: June 20 Online Event: The Gypsum Overlook Paleo-Archaic Archaeological Site in New Mexico’s White Sands
With Matthew Cuba. Excavations at this site identified ca. 8,800-year-old habitation structures, hearths, and flaked and ground stone artifacts—one of the earliest records of Paleoindian-to-Archaic transition period housing and ground stone in the Southwest. Third Thursday Food for Thought series (Old Pueblo Archaeology Center) | Learn more and register (free) »
June 27 Online Event: Wild Food and Cuisine
With Reyna Banteah and Katrina Blair. Wild-food and cultivated plants are found everywhere on the globe alongside human civilizations. They follow our footsteps impeccably, as humans create niches for them to grow through disturbance and careful cultivation. In return, they provide the life force needed to do our work, while we enjoy taste sensations of creative cuisine. This presentation offers perspectives from two women who are passionate about sustainable food pathways in both pristine environments and in our backyards. We explore the ethics of gathering, learn about essential nutrients, and how cuisine with wild foods boosts our vitality, provides our medicine, and feeds our souls. Crow Canyon Archaeological Center | Learn more and register (free) »
July 13 In-Person Tour (Tucson AZ): Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill and Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research
With archaeologists Paul and Suzanne Fish and the Tumamoc Lab’s Robert Villa and Lynne Schepartz, then to the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research (since 1937) to tour its facilities with docent Donna MacEachern. Tour meets at the Mercado San Agustín, 100 S. Avenida del Convento, Tucson.7:45 a.m.–12:30 p.m., $35 prepaid reservation. Old Pueblo Archaeology Center | Learn more »
Remember to send us notice of upcoming webinars and Zoom lectures, tours and workshops, and anything else you’d like to share with the Friends. Thanks!