Archaeological Insight on Modern Mexican Migration

Archaeological Insight on Modern Mexican Migration
Jason de Leon regularly traipses the deserts of the American southwest, in search of artifacts and information that could help him understand how Mexican migrants move across the border and into the United States. In the process, he’s trying to understand how the harsh conditions impact what he finds. http://www.pri.org/stories/politics-society/archaeologist-studying-real-time-history-of-mexican-migrants.html

Border Patrol Continues to Encounter Ancient Objects
U.S. Border Patrol agents have discovered multiple artifacts during a patrol in the rugged Patagonia Mountains of southern Arizona. Customs and Border Protection said Tuesday that agents patrolling last week on foot south of Patagonia, Ariz., found an intact ancient pot and a piece of another pot. Officials say both items were made of clay and appeared weathered. http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_central_southern_az/tucson/Border-Patrol-Agents-find-artifacts-in-Patagonia-Mountains-of-southern-Arizona#ixzz29JvsN02p

Symposium Announcement – Celebrate Cedar Mesa
The “Celebrate Cedar Mesa!” symposium, sponsored by the Friends of Cedar Mesa, will take place from 9:00 to 5:00 on Saturday, Nov. 10,  at the Arts and Events Center on the Utah State University branch campus in Blanding, Utah (639 W 100 S). It will provide new research results and perspectives on the outstanding archaeological, historical, cultural heritage, and scenic resources of the Cedar Mesa region. The symposium is open to all at no charge. Those planning to attend are encouraged to register in advance at http://www.cedarmesafriends.org

Leaving San Marcos Was a Mistake for Friar Juan de Santa Maria
For several seasons beginning in 1999, New York’s National Museum of the American Indian carried out excavations at the mounded ruins of San Marcos Pueblo. The village was located on a shelf above the San Marcos Arroyo, a dozen miles below the southern outskirts of modern Santa Fe.  n the second half of 1581, San Marcos was visited by a very small Spanish expedition, composed of three Franciscan friars — Francisco López, Juan de Santa María and Augustín Rodríguez — plus eight soldiers serving as a protective escort. http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/101312traildust#.UHtMRMVUWHc

DNA Determined to Have a “Half-life” of 521 Years
By studying ancient fossilized bones, researchers, led by Morten Allentoft at the University of Copenhagen and Michael Bunce at Murdoch University in Australia, found that the genetic material needed to clone a dinosaur, known as DNA, has a half-life of 521 years. That means that in any given bone or fossil half of the atomic bonds that hold molecules of DNA together are broken in 521 years. Then, after another 521 years, another half degrades. http://www.businessinsider.com/we-will-never-have-jurassic-park-2012-10#ixzz29JwbCtCW

San Diego State Archaeologist Finds History On Campus
When archaeologist Seth Mallios interviewed for a professor’s job at San Diego State, he mentioned that someday he’d like to dig into the school’s history.  The other people in the room laughed. “There’s nothing to dig here,” he remembers one of the faculty members saying. “There’s no history.” A part of Mallios wanted to argue — “There’s history everywhere,” he said — but a bigger part decided to bite his tongue and bide his time. Smart decision: He got hired. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/oct/10/tp-san-diego-state-archaeologist-digs-into-local/

Video Presentation – Reflections and Reminiscences: Women Anthropologists in the Southwest – Tempe
Come view Nancy Parezo’s video documentary, Reflections + Reminiscences: Women Anthropologists in the Southwest, which uncovers the identity of hidden scholars, i.e., unrecognized women anthropologists, working in the American Southwest.  http://asuevents.asu.edu/reflections-and-reminiscences-women-anthropologists-southwest

Auction Opportunity – Tucson, AZ 
The Arizona State Museum and the Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society co-present the two-day sale of a substantial bequest from the estate of the eminent anthropologist Dr. Richard B. Woodbury and his wife, Nathalie, at the Arizona State Museum (1013 E. University Blvd.). Friday, 26 October: Sale, silent auction, reception 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Saturday, 27 October: All day sale 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. An estimated 5000 volumes of books along with more than 150 pieces of Native pottery, jewelry, paintings, rugs, and baskets from their extensive personal collection are available.  On Friday night, rare and high-end objects and books will be up for bid in a silent auction and the ASM director emeritus Dr. Raymond H. Thompson will present a tribute to the Woodburys, his lifelong friends. Proceeds benefit ASM library acquisitions and collections storage upgrades. Contact Arizona State Museum @ 520-621-2079 with questions about this event. Covered parking available one block from the museum at Euclid & Second or Tyndall & Fourth.

Lecture Opportunity – Blanding
On Saturday, November 3, from 2:00-3:30 p.m. Archaeologist Jonathan Till will present the results of a pottery analysis project for Hovenweep National Monument. The analysis was conducted this past summer by Abajo Archaeology thanks to the financial support of the Canyonlands Natural History Association. Nearly 8000 sherds were analyzed from existing museum collections, providing researchers a better understanding of the history and use of the Hovenweep landscape. Till will also discuss how the project’s results contribute to the cultural history of the broader Mesa Verde region. Finally, the presentation will also discuss the importance of using museum collections to conduct research into our region’s deep history. Please come to the museum and support Jonathan and see our new Rock Art exhibit while you are there!

Lecture Opportunity – Santa Fe
Southwest Seminars Presents “The Archaeology of Persistent Place: A Social Network Analysis,” a public lecture Oct. 15 at 6pm at Hotel Santa Fe. The presenter will be Dr. Barbara Mills, Director School of Anthropology, Curator of Archaeology, and Professor of American Studies, University of Arizona. The program includes refreshments and a Q&A session following the lecture. Admission is $12 at the door and reservations are not required. The lecture is part of the Mother Earth Father Sky: Perspectives on Natural Sciences and the Environment of the American WEst and is given  to honor and acknowledge the work of The New Mexico Environmental Law Center. Co-sponsored by Southwest Seminars and Hotel Santa Fe, a Picuris Pueblo Enterprise. More information is available at southwest http://seminars.org or by calling Connie Eichstaedt, director at 505 466-275.

Lecture Opportunity – Tucson
The Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society is pleased to present Paul Reed on Monday, October 15, at 7:30 PM at the DuVal Auditorium (1501 N. Campbell Ave. inside University Medical Center). Archaeology Southwest Preservation Archaeologist Paul Reed shares his long-term research on the archaeology of the Middle San Juan River valley. Reed is based at Salmon Ruins Museum in Bloomfield, New Mexico, where he also serves as Chaco Scholar at Salmon Ruins. Contact Jon Boyd @ 520 444-6385 with questions about this, or any other AAHS program. https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/event/chacoan-immigration-and-influence-in-the-middle-san-juan/

Reminder – Discuss Ancient Animals in the Southwest at the Next Archaeology Café – Phoenix
Turkeys and Macaws and Dogs, Oh My! Archaeologist and historian Alan Ferg (Arizona State Museum) sniffs out human-animal interactions in the Southwest’s past. The presentation begins at after 6pm on Wednesday, Oct 17, at Macayo’s, 4001 N. Central Ave. Seating is open and unreserved, but limited. It’s best to arrive half an hour before the presentation begins. Share tables and make new friends!  The event is free. Please support our hosts at Macayo’s Central by purchasing refreshments from the menu—at happy hour prices! https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/event/archaeology-cafe-phoenix-turkeys-and-macaws-and-dogs-oh-my/

Participation Form for 2013 Arizona Archaeology Month Ready
In celebration of Arizona’s unique archaeological, historical, and tribal past, organizations and individuals can provide lectures, tours, demonstrations, and other events throughout the State during the month of March. We are asking the Historic Preservation community to provide SHPO with their planned activities so that we can include them in the 2013 AAHAM Listing of Events brochure. The AAHAM Participation Form is attached. Forms will also be mailed out shortly. We are requesting that the forms be completed and sent to our office by November 16, 2012. If anyone has any questions, or would like a form directly, please feel free to contact Kris Dobschuetz at kdobschuetz@azstateparks.gov or 602-542-7141.

National Archaeology Day Events in the Southwest – Oct. 20

Gila Cliff Dwellings 
Two workshops will be offered at the Gila Visitor Center, one at 10:30 am and one at 2:30 pm. Park staff will discuss the basics of archeology, lead various hands-on demonstrations and then provide a tour of the TJ site. The TJ site, which is normally closed to the public, affords the visitor a chance to follow in the footprints of the ancestral peoples of the Mimbres Region who lived at the TJ site over a 900-year period from around 500 to 1400 CE (Common Era). Tours of the TJ site will depart from the Gila Visitor Center at 11 am and 3 pm, are limited to 20 persons and take approximately 1 1/2 hours. 10 spaces on each tour may be reserved in advance by calling the Gila Visitor Center at 575-536-9461. Participants MUST be at the Gila Visitor Center approximately 15 minutes before tour times. Visitors should come dressed in layers, as the mesa top can be cold and windy, and wear sturdy hiking boots, as the ground is rough and can be muddy. For more information please call the Gila Visitor Center at 575-536-9461 or visit the Monument’s web site at www.nps.gov/gicl.

Verde Valley Archaeology Center Hosts Gala & Symposium
The Verde Valley Archaeology Center, as part of the Verde Valley Archaeology Symposium, will hold its first gala dinner, reception and silent auction on Oct. 20 at 5 p.m. at Cliff Castle lodge and Casino. Proceeds from the event will by used by the center to further its mission of preserving the Valley’s cultural past. The evening will include a gourmet dinner, an opportunity to mingle with the nearly two dozen professional and avocational archeologists who will be presenting papers during the symposium. http://verdenews.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=50513

Arizona State Museum Open House in Honor of National Archaeology Day
Arizona State Museum partners with the AIA Tucson Society to celebrate National Archaeology Day, a celebration of the Archaeological Institute of America. Visit behind the scenes in the museum’s archaeological and conservation laboratories, enjoy special exhibit tours, and chat with curators about their work. Learn more about the mission of AIA Tucson Society and enjoy highlights of the organization’s educational and outreach programs. 10 a.m.–2 p.m., free.

Sling Some Mud at Pueblo Grande – Phoenix
Building upon last year’s success, the Central Arizona Society of the AIA will partner with Pueblo Grande Museum (Phoenix, AZ) for National Archaeology Day and participate in the mudslinging project at the Museum. Mudslinging is not simply a political tool; it is a stabilization technique for earthen structures and has been employed for years at Pueblo Grande—the legendary site of a Native American platform mound.  In addition, for National Archaeology Day at the Pueblo Grande Museum there will be a simulated pit-house excavation for children. http://www.archaeological.org/events/10001