Dear Friends,
It’s summer vacation season! Kate Sarther, our wonderful Vice President of Communications & Outreach (and editor of this newsletter) is headed back to Chicago—her birthplace—to see family and friends, so we won’t send another edition of this newsletter for two weeks.
I’m jealous, for I was also born and raised in Chicago. (From the terribly small world department, my mom was Kate’s undergraduate advisor at the University of Chicago in the early 1990s.)
Her trip got me thinking about the long relationship between Chicago and the American Southwest.
Chicago is a fantastic place to visit at this time of year, with great food, a beautiful lakefront, lots of (losing) baseball, and a myriad of cultural opportunities in every neighborhood. Among my favorites are several cultural institutions founded in the late 1800s that played an outsized role in introducing the American public to Southwestern archaeology and anthropology. Let me explain.
The Smithsonian Institution was founded in 1848; the Bureau of American Ethnology in 1879. Both institutions were based in Washington, D.C., and sent numerous exploratory and research expeditions across the American West in the ensuing decades. The results of those efforts were presented in exhibits at the Smithsonian and published in books that were not widely distributed, much less read.
In 1893, however, Chicago held the World’s Columbian Exposition to celebrate the 400th anniversary (a year late, but who’s counting?) of Christopher Columbus’s “discovery” of America. Given Chicago’s central placement in North America and its dominance as a railroad hub, an astonishing 27,000,000 people attended the Fair during its six-month run, equivalent to half the country’s population at that time!
In addition to exhibits in the dedicated Anthropology Building, an ersatz (if terribly exploitative) anthropology was presented in “living villages” on the carnival-like Midway, and in various national-, international-, and state-sponsored pavilions. (Colorado and Utah had their own state building; Arizona and New Mexico collaborated on the “Joint Territories” building, with Oklahoma.) Near the Anthropology Building, there was a scale model of Battle Rock Mountain in southwestern Colorado’s McElmo Canyon, replete with a reconstructed cliff dwelling that proved to be one of the Fair’s most popular attractions.
The archaeological and anthropological collections amassed and displayed at the Fair became the founding collections for The Field Museum in Chicago and the Logan Museum at Beloit College in Wisconsin. Some of those collections are still on display at both institutions. Go see them!
There is a wonderfully rich literature available on the Columbian Exposition (as it is often called), and interest increased exponentially with Erik Larson’s 2003 bestseller The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America. Chicago’s Architecture Foundation offers a great tour focused on both the Fair and Larson’s book.
Parenthetically, I’d like to note that the Fair also introduced the masses to new consumer products that we now, or used to, take for granted. These include Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit gum, Cracker Jack (decidedly NOT the plural “Cracker Jacks”), Quaker Oats Aunt Jemima pancake mix, and Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, which won its blue ribbon at the Fair. (Prior to 1893, it was just Pabst. “Hey bartender, I’d like a PBR” has a nicer ring to it than “Hey bartender, I’d like a P.” Just saying.)
Beyond the Columbian Exposition-derived institutions, two others warrant mention for their long-term relationship to the American Southwest.
The Art Institute of Chicago, which has significant collections and displays of Southwestern archaeology in its own right. Founded in 1879, its current building opened in 1893, the same year as the Fair. It continues to feature Southwestern archaeology in both permanent and temporary exhibitions.
Finally, the Newberry Library on Chicago’s near North Side was founded in 1887 and serves as a documentary archive and library on a wide range of topics, including Southwestern archaeology and anthropology. It’s a great research institution and place for scholarly reflection.
Seen through today’s cultural and scholarly lenses, each of the above institutions is subject to justifiable critique. Aspects of their histories are downright reprehensible. That said, each of these institutions helped the general public learn something about communities and places beyond their own at a time when radio wasn’t yet a common communication technology and tourist travel was practically unheard of, except for the wealthy.
So, if you head for Chicago anytime soon, please remember that it is not quite as far removed from the American Southwest as it might seem. Word to the wise: Don’t ask for ketchup on your hot dog—that’s one of the true taboos in one of the world’s great cities. Have fun, Kate!
Steve Nash
President & CEO, Archaeology Southwest
Banner image: Canyons of the Ancients by Bob Wick
Urge Congress to Fund Public Lands
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages more acres of public land than any other federal land management agency in the country, and has been underfunded and understaffed for decades despite record-high visitation in recent years. The annual federal funding process is how Congress determines BLM’s budget and our Time to Care Campaign is the portal for showing our representatives that WE WANT THEM TO PROPERLY FUND THE LARGEST PUBLIC LAND MANAGER. Adequate funding is crucial for ensuring that BLM can carry out its essential responsibilities effectively and manage these landscapes to maintain their cultural and biological values and safe public access. Conservation Lands Foundation | Act now »
Watch a short video from the campaign »
Continuing Coverage: Overwhelming Support for Indigenous Co-Management of Bears Ears
Five Native American tribes, including two in New Mexico, are joining the federal government in looking over tens of thousands of public comments on the future of the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. The three-month public comment period ended June 11, and more than 20,000 people submitted responses, according to the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition. The public comments “overwhelmingly supported the use of Traditional Indigenous Knowledge in the management of the Monument,” the Coalition said in a news release July 10. The tribally informed co-management plan for the national monument is the first of its kind in U.S. history. Austin Fisher for Source NM via Indian Country Today | Read more »
Human Connections to New Mexico Landscapes during the Climate Crisis
The Southwest is at the forefront of climate change with issues ranging from longer and more intense fire seasons to water scarcity. In a new, hour-long special … [for] New Mexico PBS, “Our Land” senior producer Laura Paskus will explore these impacts here in New Mexico and how the deep-rooted connections humans have with our land can pave the way to meaningful healing. … [Paskus:] “The special is called: ‘Loving Our Changing Homelands,’ and it features interviews and visits with some of my favorite people, including hydrologist Phoebe Suina (Pueblo of Cochiti), Theresa Pasqual, who’s the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer at the Pueblo of Acoma, Aaron Lowden, a farmer at the Pueblo of Acoma, Sister Joan Brown from New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light, and Paula Garcia from the New Mexico Acequia Association. KUNM (NM public media) | Read the full interview »
Watch the program (58:50) »
New Exhibition Explores New England’s Maritime History through Indigenous and Black Perspectives
At Mystic Seaport, the country’s largest maritime museum, you can walk through a 19th century coastal village and climb aboard a wooden whaling ship. But, for decades, most Black and Indigenous maritime histories were missing. “Entwined” aims to change that—by presenting those histories through Native American and Black perspectives. The exhibit explores ties between New England waterways and Indigenous and African maritime history. The museum’s curators collaborated with local Native and Black communities. To be sure the story was as authentic as possible, museum representatives spent nearly two years meeting with community members. Diane Orson for Connecticut Public Radio (NPR) | Listen now or read more »
Editor’s note from Kate: I fell in love with Mystic Seaport Museum almost 20 years ago, and based on this NPR piece, I’m putting a return trip on my list before this exhibition closes in 2026. Please listen to or read the story!
Last Chance! Present at the Pecos Conference
From Matt Peeples and Chris Caseldine at ASU (cohost with USDA Prescott National Forest): We have openings for additional talks during the Pecos Conference. Registration and abstract submissions are open through this Friday the 19th. Pecos Conference | Submit your abstract now »
Grant Opportunity: History of Equal Rights
The National Park Service (NPS) is proud to announce the History of Equal Rights Grant Program (HER) which preserves sites related to the struggle of all Americans to achieve the ideal of equal rights. HER Grants are funded by the Historic Preservation Fund, administered by the NPS, and fund a broad range of physical preservation work and pre-preservation planning activities for historic sites that are listed in or determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places or as a National Historic Landmark. Congress has appropriated $5 million for the HER Grant Program for fiscal year 2024. Applications will be due August 20, 2024. National Park Service | Learn more »
Publication Announcement: Reassessing the Aztatlán World
Reassessing the Aztatlán World: Ethnogenesis and Cultural Continuity in Northwest Mesoamerica, edited by Michael D. Mathiowetz and John M. D. Pohl. University of Utah Press 2024. Learn more »
July Live Lectures (Santa Fe NM)
July 22, Christina Leza, Imaginary Line: Indigenous Identities and Struggles on the U.S.-Mexico Border; July 29, Stephen H. Lekson, A History of the Ancient Southwest (Revisited!). 6:00 p.m., Hotel Santa Fe, $20 at the door or $90 for the series of 5 lectures. Southwest Seminars | Learn more »
July 25 Online Event: History, Art and Place: Buffalo Soldiers in the American West
With Eric Carpio. History, place, and fine art intersect in buffalo soldiers: reVision, an exhibition at the Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center, for an examination of the complicated legacy of the all-Black Army regiments established in 1866 following the Civil War. Known as Buffalo Soldiers, these regiments – including the 9th Cavalry who were stationed at Fort Garland from 1875 to 1879 – played an important role in American westward expansion and the displacement of Indigenous populations. Through the lens of a multi-ethnic, multi-gender team of artists from across the United States, buffalo soldiers: reVision disrupts common narratives of manifest destiny and presents an opportunity to reconcile some of the most difficult aspects of our collective past. This presentation will include a short film following the artists journey of discovery and creation. Crow Canyon Archaeological Center | Learn more and register (free) »
REMINDER: July 25 In-Person Event (Tucson AZ): AZ Public Lands Trivia Night
Join us for a fun night at Borderlands Brewing Co. in downtown Tucson, 119 E. Toole, 6:00 p.m. We’ll start the game night with a short introduction of The Great Bend of The Gila, followed by a public-lands trivia game. We hope to see your there so you can leave with prizes and new public lands knowledge! Sierra Club (Grand Canyon Chapter) and the Respect Great Bend Coalition | Learn more and RSVP (free) »
REMINDER: July 27 In-Person Event (Mimbres NM): Archaeology Fair
Learn about what we’re learning, view exhibits, and try hands-on activities with students of the 2024 Preservation Archaeology Field School. 10:00 a.m. to noon, Mimbres Culture Heritage Site, 12 Sage Dr. Archaeology Southwest | Learn more »
Aug. 8 Online Event: Autonomy: Core Element of the 1680 Pueblo Revolt
With Jon Ghahate. Ninety-four years before the Declaration of Independence was envisioned by its writers, the ancestors of today’s Southwest Pueblo peoples were forced to resort to violent opposition to the invaders of their homelands. The Pueblo peoples had endured eighty-two years of oppression, harsh feudal rule, forced religious conversion, slavery, and warfare—the requerimento, the Spanish term for an ultimatum. The Pueblo Revolt of 1680 was the Pueblos response to ensuring there would be a future, a perpetuation of their cultures, their existential beliefs, their languages, and in essence, their very existence. To understand the factors contributing to the Pueblo Revolt, it is essential to know about the Pueblo peoples and their legacies as human societies. Crow Canyon Archaeological Center | Learn more and register (free) »
Aug. 11 Online Event: Slithering…Horned and Crested Serpents in Jornada Mogollon and Mimbres Iconography
With Margaret “Marglyph” Berrier. Horned, crested, and feathered serpents have been documented throughout North America. Berrier’s overview of these figures in Jornada Mogollon rock imagery and in Mogollon and Mimbres ceramics documents their distribution beyond the vicinity of El Paso (but still in the Jornada Mogollon Region) and shows that none of the images have feathers. The imagery includes a few striking examples, but overall, the number of horned and crested serpents is incidental rather than significant, suggesting that horned and crested snakes may not qualify as a signature image of the Jornada Mogollon. San Diego Rock Art Association | Learn more and register (free) »
Aug. 15 Online Event: An Embarrassment of Riches: Tree-Ring Dating and the (Mis-) Interpretation of Southwestern Archaeology
With Steve Nash. Nash will examine the history of Southwestern archaeological tree-ring dating to explore what might, or might not, be reasonable to infer from large sets of tree-ring dates. In so doing, he will weave a tapestry of fascinating historical vignettes from the activities of big-name archaeologists and other scientists, many of whom were based at the University of Arizona. Third Thursday Food for Thought series (Old Pueblo Archaeology Center) | Learn more and register (free) »
Nov. 2 Save the Date: Three Corners Archaeology Conference (Las Vegas NV)
Southern NV, southeastern CA, southwestern UT, and western AZ. As archaeological study in the region continues to grow, professionals, students, researchers, and avocationalists need to meet and discuss their findings. This conference provides a venue for the development and refinement of regional theory, methodologies, and management goals as well as an opportunity to connect with regional specialists. Submit paper abstracts by Sept. 15. UNLV and others | Learn more »
Video Channel Roundup
Time to get caught up with recent videos and webinars (and there have been a lot—such as our friend Kellam Throgmorton’s July 15 talk, “History and Landscape at Two Chacoan Settlements in New Mexico,” for the Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society) at the YouTube channels of our Partners and Friends. A simple click on any channel will show what’s new!
(And please do let us know if your channel isn’t in this list but should be.)
Amerind Foundation
Archaeology Southwest
Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society
Arizona State Museum
Aztlander
Bears Ears Partnership
Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA
Crow Canyon Archaeological Center
Grand Canyon Trust
Grand Staircase Escalante Partners
Mesa Prieta Petroglyphs Project
Mission Garden (Friends of Tucson’s Birthplace)
Museum of Indian Arts and Cultures
Museum of Northern Arizona
Old Pueblo Archaeology Center
San Diego Archaeological Center
School for Advanced Research
Southwest Seminars
The Archaeological Conservancy
Verde Valley Archaeology Center
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!