Santa Fe Archaeological Society

An Indigenous “Borderland?”: Reframing the Dynamic Late Prehispanic San Carlos Safford Area of Southeastern Arizona
2022-10-18 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Denver) | Pecos Trail Cafe, 2239 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87505
Thatcher A. Seltzer-Rogers, MS, RPA
PhD Candidate, Archaeology, Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico
Research Associate, Jornada Research Institute
President, Treasurer, and Webmaster, Archaeological Society of New Mexico
The San Carlos Safford Area of southeastern Arizona has historically received limited archaeological attention with recent mention only with respect to the arrival of Ancestral Pueblo migrants into southern Arizona in the late thirteenth century. Yet, despite this and the systematic destruction of sites during the early twentieth century with the expansion of floodplain agriculture, careful examination demonstrates the area held a sizable population with a dynamic history of political hierarchy, conflict, economic development, and population mobility. In this presentation, I synthesize these patterns and contextualize them as a strong example of an Indigenous borderland in the archaeological record.

A Comparison of Musical Instruments from the Prehispanic American Southwest and Paquimé, Chihuahua
2022-11-15 19:00 - 20:00 | Pecos Trail Cafe, 2239 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87505
Musical instruments have been found at the Late Medio period regional polity of Paquimé in northern Mexico and in sites ancestral to Pueblo peoples of the American Southwest, but they have never been meaningfully compared. Paquimé’s occupation corresponds with the first half of the Pueblo IV period in the Southwest, a time when instruments were most numerous and diverse. Intriguingly, some instruments are found in both regions whereas others are not. I will summarize the types known for both locations and compare them, considering the social and physical contexts of their use.
Emily Brown
Emily spent her childhood in the house her father built north of Questa only a few miles from what would become the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, the subject of tonight’s talk. She remembers finding pieces of chipped stone and pottery in the neighborhood, and this along with family trips to places like Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde sparked an interest in archaeology at an early age. She double-majored in music and cultural anthropology as an undergraduate at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon but her interest in archaeology persisted and the summer after graduation she volunteered as an archaeologist at Bandelier National Monument. This led to a job with the National Park Service in Santa Fe doing archaeological work which confirmed that this was a career she wanted to pursue. After three years she went to Columbia University to complete her Ph.D., writing her dissertation on prehistoric musical instruments from the Southwest. She returned to the Park Service after finishing her coursework but left to establish her own cultural resource consulting firm in 2005. She lives with her husband and business partner in Santa Fe where they also garden and keep bees.

CANCELLED - Los Luceros – Revealing the Hidden Gem of New Mexico - Rebecca Ward
2023-01-17 19:00 - 20:00 | Pecos Trail Cafe, 2239 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87505
Los Luceros was designated a historic site in 2019 which preserved 148 acres of towering Cottonwood Trees, rolling agricultural fields, incredibly preserved historic buildings, a delightful apple orchard, four miles of traditional acequia ditches, and a bosque full of wildlife… all sitting on the bank of the beautiful Rio Grande. Carly hopes to demonstrate why this site is so special to so many people by covering the site’s history through its present programs and projects. It is time to excavate this “hidden gem” and reveal its importance and beauty for all to admire!
Rebecca Ward
Rebecca Ward is the Instructional Coordinator for Los Luceros Historic Site. She started at Los Luceros in February of 2020 as the site ranger and became the main site history researcher during the site’s closure to the public from March 2020 to February 2021. Once Los Luceros reopened to public visitation she gave tours, answered research requests, and created the current interpretive signage in the buildings. Rebecca has a Master of Arts in Museum Studies from the University of Oklahoma. She has volunteered and worked for the National Park Service at Mesa Verde National Park, Petroglyph National Monument, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, and Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, and she has also worked for the 501c3 Private Non-Profit Washakie Museum and Cultural Center in Worland, WY. Rebecca’s focus at Los Luceros may have changed to working primarily with children by giving school tours and doing virtual classroom visits but she still shares the history and beauty of Los Luceros every day!

Cultural Continuity and Change in the Upper Pecos Valley: The Archaeology of Pecos National Historical Park
2023-02-21 19:00 - 20:00 | Pecos Trail Cafe, 2239 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87505
Jeremy M. Moss, Chief of Science and Resource Stewardship/Archaeologist, Pecos National Historical Park (NHP), National Park Service
Currently, Jeremy is the Chief of Science and Resource Stewardship/Archaeologist at Pecos National Historical Park in New Mexico, where I’ve served for 10 years. He holds a BA in Anthropology from the University of New Mexico and MA from the University of Wyoming.
Jeremy has worked for the National Park Service for 25 years in archaeology, cultural and natural resource management, and historic preservation. Over the last 18 years he has worked in the preservation of historic adobe architecture. During his career he has also worked at Canyonlands NP, Chaco Culture NHP, Glen Canyon NRA, Petroglyphs NM, Saguaro NP and Tumacácori NHP.
Pecos Pueblo was occupied for over six hundred years and was a gateway community connecting the Plains and the Rio Grande Valley. The allure, mysteries, and myths of Pecos have fascinated archaeologists since Bandelier first recorded the site in 1881. The cultural connections to modern Pueblo groups make it an interesting place to explore cultural continuity and to assess the legends and lore that first drew archaeologists to Pecos at the turn of the 20th century. The presentation will summarize the history of archaeology at the site, future avenues of research, and the many cultural connections that bind modern Pueblo groups to Pecos Pueblo.

The Archaeology and Reconstruction of the Lake Champlain Steamboat Phoenix II
2023-03-21 19:00 - 20:00 | Pecos Trail Cafe, 2239 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87505
As the fifth passenger steamboat to operate on Lake Champlain between Vermont and New York State, Phoenix II, built in 1820, was once known as the fastest boat in the world. Traveling between St. Jean-sur-Richelieu in Quebec, and Whitehall, New York, for seventeen years, the sidewheel steamers career was colored with a variety of events, including carrying the first fatal dose of Cholera into the United States in 1832. In 1837, the old and worn-out wooden hull was retired to Shelburne Shipyard, where it was scuttled in the shallow harbor. An archaeological investigation of the hull from 2014 to 2016 revealed that only the very bottom of the hull remained intact, but what was left was in a good state of preservation and could tell much about how the vessel was constructed. Excavation of key components of the hull, including the bow, five frame sections, the stern and rudder, allowed archaeologist to reconstruct how the boat was built, and interpret what it might have looked like despite the absence of iconographic evidence. The archaeology revealed that the hull was built much more robustly than what was necessary for an inland body of water like Lake Champlain. Its reconstruction shows that the tubby steamboat was much more simply designed than later passenger steamers and indicates that shipwrights had not yet realized the full potential of hull design as a method of increasing overall speed.
AIA Lecturer – Carolyn Kennedy
Carolyn Kennedy is a nautical archeologist with a focus on North American maritime history. She received her Master’s and PhD from Texas A&M University’s Nautical Archaeology Program where her thesis and dissertation examined the hulls of four 19th-century steamboats in Lake Champlain, Vermont., analyzing how their designs differed and developed over the course of the century as shipbuilders sought to create the ideal hull for the novel steam propulsion. Ater graduating, Dr. Kennedy spent a year as a research associate using cutting-edge laser-scanning technology to document the disarticulated timbers from three historic shipwrecks in Alexandria, Virginia, and reconstructing the ships digitally to better understand their original design and use. Currently, she is co-directing the Gaspe Maritime Archaeology Project, launched in 2019, which seeks to study the maritime heritage and nautical archaeology of early European colonization and subsistence activities of eastern Quebec and Canada. I addition to her interests in the historical and maritime archaeology of Canada and the United States, her research specialties and teaching interests also include public archaeology, analytical archaeology, and the conservation of archaeological materials.

Cliff Dwelling Architecture and Mesa Verde National Park - Larry V. Nordby
2023-04-18 19:00 - 20:00 | Pecos Trail Cafe, 2239 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87505
Larry V. Nordby
Field Director, Archaeological Site Conversion Program
National Parks Service (Retired)
This presentation will focus on cliff dwelling research done from the late 1990s up until the present. Much of the work was done at Mesa Verde National Park, but work was also done at many other sites, such as the upper and lower cliff dwellings at Tonto National Monument, Inscription House at Navajo National Monument, at White House and Mummy Cave in Canyon de Chally. Activities entailed condition assessment, site stabilization, and intensive documentation, generally in support of two research models: the social dimensions and scale of the architecture, and the construction methods used to convert alcoves into homes.

Diversity in the Heart of New Mexico - Alex Arnold
2023-09-19 19:00 - 20:00 | Pecos Trail Cafe, 2239 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87505
:For centuries, central New Mexico hosted people from many different backgrounds. From the Plains people to Pueblo people, Spaniards to settlers expanding west and more, the blending of cultures in the area shaped the diversity that lives on to this day.
Program description: PowerPoint presentation of the people that settled in and around Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument with a section devoted to the park and its resources.
Alex Arnold
: My name is Alex Arnold, I am 25 years old and was born and raised in southwestern Pennsylvania. I began volunteering for the National Park Service as an Interpretation and Visitor Service volunteer at 13 years old at Friendship Hill National Historic Site. I remained a volunteer throughout school until I turned 18 and became a seasonal Interpretive Park Ranger at the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. I attended college at California University of Pennsylvania and obtained a B.A. in history with minors of event planning and tourism studies and a B.A. in Parks and Recreation Management. Throughout my university career, I was a seasonal park ranger at five different units of the National Park Service between Pennsylvania, Kansas, Maryland, and New Jersey. Just about a year after graduation, I landed my first permanent position at Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. Currently, I am serving a detail promotion as Chief of Interpretation and Visitor Service at that park.

Guided Tour of Abo' - Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument
2023-09-23 09:30 - 11:30 | Abo Mission, 69 Ruins Rd, Mountainair, NM, 87036, United States
Please join us on September 23rd at 9:30 AM for a tour of the Abo’ site located near Mountainair., New Mexico. The tour will last about one hour and will be led by Alex Arnold, Chief of Interpretation and Visitor Service for the National Monument. The group will meet at 69 Ruins Rd, Mountainair, New Mexico.

The Ripple Effect of Imperialism – Understanding Foodways, Community and Identity on the Margins of an Empire - Laura Steele
2023-10-17 19:00 - 20:00 | Pecos Trail Cafe, 2239 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87505
Imperialism has a dramatic impact on the lives of directly colonized and subjected peoples. Scholars have demonstrated that this impact takes a variety of forms depending on the proximity of the imperial center, imperial goals, the surrounding geography, and abundance of natural resources, among other factors. Limited research has focused on how Indigenous peoples on the borders of empires responded to imperial processes. Laura’s talk explores the effects of imperialism on Indigenous peoples living along the frontier of the Spanish expansion in what is known as west-central Argentina. Her research focuses on Indigenous identity and uses food as a proxy for identity to investigate how Indigenous peoples adapted to, resisted, and/or benefitted from imperial expansion in this region. She analyzes animal bone material to reconstruct Indigenous foodways through time and document shifts in meal preparation. She also uses radiocarbon dating to construct a timeline of events in this region. Her work contributes to ongoing research related to the impact of imperialism on marginalized groups in the past and how this contributes to current events.
Laura Steele
Originally from the Mojave Desert of southern California, Laura Ward Steele is a PhD candidate at the University of New Mexico. She received her BS from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and her MA from Eastern New Mexico University. Laura has worked as an archaeologist in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and in Mendoza province, Argentina. She is currently a faunal analyst for Parametrix, Inc., an adjunct instructor at Laramie County Community College in Laramie, Wyoming, and a graduate assistant in the Anthropology Department at the University of New Mexico. Also, Laura recently completed working with a research team at the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation surveying homeless and housing insecure youth across southern and eastern New Mexico.
Laura’s dissertation research at the University of New Mexico explores how imperialism impacted Indigenous peoples who lived on the southern borders of both the Incan and Spanish empires in what is known today as west-central Argentina. Her project examines the ongoing effects of imperialism on Indigenous peoples living in this region. She investigates how these Indigenous peoples responded to, resisted, and/or benefited from the imperial expansion that began in the mid-1550s. Moreover, she focuses on Indigenous identity and how Indigenous peoples maintained their identity through food. Laura has earned multiple grants and fellowships for her current research, including through the Latin American Iberian Institute (LAII), the Graduate Student and Professional Association, and the Anthropology Department at the University of New Mexico. In 2020, she was awarded a Fulbright Research Scholar Award to live and work in Argentina for nine months, and she is currently a Latin American Iberian Doctoral Fellow through LAII.
Laura cares deeply for the Indigenous peoples she works with and for those in her surrounding communities. She advocates for and helps women seeking careers in the sciences and careers of their choosing. Through archaeology, she seeks to empower the women around her to tell their own stories and write their own meaningful narratives about their histories. In the future, she hopes to broaden the scope of her research to collaborate with current peoples living with food insecurity in the United States and Argentina.

Who Owns the Water Here? - Mac Watson
2023-11-21 19:00 - 20:00 | Pecos Trail Cafe, 2239 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87505
An illustrated narrative of how the water in the Santa Fe River has been administered since 1609 with a focus on our Water History Park and Interpretive Center.

Looking at the Protection of History and Archaeology in Santa Fe - Dr Tim Maxwell
2024-01-16 19:00 - 20:00 | Pecos Trail Cafe, 2239 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87505
An overview of the development of historic architectural styles protections and the creation of the city’s archaeological ordinance, the first of its kind in the nation.
Dr. Tim Maxwell

Dr. Tim Maxwell is Archaeologist, Emeritus Director, Office of Archaeological Studies, Museum of New Mexico; Field Archaeologist, Abiquiu Reservoir, School for Advanced Research; Co-Author, City of Santa Fe Archeological Ordinance; Joint U.S./Mexican Casas Grandes, Chihuahua Archaeological Research Project; Fulbright Research Scholar (Mexico); Member, New Mexico Cultural Properties Review Committee

Tour to Puebla,, Cutzalan and Mexico City
2024-02-20 - 2024-02-29 | NM
JOURNEYS INTERNATIONAL, INC.
Rosa R. Carlson
49 VERANO LOOP SANTA FE NEW MEXICO 87508
505 310 1863
info@journeys-international.com carlsonrosa@hotmail.com

TOUR BEGINS
Puebla (Elev. 7,027 ft.) or La Puebla de Los Ángeles is famous for its colonial architecture, for having the best Mexican cuisine in all of México and for its refined Talavera Ceramics. It was founded in 1531; just ten years after the Spanish conquered Tenochtitlán (México City). The colonial site of Puebla played a major role in the history of New Spain and Mexico. Its urban design, which dates to the 16th century and was inspired by the Renaissance, influenced the development of other cities in the New World. After enjoying prosperity in the 18th century, Puebla became the site of a series of confrontations in the 19th century. In particular, it was the site of most of the popular struggles related to the establishment of Independent Mexico and the revolutionary movement of 1910. It was the site of the famous battle of Cinco de Mayo (5th of May), 1862 in which a 6,000 strong French invading army was defeated by a mixed force of 2,000 Mexican military and peasant troops.
Day 1 February 20 – Tuesday – Puebla B L
All participants will convene at the Mexico City no later than 1.30pm.
2.00pm – Transfer from Mexico City Airport to hotel in Puebla – Overnight
Day 2 February 21 – Wednesday – Puebla B L
Breakfast is served after 7am
9.00am – Meet in the lobby – walking tour
12.30pm – Lunch in the historic center TBD
1.45pm – Visit Museo Amparo
3.45pm – Rest of the afternoon is free
Today our walking tour of Puebla will begin with the Cathedral of Puebla, consecrated 1649. It has the tallest towers in Mexico, an altar screen designed by the Spanish Baroque sculptor, Juan Martinez Montañés, sacristy paintings by the Mexican Baroque artist, Cristóbal de Villalpando, and a magnificent freestanding altar canopy in the neoclassical style. We will also visit the fabulous Capilla del Rosario, with sculpted and gilded gesso walks atop stunning tilework, located in a side chapel of the 18th century Santo Domingo church. We will also see the Palafox Library and learn about the many colonial and tiled buildings in the historic center. After lunch, we will visit the excellent Amparo Museum, which is housed in two linked colonial buildings. The museum holds a superb collection of historic artifacts from many of Mesoamerica’s indigenous civilizations and we will learn about their production techniques, regional and historical context and anthropological significance. The next rooms are filled with the finest art and furnishings from the colonial period.
Day 3 February 22 – Thursday – Puebla B L
Breakfast is served after 7am
10.00am – Departure for Cacaxtla
12.45pm – Lunch in Huejotzingo or Puebla
2.40pm – Departure for Puebla
4.00pm – Arrival in Puebla
We leave Puebla to visit the hilltop ruins at Cacaxtla (600-1000 C.E.). These ruins – Olmec and Maya – were discovered in 1975 and have been meticulously excavated. The most important artifacts are the numerous, beautifully colored murals. They feature vividly colored and well preserved frescoes showing, among many other scenes, nearly life-size jaguar and eagle warriors engaged in battle. On the way to Puebla we will visit Huejotzingo, known for its cider and serapes; it has a fine 16th century plateresque-style monastery, with old frescoes and excellent carved stonework.
Day 4 February 23 – Friday – Puebla B L
Breakfast is served after 7am
8.45am – Departure from hotel
9.30am – Arrival in Cholula
11.45am – Departure for Tonantzintla
12.15pm – Departure for Museo Internacional Barroco
1.15pm – Lunch at the museum and visit
4.30pm – Return to hotel
This morning we will head out of Puebla to visit the town of Cholula. In 1519, Cholulas’s population had reached 100,000. Cortés, having made friends with the Tlaxcalans, traveled here atMoctezuma’s request. Aztec warriors set an ambush, but unfortunately for them, the Tlaxcalans tipped off Cortés about the plot and the Spanish struck first. Within one day, they killed 6,000 Cholulans before the Tlaxcalans looted the city. We will visit the Cholultecan pyramid of Tepanapa – said to be the largest in the world. Later we will visit the small Templo de Santa María at Tonantzintla, one of the most amazing examples of poblano popular baroque. Our next stop will the Museo Internacional del Barroco. Designed by the team of 2013 Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Toyo Ito, the museum for art, literature, music, and fashion celebrates the grandeur and drama of
the 17th and 18th century. For next day excursion please note: We suggest you leave your main luggage at the hotel and just take a smaller bag for our overnight excursion to Cuetzalan del Progreso.
Day 5 Feb 24 – Saturday – Cuetzalan B L
Breakfast is served after 7am
9.00am – Check out and departure from hotel
12.30pm – Arrival in Cuetzalan del Progreso
1.00pm – Lunch at hotel
2.30pm – Visit to Yohualichan
Upon arrival in Cuetzalan del Progreso, we will relax and enjoy the gardens of the Posada Cuetzalan. After lunch we will visit the nearby archaeological site of Yohualichan (House of Night). This site is located 4.5 miles from Cuetzalan del Progreso. Yohualichan and the larger nearby city of El Tajín both reached a cultural and political epoch during the Classic period (200 CE to 650 CE) and are both believed to have been constructed and populated by the Totonac people. With the end of the Classic Period, the nomadic Chichimecas begin migrating into the modern-day Valley of Mexico around the year 1200. From then on, Yohualichan would come under pressure from these migratory tribes and would begin to fall into a gradual decline.
Cuetzalan del Progreso (Elev. 3,250 ft.) is a delightfully vivid Nahua village, with narrow, winding streets and red-roofed houses, in a warm, humid region. The local Nahua and Totonac Indians, who speak Nahuatl like most of the indigenous people of the central highlands, set up a very colorful market on Sunday. You can find a wonderful variety of products including ripe plum tomatoes,
guavas, black beans, tomatillos, bunches of cilantro and mint, pineapples, tiny, dried shrimp, and many varieties of chilies. There are aisles of fresh flowers and fresh poultry and pork. All this right next to all the beautiful embroidered blouses, shawls, huipils and other woven goods made locally. Soon, in the atrium of the church, the “voladores” or Totonec flyers will set up to begin a ceremony declared a Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Day 6 February 25 – Sunday – Puebla B L
Breakfast buffet is served from 7am to 12pm
8.30am – Walk to the market
12.30pm – Lunch at hotel
2.00pm – Departure for Puebla
5.30pm – Arrival in Puebla
This magical town (Pueblo Mágico), a designation given to particular towns by reason of their natural beauty, cultural riches or historical relevance, offers wonderful opportunities for photography, drawing or painting. You will have plenty of time of enjoy the market and appreciate the Voladores ceremonies. After lunch we will return to Puebla.
Mexico City Site of the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, Tenochtitlán was Mexico’s biggest ancient city and the capital of what was probably Mexico’s largest pre-Hispanic empire. Cortés finally arrived on November 8, 1519 to this great city of over 200,000 people. At that time the Valley of Mexico contained perhaps 1.5 million people, making it one of the world’s biggest and densest urban areas. On the 13th of August 1521, a brig, commanded by Captain García Holgín pursued a great canoe, which was carrying Cuahtémoc (the Mexica leader after Moctezuma’s death) and his family who were attempting to reach the shore of the lake. They were captured. After a siege of about three months, the city was totally destroyed, and this ended the dominance of the Mexica and marked the beginning of the Spanish Colonial period. The National Palace (the official location of the Presidential offices), was constructed by Cortés immediately after the conquest was complete, built directly on the site of Moctezuma’s principal Palace.
Day 7 February 26 – Monday – Mexico City B L
8.30am – Check out of our hotel in Puebla and departure
11.15am – Arrival at Teotihuacan
1.15pm – Lunch in Teotihuacan
2.30pm – Depart to La Villa de Guadalupe
3.30pm – Visit Basilica de la Virgen de Guadalupe
5.00pm – Arrival at our hotel in Mexico City
After our early departure our first stop will be at the ancient city of Teotihuacán, one of the largest and most impressive archaeological sites in the Americas. Recently archaeologists completed the excavation of a deep underground tunnel closed for 1,800 years and containing over 75,000 artifacts. During the city’s heyday it was Mesoamerica’s most powerful social and political hub. The structures were built between 100 B.C. and A.D. 250, and accommodated 200,000 people at its height, rivaling its contemporary, Rome. Whatever civilization produced Teotihuacán lasted roughly until the 7th century A.D., but despite its technological complexity left behind no writing system. Around A.D. 750 the city was abandoned and set afire, perhaps in a war with a smaller rival city. The pyramids, citadel, temples, palaces, plazas and paved streets remained deserted and forgotten until the Aztecs arrived in A.D. 1200. We also visit the Sanctuary and Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Over 20 million people visit her annually and the new Basilica built in the 1970´s holds over 50,000 people who can attend mass every hour on the hour, 24 hours a day. Metropolitan Cathedral of Mexico City

Day 8 February 27 – Tuesday – Mexico City B L
Breakfast buffet is served from 6.00am to 10.00am
9.00am – Meet at the lobby for our walking tour of the city
12.30pm – Lunch
1.45pm – Continue our walking tour
4.00pm – Return to hotel or explore on your own
Our day starts close to our hotel where we begin the walking tour at the National Palace. Originally one of Hernán Cortés’s many residences; the palace was built on the site of Aztec Emperor Moctezuma II’s castle and rebuilt in 1628. Here we will see one of Diego Rivera’s best-known murals on the walls above the palace’s central staircase, depicting his vision of Mexico’s history. We continue to the Metropolitan Cathedral, the largest colonial cathedral in the Americas, built partially on the ruins of the Templo Mayor. The Cathedral took 2-1/2 centuries to complete, from 1573 to 1813, and the quantity of artistic detail is almost impossible to fully absorb. The Altar de los Reyes houses a 25-meter-high golden retablo of ornate baroque complexity, and each of the 14 side chapels hold impressive artistic works. Next we will visit the Great Temple of Tenochtitlán. The excavated site of the holiest shrine of the Aztecs, which was razed by the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century, has been partially reconstructed in the last 30 years. At one time it consisted of a
walled complex of 78 buildings built on different levels, crowned with two tall pyramids. Today the excavated site covers four city blocks and includes an archaeological museum with a display model of the Aztec city and some 7,000 artifacts found at the site.
Day 9 February 28 – Wednesday – Mexico City B L
Breakfast buffet is served from 6.00am to 10.00am
9.30am – Meet in the lobby for the walk to the Franz Mayer Museum
10.00am – Guided visit
12.00pm – Transfer to the National Museum of Anthropology
12.20pm – Lunch at the museum
1.45pm – Tour of the museum
4.00pm – Return to hotel
We will take a delightful walk from our hotel through some of the streets of the historic center as we head towards the Franz Mayer Museum. The museum, located in an eighteenth-century building, houses the finest collection of decorative arts in Mexico. Mr. Mayer was born in Mannheim,
Germany, he moved to London and the United States before arriving in Mexico in 1905. In 1920, he married María Antonieta de la Macorra and later became a widower without descendants. He became a Mexican citizen on December 29th, 1933. One of the objects of the collection is a
magnificent “biombo” or screen, depicting the scenes of the “The Night of Sorrows” when the Spanish and their native allies were driven out of Tenochtitlan. After lunch we will transfer to the National Museum of Anthropology where we see superb archaeological exhibits from early
Mesoamerican societies — beginning with the Teotihuacanos, Toltecs, Olmecs, Zapotecs, and others right up to the Aztecs — as well as ethnological displays on Mexico’s current Amerindian groups — including the Huichol, Cora, Purépecha, Otomi, Nahua, and different groups from the Sierra de Puebla, Oaxaca, and Gulf of Mexico regions. Apart from its treasures, Pedro Ramirez Vasquez’s building itself is an impressive work of art, with its understated exterior and dramatic central patio.
Day 10 February 29 – Thursday – Mexico City B
Breakfast buffet is served from 6.00am to 10.00am
TOUR ENDS
HOTELS
Puebla – Hotel Isabel Unico
Cuetzalan del Progreso – Posada Cuetzalan
Mexico City – Hampton Inn Centro Histórico
• PROGRAM INFORMATION
• INCLUDED
• Accommodations in Puebla, Cuetzalan del Progreso and Mexico City
• Porterage of one bag person
• Breakfast buffet daily and 8 lunches
• Transportation throughout by chartered bus, as indicated in the itinerary
• Entrance fees to all sites indicated in the itinerary
• English-speaking local guides
• NOT INCLUDED
• International airfare
• Tips to driver and guides
• TOUR COST
• Per Person Sharing A Room – Double Occupancy – $2,150.00
• One Person In A Room – Single Occupancy – $2,425.00
• Tour is priced based on a minimum of 18 participants
• REGISTRATION AND PAYMENTS
• To register for this tour you must be a member of the Santa Fe Archaeological Society.
• For information about membership you can check the following link:
• https://sfarchaeology.org/membership/
• Contact Rosa Carlson of Journeys International, Inc. at this mail address to confirm availability:
• info@journeys-international.com OR carlsonrosa@hotmail.com
• Upon confirmation please print and complete the Booking & Release Form (last page), attach a copy of your valid passport and a deposit check of $250 per person
and send it to:
Journeys International, Inc.
49 Verano Loop
Santa Fe New Mexico 87508
 FINAL PAYMENT AND CANCELLATION POLICY
 Final payment is due on November 10th. In case of cancellations, the following
penalties will be applicable:
 After deposit $150.00 administrative fee
 After November 10th 100% of the total tour price
For any questions or comments please contact Rosa Ramirez Carlson at:
info@journeys-international.com carlsonrosa@hotmail.com
Or by phone at 505-310-1863
Important: Purchase of trip cancellation insurance is strongly recommended. If you have any pre-existing conditions for which you would like coverage, most companies require that you must purchase the insurance within 14 days of your first payment for the tour. You may be able to purchase coverage just for the amount of your deposit and later increase your coverage when the final payment is made. In addition, many health insurers, including Medicare, do not provide coverage for insured persons traveling abroad. Affordable health insurance for overseas travelers is readily available with companies such as Geo Blue, Medex, Travel Guard, Allianz Travel Insurance and similar companies.
BOOKING and RELEASE FORM – Puebla, Cuetzalan, Del Progreso and Mexico City, 2024
PLEASE ATTACH A COPY OF YOUR PASSPORT TO THE COMPLETED FORM:
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The undersigned intends travel to Mexico on a program administered by Journeys International, Inc. The undersigned has been informed that travel and other activities can be dangerous for a variety of reasons and
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SFAS TOUR Feb.2024 – Mexico

EVENT DELAYED UNTIL NEXT SEASON Ancient Sky-watchers – Archeoastronomy in New Mexico and the Southwest - James (Jim) Wysong, Ed.D.
2024-02-20 19:00 - 20:00 | Pecos Trail Cafe, 2239 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87505
Since prehistory, our ancestors have employed the sky as a clock, calendar, and a means for navigation and surveying. Mesoamerican cultures developed sophisticated and systematic practices of astronomical observations and measurement. Evidence suggests that the native people of the American Southwest were influenced by these neighboring cultures and incorporated some of this knowledge into their own astronomical practices. This talk will discuss evidence of the astronomical traditions of the indigenous cultures of the Southwest, including the Ancestral Puebloans, as well as the subsequent Puebloan cultures and the Southern Athabaskans.
Dr. James (Jim) Wysong
Dr. James (Jim) Wysong is the Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and the School of Arts and Design at Santa Fe Community College, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Dr. Wysong was a geosciences professor for twenty-five years before taking an administrative appointment. He was first introduced to Archeoastronomy at the University of South Florida by the late Robert Fuson, Ph.D., one of the founders of the discipline. Later, he participated in field work in the Yucatan and Central America with the late Ralph Robert Robbins, Jr., Ph.D., of the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Wysong is an experienced pilot, photographer, and lover of New Mexico’s natural and cultural history.

Archaeology and Conservation: The Tombs at Río Azul, a treasure in northeast Guatemala - LIWY GRAZIOSO SIERRA
2024-03-19 19:00 - 20:00 | Pecos Trail Cafe, 2239 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87505
Río Azul is an ancient Maya city located in NE Peten in Guatemala. In the late 70’s the site was heavy looted and artifacts were being sold at the auction market around the world. In the 80’s an Archaeological Project took place and they documented all the looter’s excavations and the tombs they have emptied, most of them have beautiful mural painting. The site gained notoriety and became quite famous. At the end of the project, they were closed for protection and with time they got forgotten. In the late 90’s they were opened to take pictures to promote tourism and they became a target destination and tourists insisted on going in although the site wasn’t open to the public and have no conditions to handle visitors. At that time there was no control and no protection, people went in and out without care and with time the murals were severely damaged.
It was until 2003, when we visited Río Azul, looking for the possibility to start anew research project in the area, that we found out the tombs were opened and after seeing their condition it was clear we must do something about it.
Therefore, in 2004 during PABA’s first season (PABA = Proyecto Arqueológico del Bajo Azúcar/Bajo Azucar Archaeological Project) we evaluated the condition of the site to propose a conservation program and we created PITRA (Programa de Intervenciones de las Tumbas de Río Azul/Tomb’s Intervention Programme at Río Azul). We raised the fundings to start dealing with the site’s deterioration. and we began to sanitize them, free them from the disturbing fauna that have made the tombs their home and make the chambers and features stable. We
did restoration work for several seasons combining research with conservation and in the process we ran into many interesting features that were not seen before, it allowed us to know more about their construction techniques.
All the Río Azul tombs are different and most of them have beautiful paintings with very interesting iconography. We will present the work we have done in 3 of the tombs, how they were constructed, its mural paintings and special features. We must be aware that cultural heritage is a nonrenewable resource, once it’s destroyed it’s lost forever, and we must take responsibility and try to protect and
preserve cultural heritage for generations to come.
LIWY GRAZIOSO SIERRA
Current Director and Curator of Museo Miraflores in Guatemala City and Professor of Maya Archaeology and Iconography at San Carlos University, Guatemala.
Got her degree in Archaeology at the National School of Anthropology and History (ENAH) Mexico, Master in Mesoamerican Studies by the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
Former coordinator of the Restructuring Project of the National Museum of Anthropology MNA-INAH, in Mexico City (1997-2000). Professor of Maya Archaeology in the National School of Anthropology and History (ENAH) in Mexico, from 1997 to 2008, and Professor of Precolumbiar Art & Iconography in the PhD Program in Art History at Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla and Universidad Autónoma de México (Esthetic’s Research Institute/Instituto de Investigaciones Estéticas, IIE-UNAM) from 2005 to 2008.
Since 2004 directs the Research and Conservation Project PABA-PITRA (Bajo Azúcar Archaeological Project PABA and the Río Azul Tombs Intervention & Conservation Program PITRA).
Has conducted field research in Mesoamerica for more than 30 years at
archaeological sites including Yaxchilan, Izapa, Malinalco, and Teotihuacan in Mexico; La Milpa and the Three Rivers Region in Belize; Takalik Abaj, Kaminaljuyu, Kinal, Río Azul, and Tikal, among others in Guatemala. Has taken part in scientific documentaries (produced by France, UK, Ireland, EUA, Mexico and Guatemala), also has participated in national and international exhibits and in catalogues and exhibition’s guides. Has more than 60 publications primarily
concerning Mesoamerica and the Maya.
Among awards and distinctions she has received The Order of Academic Palms (Ordre des Palmes Académiques) as Knight (Chevalier), bestowed by the French Republic in May 2019, French Embassy in Guatemala, and Recipient of the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP-2009), given by the United States of America’s State Department (Grant S-GT500-09-GR049) 2009-2010,
US Embassy in Guatemala. Since 2015 she has been a member of Seminario
de Cultura Mexicana (Corresponsalía Guatemala), President of Guatemala’s Museum Association (2017-2019) and President of the International Council of Museums ICOM-Guatemala (2017-2019).
Areas of interest: Mesoamerican Archaeology, Protection and Conservation of Cultural Heritage, Iconography, Spatial Analysis, Hydraulic Systems, Museums and Collections.
Professional Memberships, Academic Institutions
AGARQ Asociación Guatemalteca de Arqueología
AMG Asociación de Museos de Guatemala (President 2017-2019)
Asociación para la Conservación del Patrimonio Cultural de las Américas, E.U.A.
Asociación Tikal, Guatemala (Member of the Board of Directors)
Colegio de Arqueólogos de México A. C., (Founding Member) Founded in Mexico City.
Colegio de Humanidades de Guatemala (Colegiado No.8,636)
ICOM International Council of Museums (Presidente de ICOM-Guatemala 2017-2019)
ICOMOS International Council of Monuments and Sites
Museo Miraflores, Guatemala City (Director and Curator 2012 to date)
SAA Society for American Archaeology, E.U.A
SCM Seminario de Cultura Mexicana, Corresponsalía de Guatemala
USAC Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (Professor since 2009).
Recent Publications:
2022 “Harvesting Ha, Ancient Water Collection and Storage in the Elevated Interior Region of the Maya Lowlands”, with N. Dunning, J. Brewer, C. Carr, A. Anaya Hernández, T. Beach, J. Chmilar, R. Griffin, D. Lentz, S. Luzzadder-Beach, K.Reese-Taylor, W. Saturno, V. Scarborough, M. Smyth and F. Valdez Jr. In Sustainability and Water Management in the Maya World and Beyond, Edited by Jean
T. Larmon, Lisa Lucero and Fred Valdez Jr. pp.13-51, University Press of Colorado, USA.
2022 “Interpreting Đ13c Values Obtained on Soil Organic Matter from Ancient Maya Reservoirs and Depressions”, with Kenneth B. Tankersley, Nicholas P. Dunning, David L. Lentz, Christopher Carr, Trinity L. Hamilton and Kathryn ReeseTaylor. In SSRN Electronic Journal, DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.4067202, USA.
2021 “Environmental DNA reveals arboreal cityscapes at the ancient Maya Center of Tikal”, with David L. Lentz, Trinity L. Hamilton, Nicholas P. Dunning, Eric J. Tepe, Vernon L. Scarborough, Stephanie A. Meyers and Alison A. Weiss. In Scientific Reports, Vol 11, 12725 (2021) USA.
2021 “El Agua nos habla de la gente, nos cuenta su historia: Tikal y sus
reservorios.” with Nicholas Dunning, David Lentz, Kenneth Tankersley y Vernon Scarborough, in XXXIV Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, edited by B. Arroyo, G. Ajú y L. Méndez Salinas, Tomo 1: 201-212, MICUDE, IDAEH and Asociación Tikal, Guatemala.
2020 “Molecular genetic and geochemical assays reveal severe contamination of drinking water reservoirs at the ancient Maya city of Tikal”, with David L. Lentz, Trinity L. Hamilton, Nicholas P. Dunning, Vernon L. Scarborough, Todd P. Luxton, Anne Vonderheide, Eric J. Tepe1 and Cory J. Perfetta. In Nature Research Scientific
Reports, Vol.10, article number 10316 (2020), USA.

POSTPONED UNTIL WEDNESDAY - Los Luceros – Revealing the Hidden Gem of New Mexico – Rebecca Ward
2024-04-17 19:00 - 20:00 | Pecos Trail Cafe, 2239 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87505
Los Luceros was designated a historic site in 2019 which preserved 148 acres of towering Cottonwood Trees, rolling agricultural fields, incredibly preserved historic buildings, a delightful apple orchard, four miles of traditional acequia ditches, and a bosque full of wildlife… all sitting on the bank of the beautiful Rio Grande. Carly hopes to demonstrate why this site is so special to so many people by covering the site’s history through its present programs and projects. It is time to excavate this “hidden gem” and reveal its importance and beauty for all to admire!
Rebecca Ward
Rebecca Ward is the Instructional Coordinator for the Los Luceros Historic Site. She started at Los Luceros in February of 2020 as the site ranger and became the main site history researcher during the site’s closure to the public from Marcj 2020 to February 2021. Once Los Luceros reopened to public visitation she gave tours, answered research requests, and created the current interpretive signage in the buildings. Rebecca has a Master of Arts degree in Museum Studies from the University of Oklahoma. She has volunteered and worked for the National Park Service at Mesa Verde National Park, Petroglyph National Monument, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, and she has also worked for the 501C3 Private non-profit Washakie Museum and Cultural Center in Worland, NY. Rebecca’s focus at Los Luceros may have changed in working primarily with children by giving school tours and doing virtual classroom visits, but she still shares the history and beauty of Los Luceros every day.

Guided Tour of Los Luceros Historic Site
2024-04-21 10:30 - 12:00 | Los Luceros Historical Site, 258 Co Rd 41, Alcalde, NM, 87511, United States
Join us for a tour of Los Luceros Historic Site on Sunday, April 21, at 10:30 AM.

Rebecca Ward will be leading the tour, which will last an hour and a half. Afterwards, you are welcome to find a place to eat lunch and walk around on our own.
The entry fee is $7 for adults. Free for children 16 years and younger. New Mexico foster families are admitted free. Museum of New Mexico Foundation members may have a free pass. They will need to show their card, though.
This tour is open to all interested parties.
Rebecca Ward
Rebecca Ward is the Instructional Coordinator for the Los Luceros Historic Site. She started at Los Luceros in February of 2020 as the site ranger and became the main site history researcher during the site’s closure to the public from Marcj 2020 to February 2021. Once Los Luceros reopened to public visitation she gave tours, answered research requests, and created the current interpretive signage in the buildings. Rebecca has a Master of Arts degree in Museum Studies from the University of Oklahoma. She has volunteered and worked for the National Park Service at Mesa Verde National Park, Petroglyph National Monument, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, and she has also worked for the 501C3 Private non-profit Washakie Museum and Cultural Center in Worland, NY. Rebecca’s focus at Los Luceros may have changed in working primarily with children by giving school tours and doing virtual classroom visits, but she still shares the history and beauty of Los Luceros every day.

Santa Fe Archaeological Society Annual Meeting
2024-05-19 17:00 - 19:30 | Annual Meeting, 788 Coyote Ridge Rd, Santa Fe, NM, 87507, United States
The Santa Fe Archaeological Society will hold its Annual Meeting on Sunday, May 19, starting at 5 pm. It will be held at the home of Sandy Kiger.
The purpose of the meeting is to elect the Board for the upcoming year. If you would like to run for an office, please contact one of the following present board members: John Fitter, Linda Stephens, or Lisa Lashley. Please consider running, as we need new blood on the board!
Also, as you know, we did not fill all of our positions last year (check our website to see all the positions). We would really like to fill them this year!
As this is a potluck, we ask you to bring one of your favorite dishes to share. In order to avoid duplications, please let me know what you plan to bring. Bring serving utensils as necessary, and please label the dish and utensil with your name. Sandy will be providing drinks, but if you have a special drink (say a wine) you like, please bring it.
Also, please indicate if you can come early to help set up or stay afterwards to help clean up.
788 Coyote Ridge Rd. is the first road on your left when heading towards town from the Siler Rd. and West Alameda roundabout (about 4 tenths of a mile). Stay on Coyote Ridge Rd. as it goes over the top of the hill and turns left down below. The driveway is the first on the right – after turning left. There is a large rock with “788” on it.

The Galisteo Basin as a Multicultural Landscape - Eric Blinman
2024-09-17 19:00 - 20:00 | Pecos Trail Cafe, 2239 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87505
Puebloan peoples are stereotyped under a single label, which is a profound injustice to their rich cultural diversity. This diversity also implies the existence of distinct histories, and the unique setting of the Galisteo Basin provides an opportunity to explore these histories. The uniqueness of the Galisteo Basin is largely due to its susceptibility to climate change and the interaction of the environment with human economies. Tiwa, Tewa, Tano, Towa, and Keres cultural groups were well established in north central New Mexico at the beginning of the twelfth century, enjoying a stable climate pattern that supported a cultural florescence in the Four Corners region. Drought and a change in the monsoon rainfall pattern in the mid-to-late 12th century disrupted the stable cultural geography, and the Galisteo Basin was opened to agricultural homesteading. By the mid-twelfth century, more than five generations before the Mesa Verde abandonment, immigrants began colonizing the Basin. More than 200 years of conflicts-of-interest and conflict ensued, resulting in the 15th century formation of the Galisteo Basin Pueblos, and giving form to the cultural diversity encountered during European colonization.

Eric Blinman began studying archaeology in 1967, eventually getting degrees in anthropology from UC Berkeley and Washington State University. He joined the Museum of New Mexico’s archaeology program in 1988 as a laboratory supervisor for projects in the Four Corners region of New Mexico. In 1992-1993, Eric was introduced to Galisteo Basin archaeology by Tim Maxwell and John Ware as a field conservation specialist, working to document perishable ceremonial artifacts that had been encountered by Forrest Fenn’s excavations at Pueblo San Lazaro. Those were also the years that the Office of Archaeological Studies (OAS) edited and published Christina Singleton Mednick’s “San Cristobal: Voices and Visions of the Galisteo Basin.” Tim’s relationship with the Singleton family resulted in more than three decades of access to Galisteo Basin archaeology by OAS archaeologists, including Eric. He has brought his knowledge of Four Corners pottery, ceramic technology, paleoenvironments, and cultural affiliation studies to the problems and potentials of the complex history of the Galisteo Basin.

The Archaeology of Prostitution and Clandestine Pursuits - Donna Seifert
2024-10-15 19:00 - 20:00 | Pecos Trail Cafe, 2239 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87505
Case studies from various nineteenth-century sites where material culture reveals evidence of prostitution, including a brothel in Five Points—New York City’s most notorious neighborhood—and parlor houses a few blocks from the White House and Capitol Hill. lso Brothels in the American West are also looked at—in urban Los Angeles and in frontier sites and mining camps in Sandpoint, Idaho; Prescott, Arizona; and Fargo, North Dakota. The artifact assemblages found at these sites often contradict written records, allowing archaeologists to construct a more realistic and complicated picture of daily life for working-class women involved in commercial sex.
Donna Seifert
Donna J. Seifert is an independent scholar, who spent most of her career working in historic preservation and cultural resources management. She maintains her registration in the Register of Professional Archaeologists.
She earned a bachelor’s degree from Lawrence University and a Master’s degree and a PhD in anthropology from the University of Iowa. She served on the board of the Society for American Archaeology and the board of the Register of Professional Archaeologists. Her service to the Society of Historical Archaeology includes a term on the board and as president, as well as several years as associate editor of the society’s journal, Historical Archaeology.
Her research focus is the archaeology of the historic period in Central Mexico, the Mid-Atlantic states, and northern New Mexico. Special interests include urban households and neighborhoods; the role of ceramics in understanding household composition and status; and brothels and prostitution. She served as co-author, with Rebecca Yamin, of The Archaeology of Prostitution and Clandestine Pursuits (2019, University Press of Florida).

Zuni Region in the Post-Chacoan Era - Keith Kintigh
2024-11-19 19:00 - 20:00 | Pecos Trail Cafe, 2239 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87505
Abstract to come.
Keith Kintigh
Keith W. Kintigh is an American anthropologist and professor emeritus at Arizona State University. He specializes in quantitative archaeology and the archaeology of the Southwestern United States, conducting field research on Ancestral Pueblo sites in the Cibola region of New Mexico.

Beneath an Ancient Neighborhood: Archaeology and History in the Barrio de Analco, Santa Fe - Stephen Post
2025-01-21 19:00 - 20:00 | Pecos Trail Cafe, 2239 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87505
For more than 900 years, humans have left their mark on the neighborhood on the south side of the Santa Fe River known as Barrio de Analco. Within the Barrio de Analco, conclusive physical evidence of its past residents often has been difficult to uncover. The vague traces left by Ancestral Puebloan, Hispano, Mestizo, Indio, Genízaro, and Anglo peoples offer fleeting glimpses of the past. The physical context of these traces can be compared to mixing a layer cake in a blender and then spreading the result across the land. While well intended, studies of this jumbled landscape, most of them mandated by City ordinances, have been insufficient in scope to yield substantive new information. This talk will highlight a few exceptional studies, including recent research at the Boyle House located at 327 E. De Vargas St. These studies shed light on the customs, relationships, and identities of those who once lived in the ancient location known to modern Pueblo people as O’gha Po’oghe and Santa Fe’s non-Indigenous residents as El Barrio de Analco.
Biography
Stephen Post’s career in New Mexico archaeology began in 1976. Working for the Department of Cultural Affairs-Office of Archaeological Studies until 2011, his experiences encompassed 12,000 years of New Mexico’s rich past. He directed excavations for the New Mexico History Museum and the Santa Fe Community Convention Center finding remnants of residential, ritual, military, and governmental buildings and facilities left by 1500 years of Ancestral Puebloan, Spanish, Mexican, and American peoples. Authoring almost 200 archaeological reports on the Santa Fe area, he has a broad understanding of traces left by 7,000 years of Santa Fe’s permanent and part-time residents. The buried past of Barrio de Analco is one of many intriguing stories that fuels his fascination with Santa Fe’s cultural heritage.

Recent Research at the Abó and Quaraí Units of Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument - Emily Brown
2025-02-18 19:00 - 20:00 | Pecos Trail Cafe, 2239 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87505
Aspen CRM Solutions recently completed archaeological surveys of the monument units surrounding the Tompiro pueblo of Abó and the Tiwa pueblo of Quaraí at Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument near Mountainair, New Mexico, both of which contain the remains of a large pueblo and a Spanish Colonial mission. The occupation sequences for both are now much better understood, and detailed ceramic analyses have allowed us to identify the general construction sequences for the various roomblocks at both pueblos. We also have a much better understanding of the use of the surrounding landscape by different groups over time. The presentation summarizes the findings of the surveys and discusses of the results of the associated research.

Archaeology and the Tibetan/Himalayan Afterlife - Mark Aldenderfer
2025-03-18 19:00 | Pecos Trail Cafe, 2239 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87505
Although historians and Tibetologists since the early 20th C have collected and interpreted religious documents describing in general terms rituals of death and safe passage to the afterlife among the early peoples of the Himalayas, the archaeological record offered little insight into them. But recent research by archaeologists across the region have made extraordinary discoveries that both challenge and corroborate current understandings as well as identifying previously unknown traditions for both commoners and kings.
Mark Aldenderfer
Aldenderfer joined the UC Merced campus in 2010, becoming dean of the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts. He is best known for his comparative interdisciplinary studies of high-elevation adaptation from an archaeological perspective.
His many achievements also include recent archaeological research in Tibet and Nepal and serving as editor of Current Anthropology, one of the field’s most prestigious academic journals. A native of Ohio, Aldenderfer was a faculty member at the University of Arizona and UC Santa Barbara before UC Merced.
Aldenderfer was one of UC Merced’s first two professors to be named a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur chair.
Aldenderfer, who officially departed UC Merced on July 1, is transitioning his life and work to Santa Fe, N.M., where he will continue his lifelong exploration of how the ancient past continues to shape the world’s future.

11th Century Turkey Management in the Mimbres Valley - Sean Dolan
2025-04-15 19:00 - 20:00 | Pecos Trail Cafe, 2239 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87505
For nearly two millennia, people in the US Southwest and Mexican Northwest have maintained a significant relationship with turkeys, a bird they domesticated for their feathers, meat, and other resources. Recent archaeological studies reveal diverse regional and temporal patterns in turkey management, but how and why did people in the Mimbres Valley of southwestern New Mexico from CE 1000-1130 manage and interact with these birds? In this presentation, Sean Dolan incorporates Mimbres pottery iconography, bone isotope analysis, and ancient DNA to explore the role and treatment of turkeys in this region.
Biography
Sean Dolan grew up in Pennsylvania, where he majored in history and anthropology at Penn State University. He received his Master’s in anthropology from New Mexico State University and PhD in anthropology from the University of Oklahoma. He is a Registered Professional Archaeologist and has managed cultural resources at Los Alamos National Laboratory since 2014. He is the author of several journal articles on obsidian procurement and stone tool technology in the US Southwest and Mexican Northwest, as well as how people in the Mimbres Valley managed turkeys.

Annual Trip - The Best of Guatemala
2025-05-03 - 2025-05-15 | Annual Trip, Guatemala
Get complete trip information by clicking on this text

The Debate over Tewa Migrations - Eric Blinman (Adjunct Professor, University of New Mexico)
2025-09-16 19:00 - 20:00 | Pecos Trail Cafe, 2239 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87505
The question of over the origins of the prehistoric people who settled the
lower Rio Chama Valley, considered as the ancestral Tewa.
Eric Blinman began studying archaeology in 1967, eventually getting degrees in anthropology from UC Berkeley and Washington State University. He joined the Museum of New Mexico’s archaeology program in 1988 as a laboratory supervisor for projects in the Four Corners region of New Mexico. In 1992-1993, Eric was introduced to Galisteo Basin archaeology by Tim Maxwell and John Ware as a field conservation specialist, working to document perishable ceremonial artifacts that had been encountered by Forrest Fenn’s excavations at Pueblo San Lazaro. Those were also the years that the Office of Archaeological Studies (OAS) edited and published Christina Singleton Mednick’s “San Cristobal: Voices and Visions of the Galisteo Basin.” Tim’s relationship with the Singleton family resulted in more than three decades of access to Galisteo Basin archaeology by OAS archaeologists, including Eric. He has brought his knowledge of Four Corners pottery, ceramic technology, paleoenvironments, and cultural affiliation studies to the problems and potentials of the complex history of the Galisteo Basin.
$10.00 Donation requested at the door for non-members

Gender Violence in the American Southwest - Debra Martin (University of Nevada – Las Vegas)
2025-10-21 18:30 - 19:30 | Pecos Trail Cafe, 2239 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87505
Using Ancestral pueblo data as a case study on how to engage with why
gender violence is so universal and pervasive across time and space.
Biography

Debra L. Martin is an expert in human osteology and bioarchaeology, which involves the analysis of skeletonized human remains from archaeological as well as historic and contemporary settings. She conducts research in the areas of nonlethal violence and inequality, gender differences and paleopathology, and the bioarchaeology of human experience with a focus on groups living in risky and challenging desert environments. She is on the editorial board of the journal Landscapes of Violence and is also the editor for Bioarchaeology and Social Theory series, Springer. She is co-editor of the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology and an associate editor for the Yearbook of Physical Anthropology. Her recent publications include co-editing Bioarchaeology of Violence (UPF) and Bioarchaeological and Forensic Perspectives on Violence (Cambridge) as well as co-authoring Bioarchaeology of Climate Change and Violence (Springer).

Education
Ph.D. : University of Massachusetts, 1983

$10.00 fee requested at the door for non-members

Cahokia versus Chaco: Indigenous Urbanism as Viewed from the Mississippi Valley - Dr. Timothy Pauketat (School for Advanced Research)
2025-11-18 18:30 - 19:30 | Pecos Trail Cafe, 2239 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87505
Understanding Cahokia—an indigenous city opposite modern-day St.
Louis—is assisted by comparing it to Chaco. Both developed at about the
same time, with major cultural and political shifts at both dated to ~1040 CE.
Cahokia, however, appears more similar in layout to civic-ceremonial centers
to the south in the Mississippi valley and Mexico, with great mounds,
spacious plazas, and palatial pole-and-thatch buildings. Both appear to have
begun with prominent lineages or clans already in place, and the human
populations of both migrated out during the 12th century’s droughts.
Biography
Dr. Pauketat is an archaeologist interested in the broad relationships between history and humanity, materiality and agency, affect and ontology, and religion and urbanism. His focus is on North America, and his concerns range from local historical ones, particularly in the central Mississippi valley, to Pan-American and big-historical ones, especially as they involve Mesoamerican-Southwestern-Mississippi valley connections. He has conducted most of his field research at and around the American Indian city of Cahokia or related complexes, having held posts at the University of Oklahoma, the State University of New York (Buffalo) and the University of Illinois.
His general research interests are materiality, affect and agency; religion and ontologies; cities and landscapes; global medievalism; climate change; North American archaeology; Woodland and Mississippian cultures; indigenous Prairie-Plains history; pottery.
A $10.00 fee at the door is requested for non-members

10,000 years of Oaxaca Cuisines from Mesquite Pods to Mezcal - Dr. Shanti Morrell-Hart (Brown University)
2026-01-20 18:30 - 19:30 | Pecos Trail Cafe, 2239 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87505
Contemporary Oaxacan cuisine holds iconic status, in a nation already
known—and even celebrated in UNESCO’s List of Intangible Heritage—for
gastronomy. Countless festivals each year are devoted to individual
ingredients and special preparations, including chapulines, enchilados,
mezcal, quesillo, tejate, and at least seven moles. Though the origins of
specific recipes may be disputed, archaeological investigations have managed
to reveal a suite of culinary elements and activities through various methods
and proxies. From early domesticates in the Archaic period, to seed banks in
the Postclassic period, we see how food ingredients were hunted, cultivated,
tithed, and hidden away for protection. They were also inherited, treasured,
remembered—and sometimes forgotten.
Biography
Shanti Morell-Hart is an anthropological archaeologist and paleo ethnobotanist with a focus on ancient societies in Mesoamerica. Her published research tracks the origins and impacts of agriculture in the development of societies, contributions of plants to ritualized activity and healthcare, the range and diversity of quotidian botanical practices, and transformations in human-environment relationships, especially as related to narratives of collapse and resilience. Her teaching and supervisory interests include: foodways, ethnoecology, paleoethnobotanical analysis, spatial analysis, Mesoamerican societies, ancient history, and gastronomic heritage. She currently serves as Director of the Integrated Laboratory for Archaeological Sciences (ILAS) and the Paleoethnobotany Laboratory at Brown (PEBLAB).
There is no entry fee for this Lecture

Linda Cordell and Her Many Contributions to Southwest Archaeology - Dr. Maxine McBrinn and Dr. Judith Habicht Mauche
2026-02-17 18:30 - 19:30 | Pecos Trail Cafe, 2239 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87505
Linda Cordell was extraordinarily active in southwestern archaeology during
her entire career. She augmented her own robust research by also investing
her resources in the work of others. Because of this, her influence extended
well beyond her own students to those of many of her colleagues. One of her
last personal endeavors was working with the Tijeras Pueblo Ceramics
Project. Examples of her prodigious influence on archaeological research will
be presented.
Biography
Judith A. Habicht-Mauche is Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she has been a member of the faculty since 1990. Prof. Habicht-Mauche’s research interests include the study of the technology, organization of production and exchange of ancient pottery from the American Southwest and Southern Plains. She is an expert in the archaeological application of mineralogical, chemical, and isotopic techniques for sourcing artifacts and reconstructing ancient trade routes and patterns of cross-cultural interaction. She earned her Ph.D. in Anthropology from Harvard University in 1988. Her doctoral research on interaction between Pueblo farmers of the Southwest and bison-hunting nomads of the Southern Plains won the Plains Anthropological Society Student Paper Competition and was awarded the Society for American Archaeology Dissertation Prize.
Maxine McBrinn is the former Curator of Archaeology at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe, NM and an independent researcher. She is a Research Associate of the Office of Archaeological Studies, also in Santa Fe. Dr. McBrinn earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Anthropology at the University of Colorado, Boulder and also has a B.S. and a M.A. in Physics from the University of Texas at Austin. She has worked in a curatorial role at a number of museums, including the Field Museum in Chicago and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science (DMNS). Much of her DMNS research, conducted with Dr. E. James Dixon, focused on the Lamb Spring site. In addition, Maxine has conducted field research in Wyoming, Colorado, Texas, and New Mexico. Her research focus is on hunters and gatherers, social identity, and the transition to early agriculture. A technical specialty is archaeological textiles and basketry.
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