2012 Mule Creek Field School
Archaeology Southwest and University of Arizona
2012 Preservation Archaeology Field School at Mule Creek, New Mexico
Archaeology Southwest and the University of Arizona School of Anthropology are offering a Preservation Archaeology field school from May 29 through July 6, 2012. The field school will combine training in basic excavation and site recording skills with a curriculum highlighting the goals, ethics, and practice of Preservation Archaeology, which integrates research, education, and preservation within a community-based framework.
Aerial view of the Fornholt site, Mule Creek, New Mexico.
Project Location: Located roughly 50 miles northeast of Safford, Arizona, and 5,200 feet above sea level, Mule Creek is situated in a scenic New Mexico valley with a rich archaeological record. Mule Creek is near one of the largest and most widely distributed obsidian sources in the ancient U.S. Southwest. Recent work by Archaeology Southwest (formerly the Center for Desert Archaeology) has shed light on fourteenth-century occupation in Mule Creek and the surrounding Upper Gila region, including immigration of people from northern and southern Arizona. This season, students will participate in test excavations at Fornholt, a pueblo occupied during the poorly documented thirteenth century. Data from the excavations will contribute to an understanding of Mule Creek’s role in thirteenth-century regional networks, as well as the social context of later migration into the Upper Gila region.
A 2011 field school student and staff member excavate a textile preserved in a burned room.
Schedule: Course dates are May 29 through July 6, 2012. In addition to field work during the day, there will be evening lectures and instruction in artifact analysis techniques. Students will have the opportunity to interact with local experts and distinguished faculty from several academic institutions. Field trips will include visits to major archaeological sites in the region. Students and staff will camp at a ranch with limited facilities. All meals will be provided by the project. Transportation between Tucson and Mule Creek before and after the field school will also be provided.
Faculty: Deborah L. Huntley is a Preservation Archaeologist at Archaeology Southwest. She received her doctorate in Anthropology from Arizona State University in 2004. Although her expertise is in Southwestern prehistory, particularly ceramic studies, she has been involved in a wide variety of archaeological research projects in Arizona, New Mexico, southern California, and Germany. Dr. Huntley’s research interests include prehistoric Southwestern sociopolitical organization, prehistoric technology and the transfer of knowledge (especially related to pottery production), chemical compositional analysis, quantitative methods, migration and long-distance interaction, and interpreting archaeology for the public. In addition to a monograph, several book chapters, and an edited book, her research has been published in Kiva, Journal of Archaeological Science, and American Antiquity.
Jeffery J. Clark is also a Preservation Archaeologist at Archaeology Southwest. He received his doctorate from the University of Arizona in 1997. Dr. Clark has worked extensively in both Southwest Asia and the southern U.S. Southwest. His primary research interest is assessing the scale and impact of ancient migration from archaeological data. He has written extensively on the topic, including one monograph, an edited book, several book chapters, and articles in American Antiquity, Kiva, Journal of Field Archaeology, and Journal of Archaeological Research.
Application and Fees: (Closed.)
