APPROVED: 10-mile protection zone around Chaco Culture National Historical Park

The Department of Interior approved a 20-year mineral withdrawal of federal lands and minerals within a 10-mile protection zone around Chaco Culture National Historical Park, protecting roughly 336,400 acres from oil and gas leasing.

A Model for Tribal Collaboration at Archaeology Southwest

Our recent strategic plan identified an urgent need for this model, which was subsequently (and eloquently) developed by Ashleigh Thompson and Skylar Begay. We’re bringing the precepts of good relationships—including responsibility and reciprocity—to our work and our time together as a staff.

Our Living Land Acknowledgment

We respect the rights and responsibilities of Indigenous Peoples to manage and steward their lands and legacies. We support preservation efforts led by Tribes, and commit to ever-greater inclusion, consultation, and collaboration with Tribal members, communities, and Nations in the study and conservation of their Ancestors’ legacies.

My Genízaro Roots

Guest Author Istara Freedom shares her experience and history in the Preservation Archaeology Blog.

Archaeology Southwest Continues to Oppose Routing of SunZia Transmission Line

In March, we submitted a formal protest to the Bureau of Land Management. The proposed right-of-way imperils the San Pedro Valley.

Welcome

Archaeology Southwest practices Preservation Archaeology, a holistic and conservation-based approach to exploring and protecting heritage places while honoring their diverse values. We compile archaeological information, make it accessible and understandable, share it with the public and decision-makers, advocate for landscape-scale protection, and steward heritage properties and conservation easements.

Current Magazine

Revisiting Birds in the Southwest

Fifteen years have passed since we released one of our most popular issues, “Birds in the Southwest.” Since then, much has changed in avian archaeology in the United States Southwest and Mexican Northwest. In this issue, we offer readers a state-of-the-field view of bird research.

 

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Connect to the Southwest’s Deep Past—Free and Online

People have been living in this part of the world for 13,000 years.

Learn more about people’s lives on these landscapes through our online resources. Don’t know where to start? Use our curated guide to help you explore.

EXPLORE

From Our Blog

My Genízaro Roots

Guest post by Istara Freedom (May 24, 2023)—My name is Istara Freedom. Born in Arizona, I spent my first 12 years in the Southwest, in the Four Corners area, around what is known as Bears Ears and ...

Mud and Rocks—What More Do You Need?

Allen Denoyer, Preservation Archaeologist and Ancient Technologies Expert (May 23, 2023)—I recently participated in a workshop at the National Park Service’s (NPS) Desert Research Learning Cent...