Southwest Archaeology Today for June 1, 2006

Archaeology Making the News – A Service of the Center For Desert Archaeology

– Exploring Freemont Culture at Range Creek Canyon: The Fremont are believed to have lived in the Southwest between A.D. 700 and 1350. Some archaeologists believe as many as 600 Fremont may have called Range Creek Canyon home at the peak of their storied history. By 1500, the Fremont people had vanished. Not until some 400 years later are there records of inhabitants finding Range Creek. Cattle were run in the area starting in 1885, and the first homesteaders arrived in 1915.
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_3880827

– Article Explores the Idea of Aztlan: What nobody has learned with any certainty is where those places actually were, or are. Researchers have placed ancient Aztlan as near to Mexico City as Querearo and as far north as what today is the U.S. southwest. That last possibility, the popular if not the scholarly favorite, best fits the overarching theme of the book – the historic and cultural connection between Mesoamerica and more northerly lands. That connection was a political reality from the 16th century to 1848, when the breadth and width of those lands made up the nation of Mexico, and before that New Spain. But as several of the book’s essays show us, Aztlan/Mexico oneness pre-dates the Conquest. It’s as old as the Aztec empire it self, indeed as old as Mesoamerican civilization.
http://tinyurl.com/qwv9c – Miami Herald

– El Paso Begins Historic Preservation Programs: City Council takes on the topic of historical preservation during Tuesday’s City Council meeting. Council members voted 5 to 2 in favor of creating the position of a Historic Preservation Officer and a Historic Landmark Commission. According to the city, both the office and commission are intended to help the public learn how to receive tax abatements if they have or purchase historical property. Additionally, both will help the city and residents take action of properties falling into disrepair.
http://www.kvia.com/global/story.asp?s=4966837

– Thono O’dham Students Take Storytelling to the Web:The students’ short stories, created recently through the “Looking Forward, Looking Back” project in San Xavier, delve into family and culture, both on and off the reservation. After learning how to write a script and tell a story through images, the youngsters came up with creative ways to describe how they maintain ties to centuries-old cultural traditions in modern times.
http://www.azstarnet.com/dailystar/allheadlines/131474.php
http://www.bridgesweb.org

– State of Planned Arizona Archive Building (from Vince Murray): We are so close, but still so far away in getting a new State Archives facility built. In fact, at this point we have $30 million allocated, but we can’t break ground. In order to get started, all of the funds necessary for construction have to be approved, and that amount is now $38 million. Because of the delays in developing designs — looking at moving the facility to a smaller location to use it for larger offices and covered parking for a couple of selfish legislators — an additional $8 million is needed to start construction. Without the full amount to build the facility, we can’t even move a shovel’s full of dirt. The Legislative session is almost over and we need the funds added in the Capital Outlay Bill. If the money isn’t included, then we can expect the price for construction to go up an additional 25 percent before we can break ground.
http://www.faza.net