Southwestern Archaeology Today for Oct 12, 2007

Southwestern Archaeology Making the News – A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology

– Open House at the Center for Desert Archaeology: The Center is hosting an open house and bookstore clearance sale, this Saturday, October 13, 2007, 9:00 a.m. to noon. Learn about ongoing projects and what you can do to preserve our shared heritage. Meet Center staff, volunteers, and other members. Tour our historic facility. Experience 3-D virtual reconstructions of archaeological sites. Receive 40-60% off most publications, including Archaeology Southwest magazine. Take advantage of these same discounts online during the event. The Center is located in the Historic Y Building, 300 E. University Blvd., Ste. 230, Tucson, Arizona. Contact Kate Sarther at 520-882-6946 or kate@cdarc.org for more information.

– Mesa Grande Ruins Receives Grant for Interpretive Improvements: One of Mesa’s most treasured cultural gems is also one of its least accessible. The Mesa Grande ruins at 10th Street and Brown Road, regarded by many as a sterling example of the Valley’s ancient Native American culture, has been fenced off for years because the city has lacked money to develop it. That will begin to change, thanks to Indian casino money.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1009mr-ruins1010.html

– Reminder AAC Conference Starts Today: The Arizona Archaeological Council’s 2007 Fall Conference will be held on Friday and Saturday, October 12 and 13. The conference is entitled “Going with the Flow: Current Research in Prehistoric Irrigation Technology”. Organized by Bruce Phillips and Jerry Howard, the conference will be held at the Arizona Museum of Natural History (formerly the Mesa Southwest Museum) in Mesa, Arizona. This conference will provide an update and expansion on ideas presented in the 1988 AAC canal symposium. Please go to http://www.arizonaarchaeologicalcouncil.org/ to view the conference program.

Lecture on Archaeoastronomy at Eastern Arizona College. What is the “sun dagger?” How were ancient Anasazi peoples able to track the complicated 18.6-year lunar standstill cycle? Where did the Chacoans report on the supernova that resulted in the Crab Nebula? Did the Anasazi record the passing of Halley’s comet in 1066 AD? As part of Eastern Arizona College’s Discover Anthro-pology lecture series, Dean Harry Swanson will present a free slide show and lecture entitled “Rock Art and Southwest Archaeoastron-omy” on Oct. 13, beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the Jupiter Room on the college’s Discovery Park Campus.
http://www.cdarc.org/page/2h6g – Eastern Arizona Courier