Food Archaeologist

Gary Nabhan – Food Archaeologist
Gary Nabhan has written stacks of research papers about culture, archaeology and food for academic journals, and has authored at least a dozen books, some meant for popular consumption, others the academic kind whose titles have colons and subtitles that are longer than the main title.  But the gist of his high-minded, dense research is this: People lived here thousands of years ago and they must have eaten something. To get that something, they didn’t go to the supermarket or big-box discount store. They grew and raised their foodstuffs on arid desert lands.  http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/2011/10/01/20111001food-archaeologist-storyteller.html#ixzz1ZeAxkLPm

Bandelier National Monument Reopens a Number of Ancient Places to Public Visitation
The prehistoric Native American archaeological sites that fill the heart of northern New Mexico’s Bandelier National Monument have reopened to visitors, three months after the largest wildfire in the state’s recorded history sent employees scrambling to save rare artifacts and irreplaceable artwork. The monument’s visitor center and biggest concentration of prehistoric cultural sites survived the fire and a second threat — post-fire flooding that sent ash, sediment and charred debris into the heart of the monument. http://www.thereporter.com/rss/ci_18985371?source=rss

Preservation Archaeology in the Land of Enchantment will be the Next Topic at Tucson’s Archaeology Cafe
On Tuesday, October 4, 2011, Rob Jones and Andy Laurenzi will discuss the Center for Desert Archaeology’s integrated preservation archaeology program in southwestern New Mexico. Rob will have the latest on the 2011 field season, and Andy will describe recent protection successes in the region.  Come settle in with a drink and a plate of delicious tapas at downtown Tucson’s own Casa Vicente. We meet the first Tuesday of each month from September through May at 6:00 p.m.; presentations begin at 6:15 p.m. Seating is open on a first-come, first-served basis—be ready to make new acquaintances!  https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/2011/08/08/in-the-land-of-enchantment/

More Details on University of Arizona’s Research on the Interactions of Fire, Climate, and People
University of Arizona researchers will study the interplay among human activities at the wildland-urban interface, climate change and fire-adapted pine forests. While fire is a natural part of the Southwest’s forests and grasslands, the region’s massive forest fires this year were exacerbated by decade-long drought. In addition, more people are living in or near fire-adapted ecosystems, increasing the likelihood that human activities will affect and be affected by forest fires. http://uanews.org/node/42041

Navajo-Gallup Water Project Brings PaleoWest Office to the Four Corners Region
The number of archaeologists in Farmington is about to boom while a large-scale construction project begins on nearby Indian land. The Bureau of Reclamation awarded a $5.5 million to contract to PaleoWest Archaeology to mitigate the effects Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project construction will have on cultural resources in the area. PaleoWest is a Phoenix-based company that will open an office in Farmington, said Lisa Iams, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Reclamation. http://www.daily-times.com/farmington-news/ci_19018289?source=rss

Aerial Photography Exhibit From Above Opens in Oro Valley
A collaboration among internationally acclaimed photographer Adriel Heisey, the Center for Desert Archaeology, and the Albuquerque Museum, From Above: Images of a Storied Land features sixty large-format aerial photographs of historical landscapes across the Southwest. Viewers are invited to consider anew the wonder and fragility of some of the Southwest’s best-known archaeological sites, such as Chaco Canyon’s Pueblo Bonito and Tucson’s own Tumamoc Hill, as well as special places off the beaten path. https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/2011/09/16/from-above-opens-near-tucson-on-october-6-2011/

National Register News
Congratulations to Tucson’s Barrio Anita and Barrio Santa Rosa for their recent inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.

Next Update in Steve Lekson’s The Southwest in the World Examines the Idea of Urbanism
After considering definitions of “city” and reviewing Mesoamerican urbanism, the essay concludes: “So, what’s the score? One hit (Chaco), one miss (Yellow Jacket), one outcome-under-review (Paquimé), and perhaps one whole-new-ballgame (Phoenix).” http://www.stevelekson.com

Help us raise $5,000 to keep Southwest Archaeology Today going strong!
Thank you for trusting the Center for Desert Archaeology to keep you updated on the latest news and developments in the world of southwestern archaeology. It is our privilege to provide you with Southwest Archaeology Today every Monday morning, but this service does incur costs — staff time, equipment, and technology requirements alone add up to more than $10,000 a year. If each of our 1,500 subscribers gives just $5.00, we will easily exceed our goal. Please consider a contribution to help us continue providing you and others with this valuable online resource. Make your gift today at https://www.archaeologysouthwest.org/how-to-help/sat/

Hueco Tanks State Park Plans Interpretive Fair Weekend
Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site’s 17th Annual Interpretive Fair Weekend will be held from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. October 15, and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. October 16. The fair is a free, family-oriented event focused on natural education and cultural understanding. Attractions of the two-day event will include Native American dancing and drumming, folklorico and matachin dancers, pictograph, birding and nature tours, and booths. http://www.celebmtns.org/?p=1463

Mimbres Cultural Heritage Site Seeking Volunteers
The Mimbres Culture Heritage Site in Mimbres is looking for volunteers to assist with showing tourists and student groups around the Mattocks Ruin, a world famous archeological site, and through the two historic territorial ranch houses dating from 1860s. If you are interested in archeology and local history of the Mimbres Valley, training is provided and there is no cost to participate. You will meet interesting people and be involved in a really exciting project. Please call volunteer coordinator Dorothy Bullock for details: 575-536-9957.

Travelogue – Canyon de Chelly
Standing on the rim of Canyon de Chelly, you wonder about how to get to the bottom. Your options are limited. You either hire a Navajo guide or you make a 2½-mile round-trip hike down from the mesa to the canyon floor, a drop of 660 feet. Of course, you also have to come back up. My wise choice was to hire Adam Teller of Antelope House Tours and arrange for a private half-day tour for two, costing $156, in an SUV that bounced over the dirt roads and through meandering streams while avoiding quicksand. http://www.lvrj.com/living/cerca-arizona-s-canyon-de-chelly-steeped-in-history-130521413.html

Lecture Opportunity (Santa Fe)
Southwest Seminars presents Dr. Jennifer Dunne (Professor, Santa Fe Institute) who will present Archaeology & Ecology:  Northern Pacific Aleuts & Their Trophic Roles in Marine Ecosystems, tonight, October 3 at 6:00 pm at the Hotel Santa Fe – 1501 Paseo de Peralta.   Admission is 12 dollars.

A Note of Thanks from the SAT Newsletter
As editor of the Southwest Archaeology Today, I would like to extend a special note of  thanks to Gerald Kelso for his contributions to this week’s newsletter and for many years of continued contributions to this newsletter.  Gerald retired this weekend, and his timely updates from the world of federal archaeology programs will be missed.  We at the Center for Desert Archaeology would like to send additional note of thanks to everyone who has contributed to the Center for Desert Archaeology’s fundraising efforts that will enable continued publication of Southwest Archaeology Today.