Astonishing Early Agricultural Period Surface Shows Ancient Footprints in Tucson

Astonishing Early Agricultural Period Surface Shows Ancient Footprints in Tucson
Dan Arnit of Innovative Excavating was working at the site of the planned Sunset Road connection to Silverbell Road just west of Interstate 10 when he came across something startling — prehistoric human footprints, possibly the oldest set found north of Mexico in the Southwest. “I saw what looked like a heel,” he said. Arnit found the footprints stamped into the mud of an ancient irrigated field, dried solid and covered with sediment some 2,500 to 3,000 years ago. http://bit.ly/1RHwMm4 – Arizona Daily Star

A Pompeii in Adobe
Although nowhere near as dramatic as preservation by volcanic eruption, SWCA Environmental Consultants’ recent exposure of an incredibly rare record of people farming along the Santa Cruz River 2,500 to 3,000 years ago has the Tucson archaeological community abuzz. The record was made in muddy sand and clay, on what had to have been a “wet day on the farm.” Looking at the various tracks of prints, it is easy to imagine the ancient farmers running into their fields to open and close the irrigation canals that watered their fields of maize. http://bit.ly/1RHwBY6 – Archaeology Southwest

Video Link: The Sunset Footprints
An ancient discovery was made in Pima County. Archaeologists dug up human footprints from nearly 3,000 years ago while preparing for a transportation project. Crews uncovered hundreds of footprints while digging through a historic land site off I-10 and Sunset Road. The prints date back between 500 and 800 B.C.. The discovery unveils human activity and ingenuity along the eastern bank of the Santa Cruz River. http://bit.ly/1ZXnuHD – kgun tv 9. com

Big Oil Divides and Then Conquers the Chaco Landscape
“Right now, there’s a definite split, a definite division between community members,” says Samuel Sage, community services coordinator for the Counselor Chapter, one of more than 100 regionally placed administrative and community centers for tribe members that serve as a venue for providing input to their delegates to the Navajo Nation’s governing body. http://bit.ly/1OIiVs5 – Santa Fe Reporter

Help Save Chaco Canyon – We Need Your Petition Signatures ASAP!
In response to the ongoing Resource Management Plan Amendment planning process, the undersigned collective body of professional and avocational archaeologists working in the American Southwest, strongly encourage you to establish a permanent 10-mile protection zone surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Within the protection zone, we strongly urge you to prohibit any new leasing of federal mineral interests for oil and gas development. http://bit.ly/1NtLXI7 – Archaeology Southwest via Google Docs

The Archaeological Conservancy Features Jim Judge and His Research at Puzzle House
In some 30 years as a practicing archaeologist, I directed or participated in the excavation of a wide variety of sites, spanning in time from 10,000 BC to AD 1835, and in type from PaleoIndian to Archaic to Ancestral Pueblo to Historic. As such I became aware that archaeological sites can be quite deceiving as seen from the surface prior to excavation. In archaeology, what you see from the surface is not necessarily what you get. And what you get may be surprisingly relevant to issues we face today. http://bit.ly/1Qn2Okj – The Archaeological Conservancy

Coming Soon – Arizona’s Contribution to the MAPP Video Project
A preview of Arizona’s contribution to the Making Archaeology Public Project, in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act. The full short feature will debut in April, at the 2016 meetings of the Society for American Archaeology in Orlando.
http://bit.ly/1PeFC90 – Archaeology Southwest via YouTube

Historical Event: Tucson’s Fort Lowell Day
On Saturday, February 13, 2016, the public is invited to visit the historic Fort Lowell neighborhood and relive Tucson’s bygone days at the 35th Annual Fort Lowell Day Celebration. Events in Fort Lowell Park include high-speed cavalry drills, a regimental band concert, and hands-on activities such as adobe-brick making and games children would have played while living at the fort in the 1880s.. The afternoon is filled with music, food trucks and fun. Check out Facebook.com/fortlowellday

Webinar Opportunity –  Smoke from a Distant Fire: Human-Wildfire Interactions in Prehistoric Forests of the Southwestern U.S.
Please join us for a free webinar on Human-Wildfire Interactions in Prehistoric Forests of the Southwestern US January 27th at 12pm MST.  12pm MST (11am PST, 2pm EST) on Wednesday, January 27th. Presenter: Dr. Rachel Loehman, Research Landscape Ecologist, US Geological Survey. The southwest Jemez Mountains in central New Mexico have been utilized continuously for the past 2,000 years, and by circa 1300 CE a network of large village sites and fieldhouses created a significant human footprint on this fire-prone landscape. Prehistoric land use significantly influenced forest structure, fuel properties, ignitions, and thus landscape fire dynamics. Register at: http://conta.cc/1WI8wQr – Constant Contact Webinars

Lecture Opportunity – Cortez
The Hisatsinom Chapter of the Colorado Archaeology Society is pleased to present Hannah Mattson on Tuesday, February 2^nd at 7:00 PM at the Methodist Church, 515 Park Street, Cortez, CO to discuss “Personal Ornaments from Pueblo Bonito and Aztec Ruin: An Examination of Social Identity, Ritual Practice, and Demographic Reorganization.” Hannah will , explore Chacoan identity and practice by examining the social values placed on ornaments from Pueblo Bonito and Aztec Pueblo’s West Ruin. Contact Kari Schleher at 505-269-4475 with questions.

Lecture Opportunity Correction – Santa Fe
Tomorrow’s (January 25) lecture by David E. Stuart is in Santa Fe (not Sedona as listed). Our apologies for any confusion.