Dear Friends,
Another week, another road trip or two.
Honestly, I’m still getting used to the post-Labor Day change in cadence here in Tucson. The extreme heat and the lack of students and snow birds in town really do mean that life is slower in summer. This past weekend, in order to make time during the week for office work, I again hit the road on behalf of Archaeology Southwest and all the wonderful work we do.
On Saturday, I took a quick sightseeing tour of the upper and middle stretches of our beloved San Pedro River Valley. It’s been decades since I’ve been to Sonoita, Tombstone, Bisbee, Elfrida, Dragoon, and other towns in that part of the world, much less to the wonderful archaeological sites there. I was astonished by how green everything was—we’ve had a lot of rain lately—and by the fact that the San Pedro River was actually flowing at every point I crossed. It was great to see, except that it’s almost October. Under a normal monsoon season, this would have happened two months ago.
On Sunday, Preservation Anthropologist Aaron Wright and I traveled to the historic Castle Hot Springs resort near Lake Pleasant, northwest of Phoenix, to document rock imagery on their property. Aaron is a recognized expert on such images, and goes to great pains (figuratively, not literally) to do the proper documentation. As you can see from these photos, he needed help from the resort staff to access to two different locations.
Those of us who remained firmly on the ground marveled at the agility of our colleagues, and at the fact that the people who made the petroglyphs did so without access to synthetic ropes, carabiners, rock drills, and all the rest of the gear we used.
Like many of you, I have a road-trip soundtrack on my phone and I like to crank up the tunes when I drive alone. On Saturday, I found myself hitting play again and again on the Indigo Girls classic “Closer to Fine,” which captures the spirit, the essence, of my recent road trips. It’s about the journey as much as the destination, and while university-based educations are all well and good, it is lifelong learning like that we offer at Archaeology Southwest that puts me in a happy place. If you aren’t familiar with the lyrics, here’s a snippet:
And I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains
I looked to the children, I drank from the fountains
There’s more than one answer to these questions
Pointing me in a crooked line
And the less I seek my source for some definitive
(The less I seek my source)
Closer I am to fine, yeah
Until next time,
Steve Nash
President & CEO, Archaeology Southwest
Continuing Coverage & Commentary: Imminent Threats to Public Lands, Parks, and History
Censorship
Among the informational signs flagged for review under the Trump administration’s purge of “improper ideology” at National Parks is language at the Sitka National Monument Russian Bishop’s House explaining how missionaries worked to destroy Indigenous cultures and languages in Alaska. A panel at Florida’s Castillo de San Marcos National Monument is being questioned for including text about forced assimilation of imprisoned Native Americans. They are part of the ongoing review of parks, museums, and other institutions for information deemed disparaging to Americans. The review has prompted considerable concern over who is making decisions about how historical events are portrayed and whether Native historians have any input. Native America Calling | Listen now »
Economics, Jobs, and Protections
If the government shuts down this week, some of the worst impacts will be felt in national parks, and the small rural communities that economically rely on them. A new report from the National Park Service gives us some numbers, which combined with previous shutdowns, allows us to draw some broad conclusions about how bad this could be.
That report is the 2024 National Park Visitor Spending Effects, an annual tabulation of total spending from park visitors. It finds that visitors spent $29 billion in gateway communities last year, a full 10 percent increase from 2023, which held the previous record. …
But perhaps the worst impacts will come to employees themselves. Wes Siler’s Newsletter (opens at Substack) | Read more »
Cultural and Ecological Landscapes
Managing editor Jamie Smith Hopkins sits down with three ICN journalists who’ve been tracking these questions closely: Wyatt Myskow, who covers the Southwest; Jake Bolster, who covers Wyoming and the West; and senior editor Michael Kodas, who has deep expertise about both public lands and wildfires, subjects that frequently intersect.
Watch as they explain what’s happening with public lands right now under the Trump administration, what role these lands play in climate change, and whose voices are being heard in the debates, from tribal nations to businesses and the American public. Inside Climate News | Watch now »
The Ft. Yuma Quechan Tribe’s Campaign to Protect Its Homelands
Protecting Kw’tsán will provide permanent protection for our homelands, cultural objects, and sacred places that are increasingly threatened by mining exploration, natural resource extraction, harmful development, misinformed recreation, management inadequacies, and climate change.
The Fort Yuma Quechan Tribe wishes to better balance outdoor recreation with good stewardship practices by providing improved visitor infrastructure and support to those who wish to hike, backpack, rock climb, camp, drive OHVs, and canoe in their homelands. In this way, natural and cultural values can be preserved and public enjoyment of the landscape can continue in a manner which conserves the region for future generations. Protect Kwtsan | Learn more »
Bipartisan Public Lands Caucus Forms
Watch this bipartisan and engaging conversation with Representatives Gabe Vasquez (D-NM-02), Ryan Zinke (R-MT-01), and Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-06) as they discussed the formation of the Bipartisan Public Lands Caucus and shared their vision for conserving America’s public lands, expanding access for all, and ensuring these landscapes are protected for generations to come. This is a unique opportunity to hear directly from policymakers who view public lands as a unifying issue, and are committed to advancing pragmatic, consensus-driven solutions. Hosted by HECHO | Watch now »
REMINDER: Oct. 7 Online and In-Person Event (Tucson AZ): A Very Special Landscape: Trails and the Lava Fields of El Malpais National Monument
With Paul F. Reed. The cultural landscape of El Malpais National Monument holds great significance for Indigenous groups of the Southwest. Within this amazing landscape lie many kilometers of specially constructed trails that allow access to remote parts of the area. In this presentation, Paul will paint a picture of this phenomenal geography and the trails that connect it. Archaeology Café (Archaeology Southwest) | Learn more and register for online » | Learn more about attending in person »
REMINDER: Oct. 16 Online Event: Malinche, Hernán Cortés, and the Origins of Indigenous-Spanish Relations
With Michael Brescia. In this presentation, “Reconstructing the Biographies of Culture and Power in Conquest Mexico,” Brescia will examine the lives of Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés and his Indigenous interpreter and mistress Malintzin (“La Malinche”). Third Thursday Food for Thought Series (Old Pueblo Archaeological Center) | Learn more and register (free) »
Oct. 16 Online Event: Zooarchaeology as a Tool for Conservation and Management: A Case Study on Sea Otters
With Emma Smith. By pairing zooarchaeological data with isotopic analyses, we can reconstruct historical diets, trophic positions, and habitat use. In this talk, Emma illustrates this approach with the sea otter (Enhydra lutris), a keystone marine predator nearly driven extinct by the Euro-American maritime fur trade. She presents isotopic data from sea otter bones recovered at archaeological sites in southeast Alaska, northern Oregon, and California; this archaeological record reflects the deep and enduring ecological stewardship by Indigenous communities of the Pacific coast. Crow Canyon Archaeological Center | Learn more and register (free) »
Oct. 17 In-Person Event: Tucson Archaeology Happy Hour
Please join us for the Moderately Spooky edition of our fun and friendly happy hour series on Friday, October 17, 5:00 p.m., at MotoSonora Brewing, 1015 S. Park Ave. There is plenty of parking in the back of the building. Several non-beer and non-alcoholic beverages are also available, plus a permanent food truck. All archaeologists, archaeology-adjacent folks, and their friends and family are welcome. Join us in the beer garden. (Bar is not hosted.) Organized by Desert Archaeology, Inc.
Oct. 18 In-Person Event (Blanding UT): Paradigm Lost: The Origin of Clovis in North America
With Bruce Bradley. Bradley considers evidence that people arrived in the Americas multiple times from different directions starting at least 30,000 years ago. This lecture is free and open to the public, and will take place at the Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum starting at 2:00 p.m. Four Corners Lecture Series and Edge of the Cedars | Learn more »
Oct. 20 Online Event: The Role of Collective Action in Community Resilience in Northwest Mexico
With Andrea Torvinen. Dating to the Epiclassic period (600-900 CE), La Quemada, Zacatecas, Mexico, was founded during the cultural florescence of the northern frontier of Mesoamerica, but the site was abandoned ca. 800-900 CE while neighboring hilltop centers persisted. Having previously ruled out climate change as a contributing factor to the site’s decline, this research investigates whether internal social unrest or shifting political or economic networks may have played a role. Specifically, did a change in how the occupants of La Quemada identified with one another decrease the potential for collective action over time? Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society | Learn more and register (free) »
Oct. 21 In-Person Event: Saloons of Tucson
With Homer Thiel. Join us for a book reading and discussion of Saloons of Tucson. Thiel has worked as a historical archaeologist in Tucson since 1992. In 2006 he led an excavation that uncovered the Cactus Saloon on N. Toole Avenue. During Covid he researched the history of every saloon in Tucson from 1860 to 1914, compiling the information for this book. This insightful lecture, book reading, and presentation will wrap up with a Q&A, providing you time to ask questions and engage with your fellow attendees. Books will be available for sale. This event is open to all ages. Guests under 21 must be accompanied by an adult. $10/person with a portion of the proceeds donated to Presidio San Agustín in Tucson. 6:00 p.m., 2106 N. Forbes Blvd., Suite 103. Whiskey del Bac | Learn more »
Remember to send us notice of upcoming events and webinars, tours and workshops, and anything else you’d like to share with the Friends. Thanks!