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Good morning, Friends,
Here is your Preservation Archaeology news of the week. Please send us news stories; interviews, podcasts, publications, and jobs; notices of upcoming events and webinars; info about forthcoming tours and workshops; and anything else you’d like to share with this group. Thanks!
Recent Archaeology Southwest blog posts on the National Tribal Historic Preservation Officers’ Conference and Skylar Begay’s week in DC with the National Wilderness Coalition are here.
Archaeology Southwest’s Aaron Wright recently convened “Picturing Perseverance: Rock Imagery and Indigenous Cultural Resilience across the Sonoran Desert,” a three-day, four-nations symposium at Amerind. Learn more here.
Take care,
Kate Sarther
VP, Communications & Outreach, Archaeology Southwest
Editor in Chief, Archaeology Southwest Magazine
Banner image: Spruce Tree House, Mesa Verde NP © John R. Porter
National Parks and Public Lands in Turmoil
Comprehensive Guide
National Parks, the rural communities that rely on them, and the people employed to protect them are uniquely vulnerable to government shutdowns. The amount of harm that will ultimately result from the lapse in funding is determined by two factors the government has control over—duration and management—and two they don’t—visitor behavior and weather. With the shutdown now in effect, National Park Service just released its contingency plan. Here’s what you need to know. Should You Still Visit A National Park? I’m putting this first because groups that advocate for national parks, and the rangers themselves are very clear on this: no. Wes Siler’s Substack | Read more »
Celebrate the power of parks at a documentary screening in Tucson on Oct. 23 »
Please Do Not Visit
Kim Nachazel had been looking forward to a road trip to Mesa Verde national park in Colorado this week. Her husband had been mesmerized by the park since he read about it in high school, and she’d planned them a full day of adventure—two tours of famous cliff dwellings, a camping spot on BLM land, and even a spot for her pup at a dog-boarding place inside the park grounds. …
But when she arrived at the gates after driving from Salt Lake City, the parks worker thanked them and told them the park was closed, she says. “We were devastated.” Katharine Gammon in The Guardian | Read more »
Visitors to national parks during the shutdown will be taking a risk, said Bill Wade, executive director of the Association of National Park Rangers. Getting information from rangers on what remains open will be difficult, if not impossible, given the furloughs. And help for accident victims in national parks could be delayed. …
Hours into the shutdown, parks across the country posted online that they would remain open, with some services limited or unavailable. But other sites are closing. Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument in New Mexico was closed until further notice, citing “a lapse in appropriations.” Wyatt Myskow for Inside Climate News | Read more »
Volunteer to Help Steward Public Lands
One volunteer, Geanna Granger, signed up for the Utah Cultural Sites Stewardship program with her husband three years ago. … Granger, along with nearly 500 other volunteers, go to different sites across the state to help monitor any changes like vandalism or natural damages.
“Even though the federal government is shut down, we’re still out there making sure that these places are protected,” coordinator for the stewardship program, Lexi Little said. …
“As folks leave the federal service because of furloughing, a lot of these sites become very vulnerable,” Chris Merritt, officer with the State Historic Preservation Office said. [Merritt] says during the last government shutdown and the COVID-19 Pandemic, they saw an increase in vandalism at their state historic sites because of the lack of presence in those areas. Julia Sandor for Fox 13 Salt Lake City | Read more »
AZ Site Stewards Volunteer Program »
More site steward organizations »
Historic Preservation Officers: Why Our Work Matters
Kathryn Leonard, AZ SHPO: Those of us who work in the field of historic preservation and heritage conservation management are united in the belief that it is not only important, but imperative, that our built environment, landscape, and the stories and cultural beliefs and practices they embody be preserved for future generations. However, what I think attracts folk like myself to work at State Historic Preservation Offices is the Office’s ability to drive preservation solutions within even the most challenging economic, social and political contexts. Priya Chhaya for the National Trust for Historic Preservation | Read more »
ICYMI: Modern and Vintage Public Service Announcements: Indigenous and Archaeological Perspectives
What do Clint Eastwood, Ted Danson, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have in common? Stewardship of the land isn’t some newfangled idea—it has been around since time immemorial. It is also the cornerstone of SaveHistory.org’s campaign to eliminate archaeological resource crime from Tribal and federal lands. With this in mind, the team at SaveHistory.org combed YouTube to find out how similar campaigns tried to reach the hearts and minds of the public through video. SaveHistory | Read more »
Don’t miss the funky-fresh 1990s hip-hop PSA…
S’edav Va’aki Museum Reopens
The S’edav Va’aki Museum is excited to announce its fall reopening and the unveiling of two traveling exhibitions, “Parched: The Art of Water in the Southwest” and “Su:dagi/Shu:thag: Rekindling Our Connections,” set to open on Oct. 2. “Parched” utilizes art informed by scientific and cultural inquiry to explore the deep disparities of water use and access throughout the state of Arizona. “Su:dagi/Shu:thag” examines the Akimel O’odham’s (River People) longstanding relationship with water and focuses on the intersection between the politics of water rights and the celebration of traditional agricultural knowledge. City of Phoenix Newsroom | Learn more »
TOMORROW, Oct. 7, Online and In-Person (Tucson AZ): Archaeology Café with Paul Reed
Step into the 2025–2026 season of Archaeology Café: Tread. This year, we’re following the routes people have taken across time—on foot, through memory, and across landscapes. From ancient migrations and sacred trails to trade paths, historical expeditions, and everyday travel, this season explores how movement shapes cultural landscapes in the Southwest and beyond. Trails connect people to place, carry meaning, and leave lasting marks on the land and in our stories.
From Paul: “I will discuss “A Very Special Landscape: Trails and the Lava Fields of El Malpais National Monument.” 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, I’ll paint a picture of this phenomenal geography and the trails that connect it.” Archaeology Café (Archaeology Southwest) | Learn more and register for online or in-person »
October Live Lectures (Santa Fe NM)
Oct. 6, Samuel Duwe, Colonization at the Speed of Light: Archaeology of Communication Technology & Settlement of the American West; Oct. 13, Ron Barber, Chasing the Plumed Serpent of the Southwest; Oct. 20, Brian Milsap, Life History of Cooper’s Hawk, New Mexico’s Most Widespread Raptor; Oct. 27, Chuck Adams, Coming & Going: 13,000 Years of Migration on the Southern Colorado Plateau. $20 at the door or $75 for the series of four lectures. 6:00 p.m., Hotel Santa Fe. Southwest Seminars | Learn more »
Oct. 8 In-Person Event (Cave Creek AZ): Below and Beyond Perry Mesa
With R. E. Burrillo. Archaeologists surveyed 3,200 acres of a largely unstudied area extending north from Cave Creek between Perry Mesa and the Verde River basin on behalf of the Tonto National Forest. The results exceeded their wildest expectations, including re-recording and new discoveries of entire pueblo communities that challenge the existing models of settlement, agriculture, and regional exchange within the greater Verde River region. 6:30 p.m., Good Shepherd of the Hills Fellowship Hall, 6502 E Cave Creek Rd. Arizona Archaeological Society, Desert Foothills Chapter
Oct. 9 In-Person Event (Tucson AZ): Mothers, Wives, Warriors, Slaves: Violence and Women in the Ancient World
With Debra L. Martin. Dr. Martin grounds her approach to this compelling issue in a broader and more complicated understanding of the roles women played in the past, pushing past more limited and traditional archaeological interpretations. 5:00 p.m., Haury Building Room 215, University of Arizona campus. Archaeological Institute of America, Tucson & S. AZ Society | Learn more » | Campus map »
Oct. 11 In-Person Event (Camp Verde AZ): Indigenous People’s Day at VVAC
Join us at the Verde Valley Archaeology Center & Museum for a fun day celebrating the heritage, culture, and continued contributions of Native Americans and Indigenous Peoples. The festivities include a Native American Artist Market featuring over 30 artists specializing in fine art, weavings, pottery, jewelry, katsinas, silversmith work, apparel, and crafts! Plus, homemade fry bread will be available for purchase. At 12:00 p.m., enjoy an engaging talk presented by Clive J. Hustito, Zuni Pathfinder of The Light. 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., 460 Finnie Flat Rd. Verde Valley Archaeology Center & Museum | Learn more »
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. 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 »
Oct. 24 In-Person Event (Nogales AZ): Following Their Footsteps: Indigenous Geography and the Anza Expedition of 1775–1776
With Aaron Wright. This presentation will explore how the Spanish colonial Anza expedition utilized pre-existing Indigenous trail infrastructure and knowledge to ensure a successful journey. “The existing Indigenous infrastructure and the wisdom of Indigenous guides were critical to the success of the Anza Expedition and the exploits of similar ventures before and after, enabling colonizing parties to navigate such foreign and trying terrain as the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts,” said Wright. “As we celebrate historical milestones associated with our nation’s founding and the cultural diversity it has come to represent, we must remain cognizant of the role of First Nations in the story of America. The United States was made possible only through their support and cooperation. The aid provided to the colonizing party of Juan Bautista de Anza is a case in point.” Santa Cruz County Complex, 2150 N. Congress Dr., Nogales AZ. Anza Trail Foundation and AZ Humanities | Learn more »
Oct. 30 Online Event: Through a Zuni Lens
With Carrie Heitman and Octavius Seowtewa. The team has spent the last three years making two short documentary films about archaeological and ethnographic collections removed from the Pueblo of Zuni and taken to the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. The films feature Zuni artists, religious leaders, and knowledge keepers, and follow members of the Zuni Cultural Resource Advisory Team on their travels to Washington, D.C. to reunite with ancestral belongings. The films ask: What was lost in the taking? And what can be regained by sharing A:shiwi (Zuni) histories of connection? During this presentation you will see the 15-minute public film followed by a commentary and Q&A with Octavius and Carrie. Crow Canyon Archaeological Center | Learn more and register (free) »
Oct. 30 Online Event: O’Odham Pottery: Prehistoric, Historic, and Contemporary Native American Ceramic Production in the Phoenix Basin
With Linda Morgan and Katrina Soke. Within the last three decades, Native communities in the United States have taken on the management of their own archaeological resources, including the establishment of Cultural Resource Management Departments. These developments have resulted in increased interactions between archaeologists and Native people, which has led to a better understanding of indigenous material culture, especially more recent remains, which for obvious reasons are more concentrated within extant Native American reservations, such as the Gila River Indian Community (GRIC). This presentation discusses research by the GRIC Cultural Resource Management Program (GRIC-CRMP), focusing on their recent contributions to the indigenous ceramic analysis process. Amerind Museum | Learn more and register (free) »