Southwest Archaeology Today

Southwest Archaeology Today (SAT) is a free, weekly e-mail news digest. In addition to sharing regional archaeology news, events, opportunities, and publications, SAT connects readers with news and commentary on U.S. public lands policy, global heritage protection and preservation, and the peopling of the North and South American continents. Review our submission guidelines here.

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Bears Ears Monument Advisory Committee Meets as Judge Deliberates

Dear Friends, For two reasons, I am in a good—very good—mood. First, I am so grateful that I live in a county that knows how to do mail-in voting right. I am on my county’s permanent mail-in voter list, so my ballot automatically appeared in my home mailbox on October 8. I took the w...

Panel Explores an Archaeology of Redress and Restorative Justice

Dear Friends, My calendar called out two holidays on Monday: Indigenous Peoples' Day and Columbus Day. It was another reminder of the broad divisions within this country. Our lead story today points you to a thought-provoking discussion in which experts consider ways to bridge those divisions.�...

Identifying Sites and Resources in Greater Chaco

Dear Friends, I was pleased to see a major new initiative by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation called the Monuments Project. Mellon has allocated $250 million over the next five years to this effort. From what I gather, the focus is likely to favor urban settings. According to the New York Times...

Archaeology Southwest Pilot Survey Informs on Chaco Protection Zone

Dear Friends, This past Saturday was National Public Lands Day. I pretty seriously threw out my back on Friday, so I wasn’t up for a hike to celebrate this special day. But I did watch an amazing documentary on Patagonia’s YouTube site: “Public Trust: The Fight for America’s Public Lands....

Last Chance to Protect Greater Chaco?

Dear Friends, This week, Greater Chaco continues to be our lead story. If the amended resource management plan developed by the Bureau of Land Management goes forward, future oil and gas extraction directly threatens archaeological sites and other places sacred to Tribes over an extensive area ...

Take Action Now to Protect Greater Chaco

Dear Friends, Buckle up. There are research reports to read, urgent calls to advocacy to pursue, and a variety of lectures and books to keep you busy. We lead with Paul Reed’s call for action to protect Greater Chaco, because it is time sensitive. Comments on the BLM’s resource management ...

George Frison Passes

Dear Friends, Less than three months ago, my note to you linked to a blog post I published on June 17 that called on conscientious individuals and organizations to do more than simply post statements of support for Black Lives Matter. Compared to the magnitude of confronting America’s systemi...

Feds Urged to Extend Public Process for Greater Chaco Management Plans

Dear Friends, Thanks to those of you who shared your own love of maps in reply to my note from last week. Maps, books, art—what’s not to love? As I read through the stories for today’s edition, I again felt distressed by the continuing loss of water at Quitobaquito Springs. As climat...

Radiocarbon Dating’s New Calibration Curve

Dear Friends, Hopefully you have been feeling in need of a map. Because today I am going to indulge my love of maps and share some of the fun several of us at Archaeology Southwest have been having recently. I have been undertaking some fairly standard archaeological mapping of ancient agricul...

“Then, Now, and Forever: Zuni in the Grand Canyon” Film Released on YouTube

Dear Friends, In 1986, the first issue of the newsletter that became Archaeology Southwest Magazine featured the charter members of the company that became Archaeology Southwest taking a tour of the Romero Ruin. The site is located in Catalina State Park on Tucson’s north side. Since then, I...

Continuing Coverage: The Return of the Acoma Shield

Dear Friends, I’ll be brief today because there is so much of interest in today’s edition. We're pleased to share powerful journalism from High Country News as our lead item. This is an affecting and in-depth story of cultural patrimony long separated from the Acoma Pueblo community. If you c...

House Passes Amendment to Extend Moratorium on Oil-Gas Development in Chaco Buffer Zone

Dear Friends, Two weeks ago I shared that I, some of our staff, and esteemed partners were intensely focused on Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. I wrote during a lull as we awaited feedback from our authors on their edited articles and our graphics. Author reviews and comments were pretty pos...

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