2017
29
Oct
Exciting New Research on Ancient Turquoise Trade in the Southwestern Culture Area
Exciting New Research on Ancient Turquoise Trade in the Southwestern Culture Area
Turquoise is an icon of the desert Southwest, with enduring cultural significance, especially for Native American communities. Yet, relatively little is known about the early history of turquoise procurement and excha...
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2015
11
Jan
Tracking Maize in the Southwest over 4,100 Years
Tracking Maize in the Southwest over 4,100 Years
After it was first domesticated from the wild teosinte grass in southern Mexico, maize, or corn, took both a high road and later on a coastal low road as it moved into what is now the U.S. Southwest. The study, reported in the journal Nature Plants (o...
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2014
21
May
Turquoise Trade among Ancestral Pueblo Groups
By Paul F. Reed, Preservation Archaeologist and Chaco Scholar at Salmon Ruins
Scott Michlin welcomed me back to his radio show last month, and I came bearing tales of turquoise (click here to listen to our discussion). Sharon Hull (University of Manitoba, Department of Geological Sciences) and her ...
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2014
13
Apr
Low-Impact Archaeological Research - Drone with Thermal Camera Quickly Maps Ancient Pueblo Village
Low-Impact Archaeological Research - Drone with Thermal Camera Quickly Maps Ancient Pueblo Village
Thermal images captured by an small drone allowed archaeologists to peer under the surface of the New Mexican desert floor, revealing never-before-seen structures in an ancient Native American settleme...
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2013
08
Oct
Student Research at the Dinwiddie Site: Raw Material Sources
Deb Huntley, Preservation Archaeologist
Students attending the 2013 Archaeology Southwest/University of Arizona Preservation Archaeology Field School completed several interesting and valuable research projects covering a wide range of topics, from experimental ceramics and flaked stone st...
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2011
04
Apr
Did Ancient Southwestern Peoples Trade Turquoise for Chocolate?
Like Turquoise for Chocolate?
Talk about a sweet deal—prehistoric peoples of Mesoamerica may have traded chocolate for gems from the U.S. Southwest, a new study suggests. Traces of a chemical found in cacao—the main ingredient in chocolate—were found in several drinking vessels from variou...
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