Karen Gust Schollmeyer, Preservation Archaeologist and Director, Preservation Archaeology Field School (March 22, 2023)—Early spring here at our Tucson office means the last of the winter rains, the appearance of spring flowers (and, for me, allergy season), and lots of preparation for the Society for American Archaeology Annual Meeting coming up next week in Portland, […]
Dear Friends, When Archaeology Southwest takes on a conservation easement, we commit to caring for it “in perpetuity.” That’s clearly a very long time. Regularly thinking about the distant future is part of why I keep coming back to my deep concern over the climate crisis. I just finished The Climate Book by Greta Thunberg, […]
Dear Friends, If you spend a lot of time trekking across the landscape of the lower Gila River, chances are you’ll meet some interesting people. Archaeology Southwest Preservation Anthropologist Aaron Wright has trekked the lower Gila a lot in recent years. That’s why many of us now know Dax Hansen—a very interesting person, indeed. Dax’s […]
Aaron Wright, Preservation Anthropologist (March 9, 2023)—I’ve been thinking about the power of words, especially those pertaining to petroglyphs and pictographs, for quite some time. With the annual meeting of the American Rock Art Research Association (ARARA) taking place in Tucson this weekend, I felt the time was ripe—and maybe right, we’ll see—to elaborate on […]
Dear Friends, I have been “enjoying” learning from someone a mere 27 percent of my age—Greta Thunberg—the 20-year-old Swedish climate activist. It’s necessary to use those quotes, because one does not really enjoy most of what is delivered in The Climate Book. The book is a compendium of 90 short chapters written by 100 scientists […]
Aaron Wright, Preservation Anthropologist (March 3, 2023)—A few years ago I shared thoughts and information as I began a journey into the world of Patayan pottery, namely the “Lower Colorado Buff Ware” (LCBW) associated with ancestral Yuman tribes of the lower Gila and lower Colorado River valleys. “Where’s the buff?” I asked. Well, after more […]
Dear Friends, On the last weekend of Black History Month, l drove a road I know well but hadn’t traveled since COVID—the road to Camp Naco. There was an Open House to celebrate Black History Month and to mark grant awards to the City of Bisbee and Naco Heritage Alliance totaling $8.1 million. The funders […]
Christopher R. Caseldine, Alexis Malone, and Emily Lemaster, Arizona State University (February 27, 2023)—Over the past four decades, the Hohokam region has become fertile ground for understanding social interactions at a large scale. Despite an ever-increasing cultural dataset, the region has largely escaped the big data revolution that has taken place in other areas of […]
Dear Friends, Collaborative communities. Think for a bit. Have you ever been part of one? Recently, I’ve had multiple experiences that have brought home to me the power of collaborative communities. Collaboratives aren’t based on the gathering of like-thinking followers. They consist of people who prioritize mutual respect. Because they respect one another, they are […]
Dear Friends, I’m writing this on Valentine’s Day, a good day to celebrate relationships. At Archaeology Southwest, we’re now officially highlighting a prolific friendship and helping to extend its legacy into the future. Over a decade apart, two important archaeological “Davids” passed away: David A. Gregory on June 13, 2010, and David R. Wilcox on […]
Dear Friends, It’s actually enjoyable to work for an entire weekend when you are in the company of 10 bright and engaging colleagues and you can take breaks to commune with the Canyon Phoebes, Spotted Towhees, Red-Winged Blackbirds, and a leisurely grazing herd of deer. It all happened last weekend when Archaeology Southwest’s Board of […]
Dear Friends, I spend a good bit of time in the early morning taking in different media. There’s my current audiobook during my workout on the elliptical and before my coffee. I usually finish a chapter while nursing that cup of coffee. Then it’s time to consume some newspaper content—digitally. I spend most time with […]
Dear Friends, The energy transition is going to have a major effect on elements of our everyday material culture. Trying to get rid of the gas meter in front of my house has brought this home to me. I haven’t been connected to the gas pipe that’s buried under my street for three full years. […]
Dear Friends, This week, I’m back in Pennsylvania—mostly on vacation. It has given me time to catch up on reading. (And a chance to rake up some lingering fall leaves and make a compost pile at my daughter’s place.) My reading choices were all suggestions by others and were influenced by the day that honors […]