Meet Dr. Paul Minnis. He earned his PhD at the University of Michigan in 1981 and holds the title of Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. During his career he has authored, co-authored, or edited at least 12 books in addition to having written numerous journal articles and book chapters. Now retired and living in Tucson, Arizona, he speaks at professional conferences and in more informal presentations to the general public on topics such as prehispanic trade and cultural networks; and how ancient farming practices can enhance our modern world's food supply.
Since the early 1990s he and his colleague, Michael Whalen, have recorded and/or excavated some 450 archaeological sites throughout the region of the US Southwest and Northwest Mexico. Dr. Minnis has focused his research upon Paquimé (located in Chihuahua, Mexico), the largest and possibly most complex community in the prehistoric Pueblo world. In 35 years of research Dr. Minnis has examined nearly all aspects of Paquimé's prehispanic architecture, social organization, agricultural practices, resource management, and land use in an effort to better understand the complex connections between the prehistoric cultures of the southwestern United States, northwestern and western Mexico, and Mesoamerica.
Thanks to Dr. Minnis's work, we have a more accurate and complete understanding of Paquimé as an ancient regional population center and how it interacted with both neighboring and distant communities and cultures. He continues this work, applying his archaeological findings to addressing the social and cultural problems of our 21st Century. Thank, you, Dr. Minnis!
/s/ webmaster [Both photos courtesy of Paul E. Minnis.]
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