Our final field trip report in this series addresses the GCAS's visit to the Mimbres Culture Heritage Site (MCHS) on July 7, 2019, to examine the artifacts comprising the Croteau Collection in a special one-time-only exhibit.

Our previous post featured the fine work that Archaeology Southwest Field School students display as part of their public outreach duties. The second portion of the June 29, 2019, GCAS field trip to the Gila River Farm included a tour of this season's Field School excavations. Of particular interest was evidence the Field School uncovered of cultural convergence. In a multi-room pueblo complex, the crew found artifacts of various 14th-Century Puebloan cultures including Mimbres-Mogollon (with their distinctive wall and floor construction features), and Kayenta (with their unique ceramics including Kayenta perforated plates). It became clear from the excavations that people of different cultures, practices, and languages, migrating in and out of the region, found ways to live and work together long-term. We in the 21st Century could take a lesson.

It's always a pleasure to visit directing archaeologist Karen Schollmeyer, PhD, and her crew of the Archaeology Southwest/Preservation Archaeology Field School when they wind up another productive season of research at the Gila River Farm in Cliff, New Mexico. They held their 2019 Archaeology Fair on June 29 there and as usual it was well attended.

Marilyn Markel guided us on the second leg of our GCAS field trip of June 2, 2019, to the archaeological sites atop (way atop) a steep bluff at Ponderosa Ranch in the upper Mimbres Valley. This is yet another site that is monitored by a volunteer Site Steward (who also happens to be a GCAS member) under the New Mexico SiteWatch Program. [Photos by GCAS guest photographer Greg Conlin. Thanks, Greg!]

The summer months find the GCAS all over the place partaking of events aplenty. Our field trips are no exception; by the close of the first week of July we will have enjoyed a total of three field trips in five weeks.

On June 2, 2019, the GCAS's very own Marilyn Markel led our monthly field trip to two sites located near each other. Our first stop was to Spirit Canyon in the upper Mimbres Valley area. Spirit Canyon is a unique rock art site monitored under the New Mexico SiteWatch Program. About a half-mile walk up the canyon trail and carefully avoiding the lush growth of poison ivy, our group encountered a series of red ochre pictographs that reportedly depict either Apache Mountain Spirits, or the Apache ceremonial dancers who represented the Mountain Spirits. [Photo on left by M.Smith; photo on right by Greg Conlin.]

Please welcome today's guest blogger and photographer, Marilyn Gendron, as she recaps her and Joseph Gendron's recent visit to a museum exhibit in Las Cruces we're encouraging folks to attend!

Living in Sacred Continuum: Art/archaeology exhibit at NMSU until December 15, 2019

Joseph and I recently enjoyed an exhibit at the American Indian Student Union (near the Corbett Center) to view 5 ancient Mimbres pottery bowls and the artwork of five well-known Hopi artists; Ramson Lometewama, Ed Kabotie, Gwen Setalla, Gerald Lomaventema, and Spencer Nutima.

Archaeology Kid’s Camp at MCHS

June 24-25, 2019 - A 2-day overnight archaeology experience.

Final call: see if you can still sign up today!

In this event kids will learn about archaeology from educators at the Mimbres Culture Heritage Site (MCHS) and the Mattocks Ruin Archaeological Site (Day 1) and participate in an archaeology fieldwork project in Mimbres at the Cottonwood Site, Gila National Forest, directed by Dr. Barbara Roth from the University of Nevada Las Vegas (Day 2). Participants will camp overnight at MCHS and have dinner with the field crew. Click here for more details of each day's activities.

MCHS and the Grant County Archaeological Society (GCAS) will provide all meals, tents, sleeping bags, and other camping supplies, water bottles, and all materials and equipment to be used during the archaeology camp.

The camp is free to children of appropriate age and interest (4^th grade - middle school). Parents of project participants will be required to sign assumption of risk waivers, provide health insurance information, provide transportation to and from the Mimbres Culture Heritage Site, and student’s personal items (Bring a pillow, clothes, toothbrush, etc.)

To see if space is still available, contact Marilyn Markel at 575-536-9337 or at mmarkelmimbres@gmail.com

The MCHS Experiential Preservation Project is funded by a Grant County Community Foundation grant and a donation from the Grant County Archaeological Society. This is an MCHS project. Up to 10 students will participate in the Archaeology Kid’s Camp.

Cobre Schools, Silver Schools, nor any other schools are participants in the archaeology camp project.

/s/ marilyn markel

On April 26, 2019, Aldo Leopold Charter School Youth Conservation Corps Archaeology Crew Students presented a poster and gave a presentation at the Archaeological Society of New Mexico’s annual state meeting hosted by the Grant County Archaeological Society (GCAS). Over a hundred archaeologists and members of archaeological societies around New Mexico attended the meeting held in downtown Silver City, at the Murray Hotel. ALCS students, Will Scott (on the far right in the photo) and Serena Floyd (on the far left), along with their mentor, Marilyn Markel, spoke to the attendees about the importance of preserving and protecting archaeological sites like the Dragonfly Petroglyph Site on the Fort Bayard Game Refuge, Gila National Forest.

If you happen to be traveling along Highway 70 between Lordsburg, New Mexico, and Phoenix, Arizona, you may want to plan an extra 45 minutes to make a quick side trip when you reach Thatcher, Arizona. The Eastern Arizona College in Thatcher proudly displays the Native American artifacts collected from numerous sites throughout Arizona and New Mexico by the well-trained avocational archaeologists Jack and Vera Mills during the four decades from the 1940s through the 1970s. [Far left photo via eac.edu; near left photo via travel2arizona.com.]

Archaeology Kid’s Camp at MCHS

June 24-25, 2019 - A 2-day overnight archaeology experience.

Last call: sign up today!

In this event kids will learn about archaeology from educators at the Mimbres Culture Heritage Site (MCHS) and the Mattocks Ruin Archaeological Site (Day 1) and participate in an archaeology fieldwork project in Mimbres at the Cottonwood Site, Gila National Forest, directed by Dr. Barbara Roth from the University of Nevada Las Vegas (Day 2). Participants will camp overnight at MCHS and have dinner with the field crew. Click here for more details of each day's activities.

MCHS and the Grant County Archaeological Society (GCAS) will provide all meals, tents, sleeping bags, and other camping supplies, water bottles, and all materials and equipment to be used during the archaeology camp.

The camp is free to children of appropriate age and interest (4^th grade - middle school). Parents of project participants will be required to sign assumption of risk waivers, provide health insurance information, provide transportation to and from the Mimbres Culture Heritage Site, and student’s personal items (Bring a pillow, clothes, toothbrush, etc.)

For info and applications contact Marilyn Markel at 575-536-9337 or mmarkelmimbres@gmail.com You can also copy, paste and print the two Application pages by clicking here.

The MCHS Experiential Preservation Project is funded by a Grant County Community Foundation grant and a donation from the Grant County Archaeological Society. This is an MCHS project. Up to 10 students will participate in the Archaeology Kid’s Camp.  Applications must be received by TODAY, June 7^th. You will be notified of acceptance by June 15^th.

Cobre Schools, Silver Schools, nor any other schools are participants in the archaeology camp project.

/s/ marilyn markel