Events

Fill your calendar by scrolling down through all these upcoming events. Plan ahead but be mindful that any of the following events may be postponed or cancelled on very short notice due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Watch this Events Page to learn when conditions allow our GCAS general meetings to resume.

Pursuant to Governor Michelle Lujan-Grisham's most recent public health advisory, the limited reopening of the Mimbres Culture Heritage Site HAS BEEN POSTPONED. Check for further updates and to confirm tours and museum access by telephoning the MCHS directly at 575.536.3092 or 307.640.3012. To check Governor Lujan-Grisham's most recent advisory, go to New Mexico's Department of Health newsroom.

Wednesday, August 19, 2020, 7:00 PM, GCAS general meeting goes online via Zoom: Please join us in welcoming our Featured Speaker, Allen Dart, archaeologist with the US Natural Resources Conservation Service in Phoenix and founder/Executive Director of Old Pueblo Archaeology Center in Tucson. His evening's topic: "Old Time Religion? The Salado Phenomenon in the U.S. Southwest." Join us to hear about how:

When first recognized by archaeologists in the early twentieth century, a constellation of peculiar cultural traits in the southwestern United States, including polychrome (three-colored) pottery, above-ground housing often enclosed in walled compounds, and monumental architecture, was thought to be indicative of a distinct group of people: "the Salado." As more and more research was done and the widespread distribution of Salado material culture became apparent, interpretations of what the Salado phenomenon represents was debated. In this presentation archaeologist Allen Dart illustrates pottery and other cultural attributes of the so-called Salado culture, reviews some of the theories about the Salado, and discusses how Salado related to the Ancestral Pueblo, Mogollon, Hohokam, and Casas Grandes cultures of the "Greater Southwest" (the U.S. Southwest and Mexico's Northwest).

There will be no GCAS business meeting; this will be exclusively Al Dart's presentation. Please watch for an upcoming GCAS Special Bulletin with details on how to join in on this fascinating lecture. Meanwhile, for those unfamiliar with how Zoom works, check out UT/Chattanooga's easy Zoom Participant Guide. To download the free Zoom app for Windows ahead of time, start here. For further information email GCAS President Kyle Meredith directly at kyyote@msn.com or by telephone at 575-538-5706. Please join us!

Tuesday, August 25, 2020, 6:30 PM – The Mesa Prieta Petroglyph Project's monthly lecture series presents Candie Borduin, The Best of the Best 2019: Petroglyphs of Mesa Prieta. Lecture begins at 6:30 and may be livestreamed depending on circumstances. Alternatively if circumstances permit a group gathering, the lecture will be held in Historic Los Luceros, Alcalde, NM. Arrive at 6:00 PM for refreshments and to provide a $5 suggested donation.

Tuesday, September 22, 2020, in Tucson AZ: Autumn Equinox Tour of Los Morteros and Picture Rocks Petroglyphs Archaeological Sites. Request reservations by going to Old Pueblo Archaeology Center, but first, get current COVID-19-related info from the Arizona Republic.

Tuesday, September 29, 2020, 6:30 PM – The Mesa Prieta Petroglyph Project's monthly lecture series presents Tim Wilcox, Gobernador Polychrome Pottery. Lecture begins at 6:30 and may be livestreamed depending on circumstances. Alternatively if circumstances permit a group gathering, the lecture will be held in Historic Los Luceros, Alcalde, NM. Arrive at 6:00 PM for refreshments and to provide a $5 suggested donation.

Saturday October 3, 2020, 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM: Chiricahua Mountains, AZ - Old Pueblo Archaeology Center’s "Historic Camp Rucker: Apache Wars Outpost Tour" with Bill Gillespie meets on west side of Houghton Road just south of Interstate-10 Exit 275, Tucson. This is a fundraising tour – Each registrant is asked to make a donation to help cover Old Pueblo’s tour expenses and support its education programs about archaeology and traditional cultures.

Well off the beaten path in the southern part of the Chiricahua Mountains is the site of Camp Rucker, a small military post established by the U.S. Army in 1878. The location selected in Whitewater (later Rucker) Canyon was one the ancient Mogollon people had picked centuries before. The Army post was small, never garrisoned by more than a single company, and officially lasted only a couple of years. For most of that time soldiers and officers lived in tents but in 1880 soldiers started building a small number of stone and adobe structures, some of which are still standing. High clearance vehicles are recommended. Participants provide their own transportation, lunches, and water. Bill Gillespie, who was a Coronado National Forest archaeologist for 25 years, and his Forest Service colleague Mary Farrell conducted volunteer projects at Camp Rucker and successfully nominated the Rucker Canyon Archaeological District to the National Register of Historic Places.

Donation prepayment required within 10 days of reservation request; last day to request reservations is 5 p.m. Wednesday September 30: 520-798-1201 or info@oldpueblo.org. IF YOU WOULD LIKE A FLYER emailed to you with color photos about the Camp Rucker tour send an email to info@oldpueblo.org with “Send Rucker trip flyer” in your email subject line.
For other events in Arizona, check Old Pueblo's Events page for details.

Friday, October 23, 2020 thru Saturday, October 24, 2020: The annual Mogollon Conference takes place in the Student Union building on the University of Arizona campus in Tucson, Arizona. The organizers announce that "This year features some changes, including a no-charge conference dinner hosted by Archaeology Southwest on the evening of October 23 (Friday). We felt that a broadly welcoming approach would allow students a better opportunity to attend the dinner and mix with faculty and the rest of the professional community." Details and registration info here. Re-check their website for periodic updates.

Tuesday, October 27, 2020:– The Mesa Prieta Petroglyph Project's monthly lecture series is TBD, Save the Date!

Friday, November 6, 2020, 4:00 PM to Sunday, November 8, 2020, 5:00 PM - Arizona Archaeological & Historical Society comes to Silver City led by Professor emerita Pat Gilman to explore "Mimbres Sites and Pony Hills Petroglyphs." Full trip description is here; planned site visits include Mattocks, Galaz, Old Town, and more. GCAS members stand by to volunteer and/or crash the AAHS party.

February 23-March 5, 2021: Exploring Roman and Etruscan Archaeological History. David Greenwald of the Jornada Research Institute leads an 11-day trip to Rome, Italy, and environs. Interested travelers, please email David Greenwald directly (dgreenwald@tularosa.net) for the itinerary, prices, and more documents.

Thursday, March 18, 2021, in Tucson AZ: “Subjective Color in Mimbres Black-on-white Pottery” dinner presentation by Dr. Stephanie M. Whittlesey as part of Old Pueblo Archaeology Center's Third Thursday Food for Thought program. Follow details by visiting Old Pueblo's website.

May 7-9, 2021: Archaeological Society of New Mexico's annual meeting hosted by the Taos Archaeological Society HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL 2021. Visit the Taos Archaeological Society's website for updates as they develop.

Through August 4, 2022: "Woven Through Time: American Treasures of Native Basketry and Fiber Art" at the Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, Tucson. Details here.