Now is a terrific time to join the GCAS! Membership runs from January through December of the current year. Our individual membership is $20 and our family membership is $30. Click through to this page to join online via our PayPal link; or if you're Old Skool you can download, print, fill out our Membership form, and send it with a check by mail to: Grant County Archaeological Society, PO Box 1713, Silver City, NM 88062. Thank you for joining us!
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 as we manage the vagaries of the coronavirus pandemic.
Watch this Events Page for details on our GCAS general meetings, held in-person or alternatively online via Zoom.
Please join our supporters in the GCAS's ongoing priority project, the Mimbres Archaeological Research and Education Center (MAREC) located in the historic Wood House at the Mimbres Culture Heritage Site. The GCAS is working in our recently-furnished library and lab/workroom. We welcome donations and volunteers so that we may continue expanding and improving our resource materials and educational programs. Learn about the beginnings of our GCAS project here, make your donations either online or by standard mail here; and if you'd like to volunteer email us for ideas of the projects and events where we need you the most. [Photo: Mattocks Site/Mimbres Culture Heritage Site. Wood House, center. © Mitchell Clinton, Mitchell Clinton Photography. All Rights Reserved.]
Thursdays, 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM, from March 23, 2023, and continuing each following Thursday at WNMU's Museum in Fleming Hall: the public is invited to see the Archaeologist in Action in the museum's second floor exhibit room, currently featuring the Elk Ridge Open House. Visit WNMU Museum director Danni Romero and a group of the museum's volunteer explainers as they process and prepare a new museum collection for future exhibit. Repeat visitors welcome!
NEXT GCAS FIELD TRIP: Sunday, June 4, 2023: Meet at 10:00AM sharp at the Mimbres Culture Heritage Site to carpool to the Mitchell, Montezuma, and possibly also the Beauregard sites on the the Nature Conservancy's Upper Mimbres Preserve about 5 miles north. To get an accurate head count for carpooling in high-clearance vehicles, GCAS members please email [email protected] or telephone Marilyn Markel at 575-536-9337 ahead of time to let us know to expect you.
Wednesday, June 7, 2023, 8:30 AM to 2:00 PM: VOLUNTEERS URGENTLY SOUGHT AT THE MIMBRES CULTURE HERITAGE SITE TO ASSIST MARILYN MARKEL WITH 5TH AND 6TH GRADE VISITORS FROM STOUT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. No experience necessary to guide these students at various outdoor stations as they experience a hands-on archaeological workshop. Please telephone Marilyn Markel at 575-536-9337 or email [email protected] to sign up to help these kids have a great educational experience! Call now!
Wednesday, June 14, 2023, at the Mimbres Culture Heritage Site: VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT TO ASSIST MARILYN MARKEL WITH YOUNG VISITORS FROM SILVER CITY WATERSHED KEEPERS. No experience necessary to guide these students at various outdoor stations as they engage in a hands-on archaeological experiential workshop. Please telephone Marilyn Markel at 575-536-9337 or email [email protected] to sign up to help these kids have a great summertime experience! Call now!
July 2, 2023: Regularly scheduled GCAS field trip is deferred due to July 4 holiday. See you in August! There are even more online and in-person events happening all over the place. Make it a regular habit to check out what the following organizations offer the avocational archaeologist: American Rock art Research Association (ARARA) Archaeological Society of New Mexico Archaeology Southwest: Things To Do, and More Things To Do The Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society produced a virtual field trip of the Mattocks Site and Mimbres Culture Heritage Site on February 5, 2022, which is now available via the AAHS's YouTube channel. Click here and enjoy as Marilyn Markel and Professor Emerita Pat Gilman, the supervising archaeologist for the 1970s Mattocks Site excavation, lead you through the site while discussing the future opportunities it offers for local educational programs and archaeological research. As a member of the Council of Allied Societies, the GCAS receives the CoAS monthly newsletter. The most recent CoAS newsletters are available by scrolling down to the bottom-most right-hand sidebar entitled "Council of Allied Societies Newsletter Archives" on this page. For further CoAS doings, visit their Facebook page and check out their directory of links to member organizations' newsletters and publications. Crow Canyon Archaeological Center: Programs, Research, and Education Mesa Prieta Petroglyph Project: Events, Mesa Talks Lecture Series, Chats with the Archaeologist, and Tours Considering a visit to the Mimbres Culture Heritage Site? Check for events; to confirm tours and museum access telephone the MCHS directly at 575.536.3092 or 307.640.3012. Old Pueblo Archaeology Center: Events and Programs The Society for American Archaeology (SAA) and their affiliate, the Council of Allied Societies (CoAS) work to build meaningful relationships between professional and avocational archaeologists. They act as clearinghouses for events, programs, and volunteer opportunities to suit all tastes and abilities. Go here to access SAA's digital versions of a variety of their regular publications. Enjoy! /s/ webmasterSaturday, June 17, 2023: VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT to assist Marilyn Markel in offering another experiential educational workshop to students from an area high school! Telephone Marilyn Markel at 575-536-9337 to sign up and get all the details for how YOU can help - as always, no experience necessary!
Wednesday, June 21, 2023, at the Mimbres Culture Heritage Site: VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT TO ASSIST MARILYN MARKEL WITH THE NEXT GROUP OF YOUNG VISITORS FROM SILVER CITY WATERSHED KEEPERS. No experience necessary to guide these students at various outdoor stations as they engage in a hands-on archaeological experiential workshop. Please telephone Marilyn Markel at 575-536-9337 or email [email protected] to sign up to help these kids have a great summertime experience! Call now!
Wednesday, June 28, 2023, at the Mimbres Culture Heritage Site: VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT TO ASSIST MARILYN MARKEL in her next offering of an experiential educational workshop in archaeology with young visitors from the Silver City Watershed Keepers. No experience necessary to guide these students at various outdoor stations as they engage in a hands-on archaeological experiential workshop. Please telephone Marilyn Markel at 575-536-9337 or email [email protected] to sign up to help these kids have a great summertime experience! Call now!
Ron Barber, creator of the Stone Calendar Project, has been studying rock art sites throughout the Southwest and Northern Mexico identifying glyphs that mark specific times of the year using unique light and shadow interactions. He has some survey predictions for glyphs along the Gila Narrows and other southern sites and is looking for volunteers to help in further research. Anyone who is interested in spending time in the field recording/filming calendar sun light interactions in the region, please contact Ron directly at [email protected] . Click here for more of Ron's background.