NEXT MEETING: Wednesday, February 19, 2025, 6:00 PM at 2045 Memory Lane in Silver City, New Mexico. The GCAS's next monthly IN-PERSON ONLY meeting features our own Lee Brown, retired mining engineer and Chief Engineer for the Concentrator at the Chino Mine, who will discuss evidence of Prehistoric Mining in North America with highlights from our own region. Doors open at 6:00 PM with light refreshments provided with a brief socialization period and business meeting, to be immediately followed by Lee's presentation. See you there!

NEXT FIELD TRIP: Sunday, March 2, 2025: The next GCAS field trip will visit the Woodrow Site, one of the largest and best-protected sites in the area, led by its site steward, the GCAS's own Greg Conlin. Meet at 10:00 AM sharp at the Chuck's Folly gas station on the west side of Hwy 180 in Cliff, about a 35-minute drive westbound on Hwy 180 from Silver City and a short distance before the junction of Hwy 180 and Hwy 211. Wear sturdy shoes and weed proof clothes, and pack sun protection, water, and a sack lunch if desired. Before you go, read this Archaeology Southwest article to learn more about the significance of this site. As always, to protect sensitive sites like this one we limit this field trip to GCAS members and those guests who can accompany the GCAS member in their vehicle. Let's go!

Travel

Jornada Research Institute Presentations

In addition to the Jornada Research Institute’s ongoing excavations at Creekside Village during the winter 2025 season, the JRI's series of in-person presentations includes:

Saturday, February 15, in El Paso: Archaeoastronomy Associations of the Great Kiva at Creekside Village by Dave Greenwald;

Tuesday, February 18, in Alamogordo: Archaeoastronomy Associations of the Great Kiva at Creekside Village by Dave Greenwald;

Tuesday, March 4, in Mountainair: Archaeoastronomy Associations of the Great Kiva at Creekside Village by Dave Greenwald;

Please contact Dave Greenwald at [email protected] or 575-430-8854 for details of times and locations for all presentations listed above.

Wednesday, March 19, in Albuquerque: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act one-day class by Jeffery Hanson; contact Jeffery directly at [email protected] or 817-658-5544 for registration fees and other details.

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Jornada Research Institute - Upcoming Events

In addition to the Jornada Research Institute’s ongoing excavations at Creekside Village during the winter 2025 season, the JRI is offering a series of in-person presentations including:

Tuesday, January 21, in Alamogordo: Gypsum Overlook – An Early Archaic Period Structural Site in Tularosa Basin by Matt Cuba;

Saturday, February 15, in El Paso: Archaeoastronomy Associations of the Great Kiva at Creekside Village by Dave Greenwald;

Tuesday, February 18, in Alamogordo: Archaeoastronomy Associations of the Great Kiva at Creekside Village by Dave Greenwald;

Tuesday, March 4, in Mountainair: Archaeoastronomy Associations of the Great Kiva at Creekside Village by Dave Greenwald;

Please contact Dave Greenwald at [email protected] or 575-430-8854 for details of times and locations for all presentations listed above.

Wednesday, March 19, in Albuquerque: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act one-day class by Jeffery Hanson; contact Jeffery directly at [email protected] or 817-658-5544 for registration fees and other details.

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Southwest Symposium: Visit Paquime

Thursday-Saturday, January 16-18, 2025, in Nuevo Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico: join the 19th Biennial Southwest Symposium coordinated by Michael Searcy and José Luis Punzo Díaz at the Hotel Hacienda, Av. Benito Juárez 2603, Centro, 31700 Nuevo Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico beginning 7:00PM on Thursday through 11:00AM Sunday GMT. $50-75.

A photo of Paquimé, located near the Southwest Symposium Conference location,
with tours planned for Sunday (photo from Wikimedia Commons).

 

Continue reading "Southwest Symposium: Visit Paquime" »


Archaeology Day in Tucson AZ

Consider an excursion to Tucson on Saturday, December 28, 2024, 8-11AM FREE (tho all gifts appreciated): Tucson's Archaeology Day offers FREE activities and demonstrations at Mission Garden, 946 W. Mission Lane,Tucson AZ. Every fourth Saturday of the month Old Pueblo Archaeology Center and Archaeology Southwest representatives come to Mission Garden to teach practical hands-on skills. Kids of all ages can try out fascinating ancient technologies such as etching shell, painting with natural pigments, throwing spears with atlatls, or making their own pinch pots, pendants, petroglyphs, and cordage. For more information visit www.tucsonsbirthplace.org or call 520-955-5200.

Photo of archaeologist Allen Denoyer courtesy of Friends of Mission Garden

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Last Call to Join an International Archaeological Tour

Generic flightThe Jornada Research Institute is offering its final archaeologically-flavored international tour of 2024: enjoy an 11-day tour of Greece and Ephesus, Turkey this coming October. Sign up now while space is still available.

OF SPECIAL INTEREST TO GCAS MEMBERS, JRI can donate to other nonprofit organizations whose member participates in one or more of their Overseas Journeys Programs. So, for example, JRI will donate $125.00 to the Grant County Archaeological Society for each tour participant who specifies that the GCAS should receive JRI's donation. Join a JRI tour, and support two nonprofits at once!

The JRI's President, Dave Greenwald, further describes this tour:

Continue reading "Last Call to Join an International Archaeological Tour" »


Join an International Archaeological Tour - Two Left!

Generic flight-2.0The Jornada Research Institute is offering two remaining archaeologically-flavored international tours during 2024. In late July, a tour of ancient sites in Scotland begins. In October, enjoy an 11-day tour of Greece and Ephesus, Turkey. Sign up early for one tour (or both!) while space is still available.

OF SPECIAL INTEREST TO GCAS MEMBERS, the JRI can donate to other nonprofit organizations whose member participates in one or more of their Overseas Journeys Programs. So, for example, JRI will donate $125.00 to the Grant County Archaeological Society for each tour participant who specifies that the GCAS should receive JRI's donation. Join a JRI tour, and you can support two nonprofits at once!

The JRI's President, Dave Greenwald, further describes the tours:

Continue reading "Join an International Archaeological Tour - Two Left!" »


News from the Jornada Research Institute

Our friends to the east at the Jornada Research Institute have sent us an update on their archaeological activities and invite interested folks to join in the fun. JRI president Dave Greenwald reports that their work continues at Creekside Village including in the great kiva area. During March into April, volunteers will help complete one 2 m by 5 m area within the great kiva. Dave describes JRI’s further investigations:

Continue reading "News from the Jornada Research Institute" »


Archaeology Day in Tucson AZ!

Saturday February 24, 2024, 8:00 AM-1:00PM in Tucson, AZ FREE (though all gifts are appreciated): It's Archaeology Day with activities and demonstrations at Mission Garden, 946 W. Mission Lane, Tucson. Representatives of Tucson's archaeology community come to Mission Garden to teach practical hands-on skills. Allen Denoyer will lead Archaeology Southwest’s Hands-on Archaeology program that allows kids of all ages to try out fascinating ancient technologies such as etching shell, painting with natural pigments, or throwing spears with atlatls. Old Pueblo Archaeology Center will also present interactive programs in which kids can make their own cordage, pinch pots, pendants, and petroglyphs. For more information visit www.tucsonsbirthplace.org or call 520-955-5200.

If you attend, please tell us about your visit and take pictures to share with the GCAS on this here website. Become a guest blogger!

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Repost: Join an International Archaeological Tour

Generic flightDuring 2024, the Jornada Research Institute is offering three separate archaeologically-flavored international tours. In February, it's an 11-day tour of Mayan sites of the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico. In late July, begin a tour of ancient sites in Scotland. In October, enjoy an 11-day tour of Greece and Ephesus, Turkey. Sign up early for one tour (or all three!) while space is still available.

OF SPECIAL INTEREST TO GCAS MEMBERS, JRI's President, Dave Greenwald, reports that JRI has developed a policy that allows them to donate to other nonprofit organizations whose member participates in one or more of their Overseas Journeys Programs. So, for example, JRI will donate $125.00 to the Grant County Archaeological Society for each tour participant who specifies that the GCAS should receive JRI's donation. Join a JRI tour, and you can support two nonprofits at once!

The JRI's President, Dave Greenwald, further describes the tours:

Continue reading "Repost: Join an International Archaeological Tour" »


Update from our Friends to the East

We're always happy to hear from our friends in the Jornada-Mogollon region, and the Jornada Research Institute's Dave Greenwald never disappoints. His latest update has a lot of exciting news for professionals and aspiring avocational volunteers alike. Dave reports:

In November, we returned to Creekside Village and continued excavations in one of the large pithouses, Feature 11. Typically, Mesilla phase pithouses used by the Jornada Mogollon had less than about 7 sq meters of floor area. This is not the case with either Feature 11 or 37 that we have opened so far. Feature 11 measures approximately 7.2 m across, or contains about 38 sq m of floor surface, with Feature 37 only slightly smaller, perhaps about 33 sq m. As we have continued excavation, both of these houses appear to possess a straight side on the SE side of the structure, making them more “D” shaped than circular, as we had originally thought. So, why are these structures so large in comparison to other Mesilla phase pithouses? A likely explanation is because Creekside Village was in fact a “true” village, occupied on a year-round basis (rather than seasonally), whose residents were full-time agriculturalists. The smaller pithouse likely reflected greater mobility of residents, moving as resources became available throughout the year. As agriculturalists, however, residents could remain in one location, raising crops to sustain them throughout the year. Botanical studies have shown that maize accounted for over 80% of the recovered economic plant remains recovered from domestic features and refuse deposits at Creekside compared to about 10% from other Mesilla phase sites with pithouses. With permanent residence and dependence on agriculture, family size or household populations could have been much larger than more mobile groups and as such larger families (whether represented by extended families or immediate family members) would have required greater living space. Based on the size of the houses at Creekside Village we are conservatively estimating a household population of about 10 people per house.

We plan to continue excavating at Creekside Village throughout the winter and spring months on weekends until it gets too hot in May....

GCAS members interested in this exciting news and wanting to participate in JRI's excavations at Creekside Village should contact Dave Greenwald directly about the possibilities. If participation is feasible JRI will verify your membership with the GCAS and give you answers to your questions, excavation dates, and details of the project. If any GCAS member participates in this rare opportunity with the JRI, please keep us informed of your findings and your progress!

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