National Geographic Recognizes Chaco Canyon, Pueblo Glaze, and Pueblo Gardens

Southwestern Archaeology Making the News - A Service of the Center for Desert Archaeology

- National Geographic Declares Chaco Canyon one of 50 "Tours of a Lifetime:" National Geographic Traveler magazine has selected a high-end Chaco Canyon camping tour as one of the publication's annual "50 Tours of a Lifetime." The tour, Southwest Safari Camps at Chaco Canyon, is one of three adventure trips within the United States, and 50 within the world, included in the publication's May/June issue. The magazine calls its selections, which include tours in North Korea and Antarctica, the "most transformative, sustainable, and authentic experiences" in global guided tours. Norie Quintos, a senior editor at Traveler, said the staff chose the Chaco Canyon tour on the recommendations of travel experts as well as those who had been on the trip.
http://www.daily-times.com/ci_9200331?source=most_emailed

- Crow Canyon to Honor Ancient Agriculture of the Four Corners with Traditional Puebloan Gardens: On May 27 and 28, Pueblo men at Crow Canyon Archaeological Center will plant corn, beans and squash in the style of their ancestors, who lived in what is now southwestern Colorado until the late 13th century. Some of the many thousands of dwellings, villages, fields and other sites the ancients left behind when they moved on to points south include those in Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Park, Mesa Verde National Park and Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096417259

- Puebloan Glazeware Subject of May Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society Meeting: The Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society will present a lecture featuring Deborah Huntley, preservation archaeologist at the Center for Desert Archaeology. She will discuss "A Gaze at Glaze: What Glaze-decorated Pottery Reveals about Pueblo IV Social Dynamics." The free lecture will be 7:30 to 9 p.m. May 19, at University Medical Center, 1501 N Campbell Ave., in the DuVal Auditorium. For more information, call (520) 577-6079.

- Research at the Oldest Site in the Phoenix Basin Subject of This Month's Third Thursday Lecture at Old Pueblo Archaeology: Thursday May 15, 2008, "The Challenges of Investigating and Interpreting the Oldest Known Site in the Phoenix Basin" with archaeologist A. E. "Gene" Rogge, Ph.D., at Old Pueblo Archaeology Center, 5100 W. Ina Road Bldg. 8 (northwestern Tucson metro area). 7:30 to 9 p.m. Lecture is free to the public and no reservations are needed. 520-798-1201 or info@oldpueblo.org.

- Thoughts on Living within the Landscapes of a Shared Past: Speakers to discuss “Growing Up in Montezuma Creek” at the Anasazi heritage center Bruce Hucko and Donna Deyle, creators of the current exhibit “A Gesture of Kinship” at the Anasazi Heritage Center, will share their experiences and perspectives in the museum theater at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 18. Museum admission will be free throughout the day. A reception and a celebration of Montezuma Creek, the community featured in this exhibit, will begin at 1:00 p.m.
http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/ahc/exhibits_and_events.html

- Hyperspectral Imagery the Archaeology of Ancient Mexico: Satellite imagery obtained from NASA will help archeologist Bill Middleton peer into the ancient Mexican past. In a novel archeological application, multi- and hyperspectral data will help build the most accurate and most detailed landscape map that exists of the southern state of Oaxaca, where the Zapotec people formed the first state-level and urban society in Mexico.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513112348.htm

- Teenage Looters Use Human Remains for Drug Paraphernalia: hree Kingwood teens have been arrested and accused of digging up a secluded grave and removing a skull in Humble, a city north of Houston. Teens from Kingwood, told Houston police that around March 15 they and a 16-year old juvenile dug up a grave, removed the skull from the coffin and converted it into a "bong," a device used to smoke marijuana, according to court documents.
http://www.nbc5i.com/news/16211185/detail.html?rss=dfw&psp=news

- Chinese Cultural Heritage Subject of the Latest Video on the Archaeology Channel: The remarkable cultural heritage of China, one of the world’s great and most ancient civilizations, is manifest in numerous magnificent buildings and architectural complexes, many of which are threatened by modern development or are in decay. The modern response to these threats provides some reason for hope, as shown in Saving Asia’s Treasures: Foguang Temple, Shanxi, China, the latest video feature on our nonprofit streaming-media Web site, The Archaeology Channel.
http://www.archaeologychannel.org

- Everybody Loves a Good Adventure Flick, but You Know the Crystal Skulls are a Hoax, Right? Along with superstars like Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, and Shia LaBeouf, the newest Indiana Jones movie promises to showcase one of the most enigmatic classes of artifacts known to archaeologists, crystal skulls that first surfaced in the 19th century and that specialists attributed to various "ancient Mesoamerican" cultures. In this article, Smithsonian anthropologist Jane MacLaren Walsh shares her own adventures analyzing the artifacts that inspired Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (in theaters May 22), and details her efforts tracking down a mysterious "obtainer of rare antiquities" who may have held the key to the origin of these exotic objects.
http://www.archaeology.org/0805/etc/indy.html

- Employment Opportunity, GIS Specialist: Alpine Archaeological Consultants, Inc. (Alpine) is a small business that engages solely in contracted cultural resource studies throughout the Rocky Mountain West, Great Basin, and Southwestern states. Alpine has an immediate opening for a GIS Specialist/Director. This individual will serve as a supervisor in our records division out of our Montrose, Colorado office. The successful candidate is highly motivated individual with experience in Cultural Resource Management (CRM) and with GIS/GPS equipment and programs. Please send your vitae or resume outlining education, previous experience, and all relevant qualifications, as well as a minimum of three references and a letter of interest by e-mail to kim_redman@alpinearchaeology.com Applications will be accepted until the position has been filled.
Http://www.alpinearchaeology.com

- Employment Opportunity: Project Director, Phoenix or Prescott, Arizona. In this midlevel salaried position that offers advancement opportunities in a growing ACRA-member firm, you will develop and run archaeological projects in Arizona and other Western states. You'll receive health and leave-time benefits, as well as cash bonuses for productivity, performance, and academic publication. You must be fit, resourceful, dedicated, organized, advance-degreed, and an outstanding writer. You must also be able to communicate deftly with clients, agencies, tribes, subordinates, and colleagues. You must be a Registered Professional Archaeologist, or qualified to become one upon hire. Salary range is $36,000 to $45,000/year, depending on marketability of successful candidate’s skillset. Contact Tom Motsinger, tmotsinger@paleowest.com.
http://www.paleowest.com