Next Meeting – January 14th

All our monthly meetings and presentations are free and open to the public. Our next meeting will be held in person and on Zoom on Wednesday, January 14^th, at 7:00 p.m. in the lyceum at the Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College. After a brief business meeting, Mario Borrero, PhD, will present “The Ancient Maya from a Frontier Perspective.” A reception will start things off at 6:30 p.m. in the CSWS foyer.

Southern Belize occupies a distinctive place in ancient Maya history. Located at the crossroads of major political regions, it developed a series of communities during the Classic period AD 250 to 900 that were deeply connected to broader political and economic networks, participating in shared Maya cultural traditions while maintaining strong local identities. Mario’s talk traces the cultural and political development of southern Belize within the context of broader Maya history from its early settlement through the Classic period, drawing on long term archaeological research at sites such as Nim li Punit, Lubaantun, Pusilaha, and Uxbenka. Framed through Mario’s research trajectory, the presentation considers how the frontier region interacts with the rest of the Maya world. The term frontier refers not to a marginal or isolated zone, but to a dynamic space of interaction where local communities negotiated identity, authority, and connectivity between larger Maya political centers. The talk concludes by situating southern Belize within current debates about the Classic Maya collapse, highlighting how smaller frontier polities help us better understand political transformation, resilience, and decline across the Maya world.

Mario Borrero is an Assistant Professor of Archaeology in the Anthropology Department and teaches in the GIS Certificate program within the Geosciences Department at Fort Lewis College. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from the University of California, Riverside, a Master of Arts in Public Archaeology from California State University, Northridge, and his Doctorate in Anthropology from the University of California San Diego. His research focuses on digital archaeology, ancient Maya political organization, mortuary practices, and  regional interaction, with particular emphasis on southern Belize. He is an archaeological consultant for the CRM company First Carbon Solutions, based in California. Over the past 15 years, he has conducted archaeological fieldwork at sites in California, New Mexico, Central America, and the Middle East. His work integrates excavation, regional analysis, and digital documentation methods, and he is actively involved in public archaeology and student training in both Mesoamerica and the American Southwest

Link to Join Webinar

https://fortlewis.zoom.us/j/94032371260

Meeting ID: 940 3237 1260

First SJBAS Field Trip of 2026

January 21 – Backroom Tour of the Collections at the Mesa Verde Research Center

Join Collections Manager, Gwen, for a backroom tour of selected artifacts. The 1.5-hour tour is scheduled for Wednesday, January 21, at 2:00 p.m. Participation limit is 10 SJBAS members. Please contact Lorie Hansen to sign up, lmhansen39@gmail.com.  

The San Juan Basin Archaeological Society (SJBAS) is a Colorado Nonprofit Corporation. SJBAS consists of people who are interested in the archaeology, culture, and early history of the Four Corners region. We have members of all ages and backgrounds, some with extensive training in archaeology and others with more limited knowledge, but a strong desire to learn.

Our mission is to advocate for and promote public awareness and preservation of archaeological, cultural, and historical resources, primarily of the Four Corners region of the American Southwest.

Members are eligible to participate in SJBAS field trips and they receive a monthly newsletter, the Moki Messenger, with information about current SJBAS activities and other matters of archaeological and historical interest.

We support and endow the John W. Sanders Internship and Education Fund. This fund provides ongoing internships for Fort Lewis College students at the Center of Southwest Studies. Donations are welcome to these 501(C)(3) funds: Donate.