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, October 8th, at 7:00 p.m. in the lyceum at the Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College. After a brief business meeting, Dr. Kaitlyn Elizabeth Davis will present “Early Tewa occupations and colonial-era Tewa adaptations in the Northern Rio Grande (near Pojoaque, NM).” A reception will start things off at 6:30 p.m. in the CSWS foyer.
Kaitlyn is a Registered Professional Archaeologist and she earned her PhD in anthropology (archaeology) from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2022. She conducts field work in collaboration with Indigenous communities in the American Southwest. Her research interests include frontiers and borders, particularly trade interaction processes, and transitions in settlement patterns and landscape use. Her most recent positions held prior to joining Northern Arizona University were Senior Archaeologist at Chronicle Heritage, research staff at the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies, instructor at the University of Colorado, and archaeologist with the USDA Forest Service.
Current research focuses on using spatial data, environmental models, field surveys, and archaeobotanical analyses to investigate how (and to what extent) Pueblo people in the Rio Grande region of New Mexico adjusted their agricultural practices when confronted with Spanish colonization. Other current projects support archaeological compliance and community-engaged and student-driven research on public lands.
Link to Join Webinar
https://fortlewis.zoom.us/j/97612418790
Meeting ID: 976 1241 8790
September 24 – Special Presentation – Old-school Archaeological Mapping of Mesa Verde
On Wednesday, September 24th, at 7:00 p.m. in the lyceum at the Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College, Alfred Berry will present “Old-school Archaeological Mapping of Mesa Verde.” The Zoom link for this presentation is: https://fortlewis.zoom.us/j/97612418790, Meeting ID: 976 1241 8790.
Alfred Berry (Alf) is a third-generation land surveyor with a rich survey and mapping history. His family has been involved with projects as small as defining property lines between neighbors who don’t get along up to National Geographic maps of Mount Everest. The GPS technology that we all use to get to a coffee shop was due to a family member in the room.
His grandfather, Ralph W. Berry, led the first team to map Mesa Verde National Park in 1910. The park was created in 1906 but there were few maps of the area. Ralph and his team of eight and a cook undertook the extremely difficult task of mapping the mesa with the technology of that time. This was archeological mapping at its best.
Alf has been the benefactor of having a grandfather, two uncles, and two brothers involved in mapping, either at a local or global scale. His personal archaeological projects include mapping Mayan sites in Belize and the Yucatan as well as Shoshone sites in Wyoming.
His understanding of the technological changes since 1910, and how mapping is done in our current world are light years ahead of the technology of the time. His grandfather spent an entire summer with a crew of eight mapping the mesa. Today’s technology could give the same level of detail in about two hours.
SJBAS Newsletter – Moki Messenger
Moki – September – October
SJBAS Zoom Presentations on YouTube
Zoom Presentation Archives
CyArk Tapestry Virtual Tours
Tapestry is a web-based storytelling platform that brings places to life, connecting users with the history, culture, and emotions that shape each location. CyArk is launching a fifth virtual tour of Bears Ears, created in collaboration with Indigenous partners. This is part of a new series that was funded by the BLM and focusing on landscapes of Comb Ridge and includes experiences produced by the Pueblo of Zuni, the Pueblo of Acoma, and the Hopi. Follow these links for virtual tours of River House, Butler Wash Developed Site, and Monarch Cave, all in Bears Ears National Monument.
River House – Ancestral Home connected to Pueblo of Zuni
Butler Wash Developed Site – Ancestral Home of Hopi Ancestors
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.