Next Meeting – February 11th
Our next meeting will be held in person and on Zoom on Wednesday, February 11th, at 7:00 p.m. in the lyceum at the Fort Lewis College Center of Southwest Studies. After a brief business meeting, Jakob Sedig Ph.D. will present “New Data, Old Questions: Ancient DNA and the Archaeology of Northwest Mexico and the US Southwest.” A reception will start things off at 6:30 p.m. in the CSWS foyer.
Recent ancient DNA research in northern Mexico and the U.S. Southwest has produced data from hundreds of individuals across wide geographic and time spans, offering powerful new insights into long-standing archaeological questions. These studies are reshaping our understanding of how ancient communities interacted, moved, and lived. For example, DNA evidence shows that ancestry linked to northern Mexico spread into California before the adoption of maize agriculture, and that Trincheras populations in Sonora were genetically distinct from neighboring groups in Chihuahua. Ancient DNA is also illuminating individual life histories, such as a child buried at Paquimé whose parents were more closely related than first cousins. In this presentation, Jakob Sedig will review these findings and discuss how the rapidly growing ancient DNA record is transforming our understanding of the Greater Southwest and Northwest Mexico.
Jakob Sedig earned his PhD in Anthropology from the University of Colorado, where his research focused on the archaeology of the U.S. Southwest, particularly the Mimbres region of southwestern New Mexico and the social, demographic, and environmental changes of the Transitional phase (CE 900–1000). He subsequently served as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Ethics and Outreach Officer at the Reich Laboratory of Medical and Population Genetics at Harvard University, working to integrate ancient DNA more fully with archaeological research. His work has addressed both long-standing archaeological questions and emerging applications of ancient DNA, including refining radiocarbon chronologies, while also emphasizing ethical engagement and collaboration with Indigenous communities. Jakob is currently a Senior Archaeologist with Chronicle Heritage and serves as a Principal Investigator for the firm’s Phoenix and Albuquerque offices.
Link to Join Webinar – https://fortlewis.zoom.us/j/94032371260 – Meeting ID: 940 3237 1260