Archaeology Southwest

ResearchCultural Uses of Plants and Animals in the Southern Southwest: We have a National Science Foundation grant to study how people used animals and plants before, during, and after migrants from what is now northeastern Arizona moved south to join existing communities in southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. We have compiled substantial quantities of previously analyzed paleobotanical (plant) and osteofaunal (animal bone) data from published and unpublished sources, much of which is now in cyberSW (see below). We partnered with Desert Archaeology, Inc., to train an undergraduate research assistant who processed numerous 50-year-old flotation samples that are now being analyzed, and we continue to analyze additional zooarchaeological assemblages. Documenting Indigenous and Historical Trails: 2023 and 2024 grants from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)put us on the ground documenting trails in the Sonoran Desert National Monument and expanding that methodology to other BLM units in Arizona. The objective is to evaluate the relationship, if any, between the Butterfield Overland National Historic Trail and existing Indigenous trails on public lands across the state.

cyberSWcyberSW: With the support of three National Science Foundation grants, the cyberSW team (Joshua Watts, Manager; Andre Takagi, Senior Systems Analyst/Developer; Caitlynn Mayhew [Din], Native American Fellow; Sarah Oas, Preservation Archaeologist; and Jeff Clark, Vice President for Research, serving in an advisory capacity) continued standardizing and adding information about pottery, plant & animal remains, and stone tools & artifacts recovered from ancient Indigenous settlements in AZ's Tonto, Phoenix, & Tucson Basins, southwestern NM, and southwestern CO. By the end of 2024, they had added data from more than 200 settlements. In late 2024, we were awarded a $350,000 grant from the National Endowment for Humanities' prestigious Digital Humanities Advancement Grant program. Funding will help us develop a digital field guide to O'Odham keystone plant & animal species, and help us improve the web platform in general. Work will build upon Mayhew's pilot project on Indigenous Knowledge & use of bird species.

Outreach and EducationPreservation Archaeology Position Papers: : John Welch, Paul Reed, Ashleigh Thompson, and Skylar Begay published a position paper: "Tribal Co-Management: What Works, Where and How." The paper complements attendance by Thompson and Begay at two "Bears Ears Gatherings," where members of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition and the Bears Ears Commission planned co-management with the BLM and the US Forest Service. The paper blends the deliberations over Bears Ears with the results of international academic research and considerations of opportunities to structure co-management for the Great Bend of the Gila. Plans are in place for a new position paper on how Archaeology Southwest might uphold Indigenous data sovereignty principles.Archaeology Cafe: We concluded the 2023-2024 season of Archaeology Cafe, Nourishing Body, Soul, & Earth: Traditional Foods & Foodways, with a mix of in-person and virtual meetups. Later in 2024, we launched our 16th season with a fully in-person format at Catalyst, a community-creative space run by the Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance. Dogs! Exploring Canine Cultural Histories in North America proved to be vibrant and well-received, including by the very good dogs in attendance.Archaeology Southwest Magazine: In 2024, we published "Better for It: Archaeology Conceived in Collaboration with Community" (Archaeology Southwest Magazine Vol. 36, Nos. 3 & 4), a companion to our 2022-2023 season of Archaeology Caf. Contributors explored the challenges, scope, and rewards of collaborative archaeology. We completed a redesign that debuted early in 2025 with the 64-page Vol. 37, No. 1, "Continuity and Connections: The Living Landscapes of Mesa Verde," which was six years in development.Hands-On Archaeology: Preservation Archaeologist and Ancient Technologies Expert Allen Denoyer, Director of Outreach Sara Anderson, and volunteer Rocky Hettinger were busy in 2024: The Hands-On Archaeology program delivered 30 experiential learning events & workshops that directly engaged community members of all ages through recurring programs at metro Tucson's Steam Pump Ranch and Mission Garden. Additional appearances at the Tucson Festival of Books, Native Nations Day, Camp Cooper 60th anniversary, and World Atlatl Day at Catalina State Park helped broaden our community of supporters and advocates. Volunteers: In 2024, 107 individuals contributed a total of 5,034 hours of service across a wide range of projects. Two major collections-care projects were completed: the Robinson Project wrapped up after years of dedicated artifact analysis, and the Roadrunner Vista Project came to a close with the successful delivery of its materials to the Amerind Foundation. Volunteers also played vital roles in fieldwork. They logged nearly 1,800 hours on the Desert Trails Survey and Sabino Canyon Survey, and assisted with archaeological and conservation work in the San Pedro Valley.