Picuris Pueblo Field School

Location: Taos, NM, US

Season: June 3, 2020 to June 30, 2020

Deadline Type: Rolling

Website: https://anthropology.arizona.edu/picuris-pueblo-field-school-summer-2019

Program Type:
Field School

RPA Certified:
No

Affiliation:
Joint program of the University of Arizona, Picuris Pueblo, SMU-Taos, & Barnard College

Project Director:
Dr. Lindsay Montgomery (University of Arizona); Mr. Richard Mermejo (Picuris Pueblo); Dr. Michael Adler (Southern Methodist University); Dr. Severin M. Fowles (Barnard College)

Project Description:

Join us this summer for The Picuris Pueblo Archaeological Field School!

Students will earn 6 hours of undergraduate or graduate credit over the course of 4-weeks through hands-on training in archaeological fieldwork in the beautiful Sangre de Cristo Mountains of northern New Mexico. Student participants will collaborate with archaeologists and tribal members at Picuris Pueblo, to gain experience in archaeological field survey, excavation, and collections management. In addition to ceramic and lithic identification, participants will also gain training in technical skills like GIS and geo-chemical analysis. In addition to daily fieldwork, participants partake in site visits, lectures, and tribal events to further their understanding of the ongoing indigenous history of New Mexico.

Project Location and Scope:  Picuris Pueblo is arguably the oldest continuously occupied settlement in North America, having been the home of a Tiwa-speaking community from the 10^th century to the present day.Archaeological evidence suggests the pueblo grew rapidly during the 14^th and 15^th centuries, and Spanish colonial records demonstrate that by the end of the 16^th century Picuris was a major trade center connecting the resident communities of the Rio Grande valley to Apache bison-hunters on the Plains. During the 18^th century, however, the Picuris community sharply declined, obscuring its former prominence. The efforts of field school participants will help to illuminate the nature and extent of Picuris’ role in the evolving economic networks of the northern Rio Grande during the period leading up to and directly preceding Spanish colonialism.

During the 2020 field season, our work will include pedestrian survey and mapping of the agricultural terraces located in Survey zone 1 to the southeast of the Pueblo. We will also investigate the many historic camps on the community’s periphery, utilized by Jicarilla Apache traders during the 16^th-18th centuries. The goal of this survey project is to document the extent and content of Ancestral Picuris’ field system and refine our chronological understanding of agricultural intensification at the Pueblo.

Students will also have the opportunity to speak with tribal members regarding their agricultural practices as well as the nature of economic collaborations between Picuris and allied Apache bands.

 Field Trips and Lectures: In addition to daily fieldwork, students will participate in a series of special events. Students will have the chance to tour many historically significant sites throughout northern New Mexico, including Pot Creek Pueblo (an ancestral Picuris village) and Taos Pueblo. We will also attend traditional dances, feasts, and festivals put on by the community at Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo. In the evenings, there will be several lectures by staff and guests as well as reading discussions on indigenous archaeology. These talks will cover the history and archaeology of the Jicarilla Apache, the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, and much more.

Anti-Harassment and Discrimination Policy: The University of Arizona is committed to creating and maintaining an environment free of discrimination. In support of this commitment, the Picuris Pueblo Field School prohibits discrimination, including harassment and retaliation, based on a protected classification, including race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or genetic information. The Picuris Pueblo Field School encourages anyone who believes they have been the subject of discrimination to report the matter immediately as described in the section here: “Reporting Discrimination, Harassment, or Retaliation.” All members of the Field School are responsible for participating in creating a project environment free from all forms of prohibited discrimination and for cooperating with University of Arizona officials who investigate allegations of policy violations.

Application attached below. Enrollment is limited, and applications received by April 1, 2020 will receive priority. For more information, contact lmmontgomery@email.arizona.edu.

Period(s) of Occupation: Ancestral Pueblo, Colonial New Mexico

Project Size: 1-24 participants

Minimum Age: 18

Experience Required: No prior archaeological fieldwork is required.

Room and Board Arrangements:
Students will camp on the beautiful 423-acre campus of Southern Methodist University at Fort Bergwin in Taos. Students will have access to campus shower and toilets, laundry facilities, basketball, tennis, and volleyball courts, as well as the library and computer lab. Breakfast and dinner will be served in the Fort Bergwin dining hall and lunch will be eaten in the field.

Academic Credit:
Students may register for one 3-credit lab course and one 3-credit field course. The courses are ANTH 442a and 442b (undergraduate credit) and ANTH 542a and 542b (graduate credit). If you are not currently enrolled as a student at the University of Arizona, please check with your advisor about transferring UA course credit to your home institution. Field school registration is subject to normal University of Arizona tuition and fees for summer school, which are the same for in-state and out-of-state students. In 2017, these fees were $424/credit hour for undergraduates and $474/credit hour for graduate students.