Anytime is a terrific time to join the GCAS! Membership runs from January through December of the current year. Our individual membership is $20 and our family membership is $30. Click through to this page to join online via our PayPal link; or if you’re Old Skool you can download, print, fill out our Membership form, and send it with a check by mail to: Grant County Archaeological Society, PO Box 1713, Silver City, NM 88062. Thank you for joining us!
Fill your calendar by scrolling down through all these upcoming events. Plan ahead but be mindful that any of the following events may be postponed or cancelled on very short notice for any number of weather-related or other reasons.
Watch this Events Page for details on our GCAS general meetings, held in-person or alternatively online via Zoom.
Mimbres Archaeological Research and Education Center (MAREC)
Please visit the GCAS at the Mimbres Archaeological Research and Education Center (MAREC) located in the historic Wood House at the Mimbres Culture Heritage Site. The GCAS is working in our library and lab/workroom in the Wood House’s ground floor. We welcome donations and volunteers so that we may continue expanding and improving the GCAS’s resource materials and educational programs. Learn about the beginnings of our GCAS project here, make your donations either online or by standard mail, and if you’d like to volunteer email us for ideas of the projects and events where we need you the most. [Photo: Mattocks Site/Mimbres Culture Heritage Site. Wood House, center. © Mitchell Clinton, Mitchell Clinton Photography. All Rights Reserved.]
Jornada Research Institute
Now and continuing on most weekends and weather permitting: the Jornada Research Institute has temporarily suspended activities at the Cornelius Locus site in Ruidoso NM due to recent (as of mid-June 2026) heavy rains. Work at Creekside Village near Tularosa NM will wait until cooler autumn conditions arise. Weather permitting, either site offers an excellent opportunity for GCAS members to join an excavation crew to better understand archaeological excavation and preservation methods. For details on these excavations and many other archaeological events and excursions offered by JRI, contact Dave Greenwald directly at dgreenwald@tularosa.net or visit JRI’s website at https://jornadaresearchinstitute.org/. Greenwald also advises folks to follow the Jornada Research Institute on Facebook and Instagram for other, additional announcements and tour information.
Wednesdays, May 13-August 5, 2026, 6:30-8:30 PM online: Old Pueblo Archaeology Center and archaeologist Allen Dart RPA present the 14-session adult education class, The Mogollon Culture of the US Southwest. $109 donation per person ($90 for Old Pueblo Archaeology Center, Arizona Archaeological Society, and Arizona Site Stewards members) supports Old Pueblo’s education programs about archaeology and traditional cultures. Donation does not include cost of optional AAS membership or AAS Certification Program enrollment. Registered Professional Archaeologist Allen Dart teaches this class in 14 two-hour sessions on Wednesday evenings May 13-August 5, 2025 to explore the archaeology of the ancient Mogollon culture of the American Southwest. The class covers the history of Mogollon archaeology, Mogollon origins, the complex subregional Mogollon “branches,” chronology of habitation, subsistence and settlement patterns through time, artifacts, rock art, religious and social organization, depopulation and movement, and descendant peoples. Minimum enrollment 10 people. The class meets the requirements of the Arizona Archaeological Society’s Training, Certification and Education program’s “Advanced Southwest Archaeology – Mogollon” course. To qualify for the AAS Certification the student must submit a brief written or video research report. The AAS basic “Archaeology of the Southwest” class is recommended as a prerequisite but this is negotiable with the instructor. For information on the AAS Certification Program, go to Certification Program under Activities on the AAS website, http://www.azarchsoc.org. Reservations and prepayment are due 10 days after reservation request or by 5 pm Monday May 11, whichever is earlier. To register or for more information contact Old Pueblo at info@oldpueblo.org or 520-798-1201.
Thursday, July 16, 2026: “The Shapes of Us: Salado Polychrome Pottery and the Kayenta Diaspora in the 1300s and 1400s”
A free online presentation by archaeologist Kathleen Barvick sponsored by the Amerind Museum, Dragoon, Arizona. 1-2pm MST (12-1 pm AZ MST). To register go to https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_99OyiTrrSg-eLyALuy5r8A#/registration or visit www.amerind.org/events.
In the late 1200s a massive drought hit the Southwest, causing political instability and sparking a massive migration as people left the Four Corners area and migrated south to settle along the rivers. This changed to social and political organization of the Southwest forever. One group of people, from the Kayenta region of northeastern Arizona, settled across a wide area of central and southern Arizona and western New Mexico, sometimes integrating into local settlements, sometimes setting up their own enclaves away from existing settlements. University of Arizona PhD candidate Kate Barvick’s research focuses on Salado Polychrome, a specific pottery ware that arose among these Kayenta immigrant communities and spread across Arizona and New Mexico. By looking at Salado Polychrome pots across the Southwest, and specifically at the variation in their shapes, she investigates how the Kayenta immigrant diaspora shared technological practices regarding pottery creation across far-flung communities in the 1300s and 1400s, how the use of Salado Polychrome spread, and how Kayenta immigrants negotiated their identities as Kayenta people and as immigrants in their new homes.
August 1-2, 2026: Hummingbird Festival
GCAS will have a booth at the Festival, and we need volunteers to explain the GCAS to the public, show off selected artifacts, and sell used books to support the GCAS library. No experience necessary – we’ll be there to help! Contact Marianne at gcasnm.org@gmail.com or phone/text 772-529-2627 to help!
Next GCAS Field Trip:
Sunday, August 9, 2026: the August GCAS field trip will be to the TJ Ruin near the Gila Cliff Dwellings. Meet at 8:30 at Mimbres Cultural Heritage Site (12 Sage Dr, Mimbres) to carpool and/or meet at 10:00 at the Gila Cliff Dwellings Visitor Center parking lot. (44 miles north of Silver City toward the end of Hwy. 15). Dana Dick, lead park ranger, will be our guide to this un-excavated 220 room ancestral Mimbres pueblo site dated from 900-1150 that sits atop a 100 ft bluff overlooking the middle fork of the Gila river. This site is not open to the public and is only available for guided tours. It will be hot and there is little shade at the site! Wear a hat, use sunscreen and bring plenty of water. Bring a lunch if you want to stay afterwards and picnic with GCAS members. See you there!
The Mogollon Conference issued a Call for Papers on March 30, 2026, with an abstract to be submitted before August 15, 2026, to the Conference Chair Dr. William Walker (wiwalker@nmsu.edu) and the Editor Dr. Lonnie Ludeman (lcludeman@yahoo.com). The Conference welcomes all papers, presentations, and special sessions that relate to the archaeology of the Mogollon region in the broadest sense including Mimbres and Jornada Mogollon, Northern Chihuahua, Mogollon Rim areas, WSMR and Fort Bliss Archaeology, and protohistoric and historic populations in the region. Contact Drs. Walker and Ludeman for all submission details and consult the Conference website at https://lonjul.net/MogollonAC2026/
Next GCAS Meeting (August):
Wednesday, August 19, 2026, 6:00 PM*: the GCAS will meet at the Roundup Lodge at 91 Acklin Hill Road in the Mimbres Valley for a potluck meal and socializing, followed by a short business meeting. Thereafter, archaeologist Dave Greenwald will discuss the complexity of settlement and land-use patterns in Tularosa Canyon between Mescalero and Tularosa during the Mesilla Phase (A.D. 250-1030), examine the presence of irrigation systems and their spatial associations with adjacent settlements, and discuss the function of the great kivas.
David Greenwald has been an archaeologist for over 50 years, beginning his career at the Museum at Texas Tech University. Joining the Archaeology Department at Arizona State University in 1976, he worked on various Hohokam sites in the Phoenix Basin. From that time to the present, he has spent most of his career conducting cultural resource management projects in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and west Texas. For several years in the ‘80s, he worked on Anasazi, Mogollon and Hohokam excavation projects while at the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff and continued his graduate work at Northern Arizona University. In 2001 he and his wife, Dawn, started DMG Four Corners Research, a consulting firm headquartered in Tularosa. Over the next 18 years, Dave conducted investigations of Jornada Mogollon sites on Fort Bliss, White Sands Missile Range, and on various highway projects. Living along the Rio Tularosa, Dave began to recognize the varied archaeological resources in Tularosa Canyon. His interest in the area has led to the founding of the Jornada Research Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to continued research of our cultural and natural resources while engaging the public. Dave serves as the President of Jornada Research Institute and Director of the Rio Tularosa Research Program and excavations at the Cornelius Locus in Ruidoso.
Directions to Roundup Lodge from N Hudson St & US-180 in Silver City: Drive east 7.5 miles on US-180, turn left onto NM-152 and go 14.3 miles, turn left onto NM-35 and go 0.5 mile, make a sharp left onto Acklin Hill Rd and go 0.1 mile to find the Lodge on the right. Bring your best potluck dish and enjoy the evening!
*The GCAS Board of Directors will meet at the Roundup starting at 5:00 PM to discuss current issues. All GCAS members are welcome to come early to observe the BOD in action and ask questions (although only the BOD members will be voting). We hope to see you there!
Thursday, October 8 through Saturday, October 10, 2026, in Las Cruces NM: the 23d biennial Mogollon Archaeology Conference happens at NMSU’s Corbett Center Auditorium and University Museum. Pre-register from now through September 26, 2026, for $60/person ($35/student) to be assured of obtaining a ticket (an extra $35/person and $25/student) for the Friday evening banquet as space is limited. Post-September 26 rates are $70/person and $35/student. Registration forms and many other details are on the Conference’s very handy website at https://lonjul.net/MogollonAC2026/
There are even more online and in-person events happening all over the place. Make it a regular habit to check out what the following organizations offer the avocational archaeologist:
American Rock Art Research Association (ARARA)
The Archaeological Conservancy posts recorded lectures on YouTube and on their website’s event page after the event occurs. Visit them for this and lots more information, and follow them on their Facebook page.
Archaeological Society of New Mexico
Archaeology Southwest: Things To Do, and More Things To Do
The Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society produced a virtual field trip of the Mattocks Site and Mimbres Culture Heritage Site on February 5, 2022, which is now available via the AAHS’s YouTube channel. Click here and enjoy as Marilyn Markel and Professor Emerita Pat Gilman, the supervising archaeologist for the 1970s Mattocks Site excavation, lead you through the site while discussing the future opportunities it offers for local educational programs and archaeological research.
Borderlandia offers specialized tours of the Arizona-Mexico borderland including Tubac & Tumacácori; and greater Mexico including locations such as Paquimé & Mexico City
As a member of the Council of Allied Societies, the GCAS and our members receive access to the CoAS monthly newsletter. The most recent CoAS newsletters are available by scrolling down to the bottom-most right-hand sidebar entitled “Council of Allied Societies Newsletter Archives” on this page. For further CoAS doings, visit their Facebook page and check out their directory of links to member organizations’ newsletters and publications. GCAS members may also attend one free and one discounted online seminar; contact onlineseminars@saa.org to verify your GCAS membership and for all other details.
Crow Canyon Archaeological Center: Programs, Research, and Education
The Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument hosts a free series of presentations at their Visitors Center where folks can meet a number of speakers giving short presentations on a variety of archaeological and cultural topics. Follow them on Facebook too!
The Jornada Research Institute – JRI’s past newsletters are informative on a wide variety of intriguing archaeological research in our local area and beyond. Look for their latest quarterly newsletters here. Join a JRI international archaeological tour such as their upcoming 11-day tour to Egypt’s Archaeological Wonders, Museums, and Old Cairo’s Historic Area from October 24, 2026, to November 4, 2026 (waitlisted); their 2027 11-day tour to Sicily: Crossroads of the Mediterranean; and their 2028 11-day tour to the Culture and Powers of the Iberian Peninsula..
OF SPECIAL INTEREST TO GCAS MEMBERS:
Identify your favorite 501(c)(3) charity in your JRI tour registration, and JRI will make a $125 cash donation to that charity. Coincidentally, the GCAS is a 501(c)(3) public charity. You can support two nonprofits at once! None of JRI’s Overseas Journeys is ever repeated, and tend to fill up quickly so if you are considering any of JRI’s tours, contact JRI’s Dave Greenwald ASAP for flyers, itineraries, and all other info. Mesa Prieta Petroglyph Project: Events, Mesa Talks Lecture Series, Chats with the Archaeologist, and Tours
Mimbres Culture Heritage Site: Considering a visit to the Mimbres Culture Heritage Site? Check for events; to confirm tours and museum access telephone the MCHS directly at 575.536.3092 or 307.640.3012.
Old Pueblo Archaeology Center: at times throughout the year Old Pueblo offers multi-session online classes on a variety of topics. Click on these links for more information from Old Pueblo on these and other programs and events. Because the GCAS maintains an organizational membership with Old Pueblo, Old Pueblo offers discounts to individual GCAS members on many of their programs and events, so when signing up for an event, make a point of telling them you’re a GCAS member. Old Pueblo has also posted recordings of many of their Third Thursday Food for Thought and Indigenous Interests webinar presentations on their Youtube channel. GCAS says check them out: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDgPTetfOL9FHuAW49TrSig/videos.
The Pueblo Archaeological and Historical Society of Pueblo, Colorado, has regular in-person and online presentations as well as their online-accessible newsletter and YouTube channel. Check them out for these options and much more.
The Society for American Archaeology (SAA) and their affiliate, the Council of Allied Societies (CoAS) work to build meaningful relationships between professional and avocational archaeologists. They act as clearinghouses for events, programs, and volunteer opportunities to suit all tastes and abilities. Go here to access SAA’s digital versions of a variety of their regular publications. Enjoy!
Ron Barber, creator of the Stone Calendar Project, has been studying rock art sites throughout the Southwest and Northern Mexico identifying glyphs that mark specific times of the year using unique light and shadow interactions. He has some survey predictions for glyphs along the Gila Narrows and other southern sites and is looking for volunteers to help in further research. Anyone who is interested in spending time in the field recording/filming calendar sun light interactions in the region, please contact Ron directly at barbers6@aol.com . Click here for more of Ron’s background.
The Texas Archaeological Society is based in San Marcos, Texas, and offers a wide variety of events and research/educational opportunities for the avocational and professional communities. Visit their website to learn how they provide support for research grants, scholarships, and more.