Heavily edited for content.


>" Got CALICHE ? " Newsletter
>Archaeology, Anthropology, and History of the Greater Southwest!
>
>Wednesday May 01, 2002
>
>*****************************************
>
>NEW MEXICO
>
>http://www.nps.gov/sapu/hsr/hsrt.htm
>There is an unstated assumption that has been one of the foundation stones
>for the structure of colonial New Mexican history and culture, so painfully
>and painstakingly assembled over the last century. This assumption is simple:
>the Franciscan missions and the civil settlements of New Mexico were poor
>-- they had nothing but the most primitive living conditions and goods.
>This assumption has colored virtually every narrative of life in colonial
>New Mexico. It is based to some extent on the claims of the people themselves
>in their letters back to the heartland of Mexico, but it is very likely
>untrue... Published documentation on seventeenth century New Mexico has
>tended to give the reader a feeling that the historian and archeologist
>knew the important events and the culture of that time. Such an impression
>is false.
>
>COLORADO
>
>From: Victoria Atkins <[log in to unmask]>
>A new exhibit "Of Stone and Stories: Pueblitos of Dinétah," opens Sunday,
>May 5 at the Anasazi Heritage Center. Dinétah is the Navajo place of 
>emergence
>and homeland in the canyons southeast of Farmington, New Mexico. Its stone
>towers and forts known as the Pueblitos pose several questions? Did Navajos
>build them or Pueblos? Why were they built? This exhibit explores a unique
>historical moment between AD 1500 and 1800 when Navajos, Pueblos and 
>Spaniards
>confronted and transformed each others' cultures. For the Pueblo villagers
>of the Rio Grande Valley and beyond, the region (also known as the 
>Gobernador),
>was a place of refuge in the aftermath of the 1680 Pueblo Revolt and the
>Spanish reconquest that followed it a dozen years later. Pueblo refugees
>in flight from internal village conflicts or Spanish vengeance established
>temporary settlements and alliances with their Navajo neighbors against
>a common threat. Since the Pueblos have been farmers since ancient times,
>they may have brought more and better agriculture to their Navajo hosts
>during this period. The very name "Navajo" is adapted from a Puebloan word
>meaning "planted fields." For the Navajo people, this area is known as
>Dinétah? their place of origin, the site of legendary events and the abode
>of sacred beings. Archaeologists agree that the earliest confirmed Navajo
>settlements are located here. Navajos dedicated to the preservation of
>their traditional culture are now working with archaeologists to study
>this remarkable place and its role in the history of the Southwest. The
>meanings of many ancient rock  images in Dinétah are still clearly understood
>by modern Navajo people. Pueblo-Navajo cooperation may explain the curious
>nature of the Pueblitos, which resemble Puebloan buildings but contain
>some artifacts connecting them to Navajo culture. The region also abounds
>in the remains of forked-stick hogans, traditional Navajo homes of an early
>style. But Navajo inhabitants of the Gobernador may have adopted Pueblo
>architecture to defend themselves against Spanish military forces and Ute
>raiders, who sometimes allied themselves to capture Navajo children as
>slaves. In addition to Navajo and Pueblo artifacts of the period, the exhibit
>contains ample evidence of Spanish military activity: lead musket balls,
>a saber, lance blades, a saddle stirrup, and a porcelain plate are among
>the colonial-period artifacts on display. An iron arrow point shows how
>Native people made use of Spanish metal for their own purposes. "Of Stone
>and Stories: Pueblitos of the Dinétah" will remain at the Heritage Center
>until September 2. The exhibit is funded directly by visitor entry fees
>as part of the Fee Demonstration Program and is provided through the Museum
>of New Mexico Traveling Exhibitions Program. It received major production
>support from the Bureau of Land Management, the Museum of Indian Arts and
>Culture in Santa Fe, and the Museum of New Mexico Foundation. The Anasazi
>Heritage Center is a Bureau of Land Management museum with exhibits on
>archaeology, history, and Native American cultures of the Four Corners
>region. The AHC is also the headquarters for Canyons of the Ancients National
>Monument. For information, call 970.882.4811 or visit 
>http://www.co.blm.gov/ahc/hmepge.htm
>
>NEVADA
>
>http://dmla.clan.lib.nv.us/docs/shpo/hpweek2002.htm
>Nevada Archaeology Awareness and Historic Preservation Week May 12-18,
>2002
>
>ARIZONA
>
>http://www.sltrib.com/04302002/utah/732728.htm
>A document blaming Brigham Young for the Mountain Meadows Massacre is a
>fake, according to forensics expert William Flynn. He thinks the lead 
>inscription
>could be the work of murderer and con man Mark Hofmann. George Throckmorton,
>manager of the Salt Lake Police Department's Crime Lab, is still examining
>the document. National Park Service officials were unaware of Flynn's 
>comments
>Monday night. "We don't have the information yet," said Chris Goetze, a
>Park Service archaeologist based in Page, Ariz. "We have not received any
>final reports from the examiners."
>
>MEXICO
>
>http://www.vivacincodemayo.org/history.htm
>So, why Cinco de Mayo? And why should Americans savor this day as well?
>The Mexicans won a great victory that kept Napoleon III from supplying
>the confederates, allowing the Union to smash the Confederates at Gettysburg
>just 14 months after the battle of Pueblo, essentially ending the American
>Civil War. It might be a historical stretch to credit the survival of the
>United States to those brave 4,000 Mexicans who faced an army twice as
>large in 1862. But who knows?
>
>http://www.nacnet.org/assunta/spa5may.htm
>5 de Mayo is a Mexican national holiday. In the United States, the 
>celebration
>is more festive consisting of parades, music, folklore, dances and food.
>

TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGY

>http://www.militarybikes.com/civilian.html
>A folding bike now used by the Marines, the Paratrooper is a 24 speed 
>mountain
>bike which folds simply, without the use of tools. By turning a quick release
>lever, the Paratrooper compacts in less than 30 seconds into a 3'x3' pack
>for easy portability and storage. Better yet, check it as ordinary lugage
>and save the typical $90 airline surcharge.
>
>*****************************************
>
>Contact the Newsletter Editor:
>
>[log in to unmask] (e-mail)
>
>www.swanet.org   (url)
>
>Southwestern Archaeology, Inc. (SWA) - A 501(c)(3) customer-centric 
>corporation
>dedicated to electronic potlatch and digital totemic increase rites that
>focus and multiply historic preservation activities in the Greater Southwest.
>Our goal is to create and promote the diverse micro-environments and open
>systems in which archaeologists can develop their talents and take the
>risks from which innovation and productivity arise.

Anita Cohen-Williams
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