Barbara:

Have archaeogeophysical and archaeogeochemical studies been done of the site 
to determine if human remains lie at depth within the original pueblo?  If 
they are there, then that could be a VERY EXPENSIVE  and heart-rending 
surprize for the TDOT and other affected parties.   A little Combined Survey 
Format (CSF) archaeogeophysical and archaeochemical work could save A LOT of 
EXPENSE, TIME AND HEARTBREAK!  We have seen this situation here in Sonora, 
California with a bypass that went through some really extensive, early and 
deeply buried sites in 2002
that could have been found with the new CSF remote sensing technologies. 
The cost of NOT finding these sites which were not evident from surface 
surveys was enormous and the project went way over budget and MAY never be 
completed.

In the words of  Ben Franklin, "An ounce of prevention is oft times worth 
more than a pound (English currency at that time) of cure".  I believe that 
MAY be the situation here.

Sincerely,

Richard J. Lundin BA, MA, RPA, ISAP
Consulting Historical Archaeologist & Remote Sensing Specialist
Director, Wondjina Research Institute

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Barbara Hickman" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, September 21, 2007 7:53 AM
Subject: Road Plan Rankles Texas' Tigua Indians


> ALICIA A. CALDWELL
> Associated Press Writer
> EL PASO, Texas
>
> Road Plan Rankles Texas' Tigua Indians
>
>
>
> It looks like an undeveloped dirt lot in a residential neighborhood, so 
> city officials decided to put a long-awaited four-lane road extension 
> through it.
>
> But the square of dirt is a holy site for the Tigua Ysleta del Sur Pueblo 
> tribe and the site of the tribe's original pueblo.
>
> That's not the only problem with the planned road that would cut across 
> other private property to create a direct path from Interstate 10 to a 
> border highway on the city's congested southeast side.
>
> It would also eliminate the parking lot for a Catholic monastery. Not to 
> mention that other El Paso residents say they don't need or want the road.
>
> The City Council debate on the extension drove one member to tears after 
> the 5-4 vote this week in favor of the project, which has been in the 
> works for more than 30 years.
>
> "We've been here since 1680," noted Arturo Senclair, tribal governor of 
> the Tiguas.
>
> Senclair said City Council members who support the latest incarnation of 
> the road extension are ignoring the history and significance of the site, 
> even if looks are deceiving.
>
> While the project still has several hurdles to overcome, including a vote 
> this month by the El Paso Metropolitan Planning Organization, Senclair 
> said he and other tribal leaders see the city's vote as an insult.
>
> The Tigua tribe, recognized as a sovereign nation in 1987, was one of 
> several tribes forced to close lucrative casinos after being targeted by 
> Jack Abramoff. The disgraced former lobbyist pleaded guilty in 2006 to 
> bilking the tribes out of millions of dollars amid promises to lobby 
> Congress and the Interior Department on their behalf.
>
> The road extension appeared dead two years ago after hundreds of residents 
> demanded the project be abandoned. That plan, which would have required 
> the destruction of as many as 250 houses, was unanimously rejected.
>
> It was revived this year after city representative Alexandro Lozano 
> suggested another route. Previous plans called for the road to be built 
> near the tribal holy site, not over it.
>
> Angry residents stormed out of the council chambers and a first-term 
> councilwoman wept after Tuesday's vote. Even Lozano voted against the 
> project, saying the opposition changed his mind.
>
> A teary Rachel Quintana said she worried that destroying the Tigua site 
> was "setting a precedent that we aren't sympathetic to their culture, 
> their religion.
>
> "I don't know how we are going to be looked at as a city," Quintana said. 
> "What worries me is just the message we are sending: If we want something, 
> we are going to do it no matter who is in our way."
>
> Supporters see it as an infrastructure project long overdue.
>
> "It's waned for about 20 years. This makes the most sense," councilman 
> Steve Ortega said. "No. 1, it addresses traffic congestion; No. 2, it 
> takes the least number of homes; and No. 3, the alternatives were cost 
> prohibitive. The question is, do something or do nothing. I'd rather do 
> something."
>
> Disputes have long dogged the route for the road in the Mission Valley 
> area. Maps of the area, including at least one drafted by the Texas 
> Department of Transportation, are dotted with historic and culturally 
> significant sites.
>
> Among them is a Catholic monastery whose parking lot would likely be 
> demolished if the road is built.
>
> Ortega and Mayor John Cook, who cast the tie-breaking vote for the road 
> extension, have pledged to work with the tribe, officials at the Monastery 
> of Perpetual Adoration-Corpus Christi and other area residents to 
> "minimize, to the greatest extent, the impact."
>
> Cook has even offered to close the road for three days _ including the day 
> before and after the Tiguas' annual St. Anthony's Feast celebration in 
> June _ or trade the tribe for another piece of property.
>
> But Senclair said there was no room for negotiation.
>
> "They just don't understand us as tribes," he said. "You start giving a 
> little bit and then a little bit more and then there is never an end."
>
> Copyright 2007 by the Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
>
>
> Barbara J Hickman, Staff Archeologist
> Archeological Studies Program
> Environmental Affairs Division
> Texas Department of Transportation
> 125 East 11th Street
> Austin TX 78701
> Telephone: 512.416.2637
> Fax: 512.416.2643
>
>