Grant County Archaeological Society

02/12/2026

Wednesday, February 18, 2026, via Zoom at 5:00 PM New Mexico (Mountain) time: Pat Gilman and Mary Whisenhunt present Life on the Edge of the Mimbres Region: the Results of Powers Ranch, Arizona, and Gila Valley Research.

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We’ll see you online!

02/12/2026

Internship Opportunity: Preservation Archaeology and Museum Curation
This summer program trains four participants to work with archaeological museum collections, including cataloging with PastPerfect software, ceramic analysis, digitization, document and photograph handling, and other tasks. Students will focus on collections from the NAN Ranch, a large Classic Mimbres period pueblo in the Mimbres Valley excavated by the Texas A&M University summer archaeological field school from 1978 to 1989 and now housed at the Western New Mexico University (WNMU) Museum.

The program takes place at WNMU in Silver City, New Mexico. Housing and meals are provided for all participants, but the internship is unpaid. Archaeology Southwest and Western New Mexico University

This summer program trains four participants to work with archaeological museum collections, including cataloging with PastPerfect software, ceramic analysis, digitization, document and photograph handling, and other tasks.

01/23/2026

I don't know of many who have a desire to switch to a more northerly latitude, but I thought this was an interesting read for a nyone looking for work.
https://phys.org/news/2026-01-canada-professional-archaeologists-economic-consequences.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawPg5hxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeNvjWsI7U_8oWlq5qqJyYw5vejL0AQA_noKpXfmgUZ2ZOzj24BNeLxjqd61I_aem_oNsj7Jh7WfBQbzmEoxcvIA

Canadian cultural resource management archaeologists—professional consultants involved in environmental assessment and compliance processes—are increasingly finding themselves in the public eye when their work intersects with the development or disaster response related infrastructure projects.

10/20/2025

I wanted to thank Sebastian Ribas and his staff at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology for hosting a wonderful Jornada Mogollon Conference this past weekend. The program was well run, with an enlightening array of topics.
I am looking forward to the museum's proposed special exhibit of Mimbres Mogollon next year.

10/20/2025

10/20/2025

A wonderful opportunity at the Silver City Library

10/10/2025

Remember, The Grant County Archaeology Society will be Joining the Mimbres Culture Heritage Site in celebration of National Archaeology Day. We will be providing demonstrations and displays of artifacts within our collections as well as discussing progress on our joint project, the "Back To The Earth Garden" on the grounds.
Spend the day and stay for the History of Georgetown, the Mining Ghost Town, by David Mercer, at 6:00 PM.

10/10/2025

Our next member's meeting is this coming Wednesday, October 15, 2025.at 2045 Memory Lane in Silver City, New Mexico. This is an IN PERSON ONLY meeting which will begin at 6:30 following light snacks beginning at 6:00, provided by Kathryn McCarrol (no potluck dinner) and the usual brief business meeting.

Unfortunately our scheduled speaker had to cancel, ans to substitute we will be showing two videos by Dr. Edwin Barnhart, Founder and Director of the Maya Exploration Center. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin and has over 20 years of experience in North, Central, and South America as an archaeologist, explorer and teacher. The first will be “An introduction on the civilizations of the Southwest” and then another on “The Mogollon culture”.

Don't forget to bring nominations for Board of Directors and Officers spots that are opening up at the end of the year.

09/14/2025

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – New Mexico has launched a free Archaeology Field Training Program to provide state residents with skills to work on archeological projects.
https://www.krqe.com/news/new-mexico/new-mexico-launches-free-archaeology-field-training-program-for-residents/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_KRQE_News_13&fbclid=IwY2xjawM0LCFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHhSz5q2nYTYKi1V4u_DCXIIOda8PLxyzDmIwgf7_TO1ivZ6bYu2zbpU_a9V3_aem_rd1_VZ1x92SKnTTFQoXRZg

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – New Mexico has launched a free Archaeology Field Training Program to provide state residents with skills to work on archeological projects. The primary goal, according…

09/03/2025

On Wednesday, September 17, 2025: The next meeting of GCAS, we will gather at theRound Up Lodge in the Mimbres Valley for an in-person only program and potluck. Doors open at 6:00PM for socializing and enjoying your best potluck dishes - (BYO plates and utensils). At about 6:30PM we will have a brief business meeting, immediately followed by our Featured Speaker: Ann Hedlund, discussing her book, "MAC SCHWEITZER A SOUTHWEST MAVERICK AND HER ART". She draws from the artist’s letters, photo albums, and published reviews to tell the story of Mac’s creative and adventuresome life. Her watercolors, oil paintings, prints, and sculp- tures—a diverse body of work never before seen in public—range from naturalistic studies of Sonoran Desert animals to impressionistic land- scapes to moody abstractions. A sharp observer of Indigenous life, she sketched and painted scenes of Navajo (Diné), Hopi, O’odham, and Yaqui people and events. These unique portrayals of the Southwest illustrate this saga of a maverick artist rediscovered.
ANN LANE HEDLUND is a cultural anthropologist who collaborates with Indigenous weavers and other visual artists. She is author of
"NAVAJO WEAVING IN THE LATE TWENTIETH CENTURY" and "GLORIA F. ROSS & MODERN TAPESTRY" as well.

08/14/2025

Once again our next meeting will be via ZOOM. On Wednesday, August 20, 2025, 6:00PM: the GCAS welcomes archaeologist Mary F. Ownby PhD, recently returned from Egypt, who will discuss Science and Pottery: a Match Made in Clay. Dr. Ownby offers a comparison between Mimbres and Egyptian pottery techniques to illustrate the importance of scientific methods and their application across cultures and time.

The use of scientific techniques in Archaeology has a long history, particularly in regards to pottery. This talk presents an overview of science and pottery, and how critical evidence is acquired through various instruments. Two case studies will illustrate the process, one from pottery sourced to the Mimbres Valley, and the other pottery made along the Nile River in Egypt. The vast differences in how pottery was made and used in both areas shows the importance of scientific methods and their application across cultures and time.

Dr. Ownby is an Associate Researcher at the University of Arizona and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of New Mexico. She currently runs her own archaeological analytical services company, Ownby Analytical, LLC. Dr. Ownby received her PhD in Archaeology from the University of Cambridge (U.K.) in 2010 with a research focus on scientific analysis of ceramics. She completed a MSc in Technology and Analysis of Archaeological Materials from University College London and a MA in Near Eastern Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. She has a BA in Anthropology from the University of Arizona.

Hop online about 5:45 to socialize and get settled.
A short meeting will begin at 6:00, followed by Mary's presentation, question and answers.
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Topic: Science and Pottery: A Match Made in Clay by Dr. Mary F. Ownby
Time: Aug 20, 2025 06:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)
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