Field Trip: Arroyo Hondo Revisited

An aerial photo of the Arroyo Hondo Pueblo excavation.

Cost per person:
$200 (Includes a $25 non-refundable tax-deductible donation to SAR)

Field trip limited to 25 participants. Priority is given to members at the Galisteo level and higher.

The year 2020 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the Arroyo Hondo Project. Directed by Douglas W. Schwartz, the Arroyo Hondo Project was one of the major multidisciplinary projects initiated by American archaeologists in the early 1970s. Based on Dr. Ann M. Palkovich’s recent reanalysis, she offers a new perspective on this 14th century Ancestral Puebloan village. Drawing on a relational ontological approach, she explores how aspects of life were materialized at this village and the ways tipping points emerged that shaped the lives of Arroyo Hondo’s villagers.

Join SAR in an exploration of this fascinating site. Our day will begin in SAR’s Dobkin Boardroom with a presentation on Dr. Palkovich’s new book, Bodies, Ontology and Bioarchaeology: Articulating 14th Century Life at Arroyo Hondo Pueblo. We’ll then enjoy lunch on the patio at SAR before heading over to Arroyo Hondo Pueblo preserve, where we’ll spend a couple of hours with Dr. Jason Shapiro, walking around the site and learning about its history and mysteries. SAR will provide shuttle services to and from the Arroyo Hondo site.

For more information on the Arroyo Hondo project, visit: https://www.arroyohondo.org/

Dr. Jason S. Shapiro

Dr. Jason S. Shapiro practiced law in Pennsylvania for 15 years before attending the Pennsylvania State University where he earned a Ph.D. in Anthropology. His dissertation research focused on the arrangement of built space at Arroyo Hondo Pueblo, a 14th-15th century pueblo located near Santa Fe, NM, and resulted in the publication of his first book, A Space Syntax Analysis of Arroyo Hondo Pueblo, New Mexico: Community Formation in the Northern Rio Grande (SAR Press 2005). His second book, Before Santa Fe: The Archaeology of the City Different (Museum of New Mexico Press 2008) is the first comprehensive synthesis of the archaeology of the Santa Fe region. Additional academic degrees include an MSPH in Environmental Management from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a BA in Geography from Clark University, Worcester, MA.

From 2000-2013, Dr. Shapiro taught a variety of Anthropology, Archaeology, and History classes at Santa Fe Community College. He has also taught classes at The Pennsylvania State University, The University of Maryland, The College of Santa Fe, New Mexico Highlands University, and The Renesan Institute for Lifelong Learning. For several years he was a member and Chair, of the Archaeological Review Committee for the City of Santa Fe. Dr. Shapiro is married to Christine Miracle and they live in Santa Fe where Dr. Shapiro writes and lectures on matters involving local archaeology and history.

Dr. Ann M. Palkovich at the Arroyo Hondo site

Dr. Ann M. Palkovich is the Krasnow Professor of Anthropology Emerita and was affiliated with the Krasnow Instituted for Advanced Study and the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at George Mason University.  Her research at Arroyo Hondo Pueblo in the 1970s focused on the demographic dynamics and health issues at this a 14th century pueblo located near Santa Fe, New Mexico.  This work resulted in the publication of her first book, Pueblo Population and Society: The Arroyo Hondo Skeletal and Mortuary Remains (SAR Press).  Her current book, Bodies, Ontology and Bioarchaeology: Articulating 14th Century Life at Arroyo Hondo Pueblo provides a new perspective on the lives of people who built this village.

Dr. Palkovich taught at The University of Maryland and the University of Nairobi, and was a Fellow at the Smithsonian Institution. She has also conducted research at the National Museums of Kenya, the British Museum, and researched historic American cemetery practices. She has served as a consultant for the National Park Service, the Smithsonian’s photo archives office, Regional Medical Examiner’s Offices in Virginia, State Historical Preservation Offices as well as state, county and local archaeological programs. Dr. Palkovich lives in Camas, Washington with her husband Gregory Shaw.

Activity Level: Moderate: Participants must be in good health and able to hike off-trail, over uneven ground with no shade. Sun hats, hiking boots, long pants, and walking sticks are encouraged.

Includes: Study leader and presenter, gratuities, transportation, water and snacks, and breakfast and lunch at SAR.