T H E
A R C H A E O L O G I C A L
C O N S E R V A N C Y
Enduring Earthworks When: September 23–26, 2000 Where: Missouri and Illinois How much: $695 ($130 single supplement) Join us on our exploration of the phenomenal earthworks of Cahokia and the central Mississippi and Illinois River Valleys. Inhabited around A.D. 700 to1400, Cahokia was the premier Mississippian town and the center of the most sophisticated prehistoric Indian civilization north of Mexico. This ancient city, located across the Mississippi River from what is now St. Louis, covered nearly six square miles and was home to thousands of people. Monks Mound, the great platform mound in Cahokia’s central ceremonial precinct, is the largest prehistoric earthen construction in the New World. In addition to Cahokia, you’ll visit Mastodon State Historic site, which has provided the only evidence of humans hunting the Ice Age elephant, and Dickson Mounds, a Mississippian mound and village center that f lourished 800 years ago and today boasts a state-of-the-art interactive museum. Midwest archaeological experts will join you on this fascinating trip.
Exploring the Land of the Anasazi BEST OF THE SOUTHWEST When: September 30–October 10, 2000 Where: New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado How much: $1,995 ($370 single supplement) The American Southwest, long recognized for its spectacular cultural and scenic diversity, is also home to some of the best-preserved evidence of prehistoric civilizations in the New World. The magnificent ruins of Chaco Canyon and the massive cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde are but two
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MARK MICHEL
CAHOKIA AND THE MIDDLE MISSISSIPPIAN CULTURE
Cliff Palace is one of the most spectacular of the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park.
vivid reminders of the complex cultures that dominated the region between the 10th and 14th centuries. The Archaeological Conservancy’s Best of the Southwest tour includes these two settlements and much more—from other prehistoric sites to modern pueblos where ancient traditions persist. In New Mexico, you’ll visit remarkable sites such as the cliff dwellings at Bandelier National Monument, the “Sky City” of Acoma, a pueblo flourishing atop a high mesa just as it did 600 years ago, and San Ildefonso Pueblo, famous for its pottery. In Arizona, you’ll take a jeep tour through Canyon de Chelly National Monument and visit Montezuma Valley’s seldom-seen prehistoric pueblos. Expert archaeologists will accompany you on this memorable 10-day excursion.
summer • 2000
