point acquisition CONSERVANCY OBTAINS PINE ISLAND CANAL

acquisition

Conservancy Obtains Pine Island Canal

A UNIQUE EXAMPLE OF PRE-COLUMBIAN ENGINEERING IN FLORIDA IS PROTECTED.

Canals served as highways for the Calusa and their neighbors, connecting communities and providing protected pathways for trade, tribute, and information.

Over the last decade, there has been a growing interest among archaeologists in the study of ancient technology and engineering. While the habitation areas, middens, and items of material culture remain important subjects for study, many researchers have determined that a site cannot be fully understood without examining the infrastructure that supported it.

The Pine Island Canal is a case in point. The canal is one of the most remarkable extant examples of Pre-Columbian ingenuity. Constructed by the Calusa Indians of Florida perhaps as early as 2,000 years ago, the 2.5-mile canal crossed the north end of Pine Island in Lee County, facilitating travel between the Calusa’s Gulf Coast towns and those to the east in Florida’s interior. The waterway, ranging from 18 to 23 feet wide, was large enough to accommodate most Calusa canoes.

“The Pine Island Canal was not a simple or casually-dug ditch,” said George Luer of the University of Florida. “Careful planning went into its placement on the landscape and intensive effort went into its construction and maintenance.”

The Calusa had to deal with matters of topography, tides, ground water, and varying types of soils. For example, if the canal had been filled by tides, the effects of erosion and siltation would have made it extremely difficult to maintain. The canal was engineered to keep the water level stable and at a depth of about 3.5 feet throughout its length. This was challenging, given that Pine Island’s peak elevation is 13 feet above sea level. Tides, evaporation,

The Calusa made the canal deep enough and wide enough to accommodate most of their canoes.

elevation, and the flow from the underground water table affected the water level. The canal was dug down to hardpan clay, which didn’t absorb much water. This clay is found at varying depths. In some places, the Calusa dug through the hardpan to reach the water table, and thereby filled the canal with fresh water.

To control water flow, Luer believes that the Calusa likely used a series of eight stepped impoundments, which presumably functioned like locks, and a series of auxiliary channels to divert excess flow. During the dry months of winter, the water ta-

POINTAcquisitions

acquisition

bles would drop and the canal would go dry for a period, which allowed for maintenance and repair.

This past spring, the Conservancy acquired its first portion of the Pine Island Canal. A booming real estate market in south Florida threatens the remains of the canal with destruction by development. Research on the canal coupled with ongoing investigations at a number of the surrounding Calusa sites, such as Pineland and Useppa Island, will help us to better understand the enigmatic seafaring Calusa people. The Pine Island Canal project is a partnership of the Conservancy and the Calusa Land Trust and Nature Preserve of Pine Island. —Alan Gruber

Martin White Potato Lake

Lorenzen

Cambria Sumnerville

Leonard Rockshelter Indian Village on Pawnee Fork

Mound Spring Squaw Point Pueblo Parchman Place McClellan Ingomar Mounds O’Dell Mounds Hunting Creek

Pruitt Ranch

A.C. Saunders Mott Mound Wilsford

Graveline Mound Waters Pond

Jaketown Pine ★

Island

The Protect Our Irreplaceable National Treasures (POINT) Program was designed to save significant sites that are in immediate danger of destruction.

Fort Foster

CONSER V ANC Y

FieldNotes

The Cambria Preserve Expands

WEST—Another parcel has been added to the Cambria Archaeological Preserve on California’s Pacific Coast. The Conservancy, along with its local partner, Greenspace, The Cambria Land Trust, purchased the new parcel last December. The first parcel was purchased in 2000 using POINT funds. An acute water shortage in Cambria is making coastal property extremely difficult to develop, and thus affordable for conservation groups.

The Cambria site dates to about 6000 B.C. and was inhabited by Chumash and Southern Salinan people who engaged in an annual cycle of fishing, hunting, and harvesting wild plants. Because the site was used for 8,000 years, it contains a very long record of climate change, technological development, and shifts in cultural development.

The site was first tested by archaeologists in 1978. It contains stone and bone tools, projectile points, stone and shell pendants, and other ornaments. It is one of the oldest and best preserved prehistoric villages remaining on California’s coast. Most of the others have been destroyed by development and coastal erosion.

Donation Doubles Size of Reservoir Ruin

SOUTHWEST—The donation of four acres by Don and Linda O’Brien last December doubled the size of the Conservancy’s preserve at Reservoir Ruin in southwestern Colorado.

Originally established in 2000, Reservoir Ruin is a masonry pueblo that was occupied around A.D. 1050. It is likely that the pueblo residents migrated north from Chaco Canyon in northwestern New Mexico and built Reservoir Ruin, as the masonry construction and structures are similar in style and form to those found in Chaco. Reservoir Ruin is one of a number of large Chaco-style pueblos that can be found in the central Mesa Verde region.

Two important structures are located on the preserve, as well as extensive refuse associated with the original occupations. Other features located on U.S. Forest Service land that is adjacent to the preserve include a great house and a great kiva, as well as nu-

merous other small structures. The Conservancy and the Forest Service jointly manage the preserve.

Research Continues at Albert Porter Pueblo

SOUTHWEST—Researchers with Crow Canyon Archaeological Center are continuing an excavation at Albert Porter Pueblo, a large village site in the Mesa Verde region of southwestern Colorado. The project includes test excavations of pit structures, trash middens, and the exterior of roomblock faces. Albert Porter Pueblo was established as a preserve in 1988 when the Porter family donated the 12-acre site to the Conservancy.

The pueblo may have been occupied as early as the Basketmaker III period (A.D.500–750). The most intensive occupation of the site dates from the Pueblo II (A.D. 900–1150) and Pueblo III (A.D. 1150–1300) periods, during which time the site appears to have served as a center for the Woods Canyon community, a large village site located about a mile away and excavated by Crow Canyon in the mid-1990s. Community centers in the Mesa Verde region are recognized by the presence of a distinctive, multi-storied public building known as a great house, which was surrounded by smaller residential buildings. Great houses are often viewed as local expressions of Chaco Canyon’s influence during the late 11th and early 12th centuries.

Crow Canyon hopes to refine Albert Porter Pueblo’s chronology and reconstruct the site’s occupational history in hopes of determining what role it played. The researchers are also trying to measure the extent of Chaco’s influence and ascertain if a change in community organization occurred between the Chaco (A.D. 1050–1150) and postChaco (A.D. 1150–1300) periods. This transition was marked by the area’s most severe drought and is the least-understood time period in Pueblo prehistory.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL TOURS INVITES YOU TOTAKE YOUR GRANDCHILDRENTO PERU

Join us on our archaeological study tour specially designed for grandparents and grandchildren.

While travelling to Peru’s major monuments and museums with our special scholar, grandparents will be sharing the irreplaceable experience of discovery with their grandchildren. August 7–18, 2003 led by Professor Daniel H. Sandweiss, University of Maine

This unique tour begins in Lima and includes a three-day visit to Cuzco, two days at legendary Machu Picchu, a flight over the Nazca lines, and a fascinating marine bird reserve on the Ballestas Islands. Additional highlights include fossil hunting in Cerro Blanco, visits to ancient stone fortresses, colonial churches and colorful markets. We have also planned special events with English-speaking Peruvian children, a dancing horse show, and a folkloric music program.

Reviews

Aztecs

Edited by Eduardo Matos Moctezuma and Felipe Solis Olguin (Royal Academy of Arts/Abrams,2003; 520 pgs.,illus.,$85 cloth; http:// abramsbooks.com)

Prepared to accompany one of the greatest exhibitions of Aztec culture ever assembled at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, Aztecs documents in glorious color one of the world’s most impressive civilizations.But it’s much more than a beautiful catalog. Leading experts on the Aztec civilization contribute nine articles that cover everything from the origins of this once nomadic people to their literature and philosophy. They explore their religious beliefs, rulers,war culture, and everyday life.The catalog was produced by scholars from 66 institutions in Mexico,the United States,and Europe. The heart of the book,however, is the more than 500 superb color photographs of 359 statues,ceramics,codices, and other items that make up the exhibit.Aztec architecture that survived the conquest is buried under modern Mexico City,so this is the core of the surviving material culture.While this volume draws heavily from the two great museums in Mexico City, seldom-seen masterpieces from around the world are also included. Take, for example,the splendid shield depicting a monster made of feathers and sheet-gold on agave paper, leather, and reeds.It is one of the treasures of Aztec art: a gift from Cortés that now resides in Vienna. Several Aztec illustrated manuscripts are included in this volume,like the Codex Mendoza, which was prepared shortly after the conquest by an Aztec scribe who did the pictorial text that was annotated with Spanish explanations.It is an encyclopedia of Aztec history and culture that is permanently housed at Oxford University.

Aztecs is a magnificent book that historians,archaeology buffs,and students of Mesoamerican art should not miss. Talking Birds, Plumed Serpents, and Painted Women: The Ceramics of Casas Grandes

Edited by Joanne Stuhr (University of Arizona Press,2002; 90 pgs.,illus.,$35 paper; www.uapress.arizona.edu)

Casas Grandes (or Paquimé) is a stunning adobe site in the Chihuahuan Desert of northern Mexico that flourished from about A.D. 1200 to1450, reaching its zenith after the fall of Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde. Because of its remote location, only the most dedicated of tourists make it to this magnificent ruin. In this volume, the Tucson Museum of Art has assembled a stunning collection of Casas Grandes’s exquisite and unusual pottery.

The pottery is perhaps the most dramatic of the ancient Southwest, with its abstract naturalistic designs of macaws, snakes, and birds. Humans are portrayed in a variety of poses that challenge modern art historians to produce a viable interpretation. All of this is imbedded within complex geometric designs that tickle the fancy and seem more modern than ancient. Joanne Stuhr, curator of the Tucson Museum of Art, Christine and Todd Van Pool of the University of New Mexico, Eduardo Gamboa Carrera of the Instituto National de Arte y Historia, and John Ware of the Amerind Foundation provide interpretive essays on the art, archaeology, and culture of Casas Grandes. Charles Di Peso pioneered the study of Casas Grandes with extensive excavations between 1958 and 1961 that produced a great deal of information and some grand theories. In recent years, Mexican and American archaeologists have rediscovered the lure of the Chihuahuan borderland, producing much needed information about this region.

This volume is an important contribution as well as a feast for the eyes. Luckily, the tradition did not die with the demise of Casas Grandes. Some 550 years later, local villagers have resurrected the pottery tradition of ancient times and now produce exquisite pieces for sale throughout the United States and Mexico. More than 300 potters now shape ceramics that frequently surpass those of the ancients and bring income to the impoverished region.

Before California: An Archaeologist Looks at Our Earliest Inhabitants

By Brian Fagan (AltaMira Press,2003; 399 pgs.,illus.,$25 cloth; www.altamirapress.com)

Famed archaeologist Brian Fagan has produced a captivating and readable account of the first 12,000 years of California history. A professor of anthropology at the University of California at Santa Barbara, Fagan isn’t a California scholar, but when the Society for California Archaeology drafted him to put the hundreds of scientific source materials into a readable narrative, he rose to the occasion.

With its long coastline and varied topography, you would expect a lot of variety in the early cultures of the Golden State. Northwest salmon fishers, Bay Area shell mound communities, Central Valley wetland villagers, desert foragers, and the sophisticated coastal societies of the Channel Islands were a few of the diverse groups that made the state their home. Dramatic rock art is a critical part of California prehistory, and Fagan gives it the full treatment it deserves. From Chumash cave paintings to Coso Mountains petroglyphs, rock art is essential to the spiritual world of California natives.

Before California is a book for the general reader as well as the enthusiast. Fagan shows how archaeologists work to pry information from bone, shell, and stone fragments. Oral histories from historic California Indians also play an integral role. Using boxes set in the text, Fagan explains techniques and details without interrupting the narrative. Ample maps and illustrations make the story more understandable. Students of California history will find Before California a welcome addition to the story of the Golden State.

Etowah: The Political History of a Chiefdom Capital

By Adam King (University of Alabama Press,2003; 216 pgs.,illus., $30 paper, $55 cloth; www.uapress.ua.edu)

A hundred years of excavations have produced a wealth of artifacts from Etowah, one of the largest and most important mound centers in the Southeast. Marble statues, copper embossed plates, and other exotic items testify to the importance of Etowah to the trade network. The size of the mounds reflects its political power. Archaeologist Adam King pulls all this information together in this well-illustrated volume. Preserved as a Georgia State Park northwest of Atlanta, it is a fascinating place to visit.—Mark Michel

Reviews

Archaeology the Comic

By Johannes H.N.Loubser (AltaMira Press,2003; 184 pgs.,$25 paper, $69 cloth; www.altamirapress.com)

Follow young Squizee as she discovers the inner workings of archaeology after her family’s farm is looted.She learns from professional archaeologists how to survey, excavate,analyze, interpret,and preserve archaeological sites. This book-length comic presents the complexities of modern archaeology and is sure to get the attention of the beginning student.It should become a powerful teaching tool for budding young archaeologists.

Celebrating Ceramics

MASTER POTTERS OF THE SOUTHERN DESERTS

When: October 3–13, 2003 Where: Southern Arizona, southern New Mexico, and northern Mexico How much: $1,995 ($350 single supplement)

Join us for a magical journey through time studying some of the world’s most beautiful pottery crafted by people from the Hohokam, Mimbres, and Casas Grandes regions, and replicated by modern masters. The trip includes Hohokam ruins and pottery from the Phoenix and Tucson areas, Spanish missions and presidios, and a behind-the-scenes look at the Arizona State Museum. You’ll also see New Mexico’s Gila Cliff Dwellings, extensive collections of Mimbres pottery, northern Mexico’s Casas Grandes, and the potters of Mata Ortiz. Archaeological experts will join us throughout the trip.

This stunning example of Casas Grandes–style pottery came from the village of Mata Ortiz in northern Mexico.

Tracing the Footprints of a Nation

COLONIAL CHESAPEAKE TOUR

When: October 12–19, 2003 Where: Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland How much: $1,895 ($350 single supplement)

From early European settlements to later colonial capitals, the Chesapeake Bay region has played an important role in the founding and development of our nation. Join the Conservancy for a week exploring the area’s rich and diverse historic culture. Our exciting journey will take us from the historic shipping city of Alexandria, Virginia, where tobacco merchants once dominated the shores of the Potomac River, to the home of the

Father of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson. Along the way we’ll visit the first capital of Maryland, St. Mary’s City, explore the bay-front town of Annapolis, stop in at Mount Vernon, explore Jamestown, and experience the colonial flavor of Williamsburg. Local scholars will share their expertise and explain how archaeology assisted them in interpreting the region’s past.

Visitors explore the extensive ruins at Monte Alb´ an, a city built by the Zapotec and Mixtec.

The Wonders of Oaxaca

OAXACA

When: October 30–November 8, 2003 Where: Oaxaca, Mexico How much: $1,995 ($250 single supplement)

Join us in Oaxaca, Mexico, during one of the most unusual festivals anywhere—the Day of the Dead. On this day, people prepare home altars and cemeteries to welcome the dead, who are believed to return to enjoy the food and drink they indulged in while alive. The Day of the Dead is one of celebration.

You’ll have opportunities to explore Oaxaca’s museums and markets. Our tour also explores the Mixtecan and Zapotecan archaeological sites in the region, including Mitla, Monte Albán, San José Mogote, and Dainzú. You’ll also visit several villages featuring weaving, pottery, carved animals, and other local art. An expert in the region’s archaeology will accompany us.

The California Desert Rock Art tour showcases some of the country’s most remarkable rock art. Art Set in Stone

CALIFORNIA DESERT ROCK ART

When: November 2–9, 2003 Where: Southern Nevada and Southern California How much: $1,695 ($295 single supplement)

The Conservancy’s week-long tour focuses on the extraordinary rock art found throughout the Mojave Desert. Created hundreds of years ago during sacred ceremonies, initiations, and shaman rituals, these rock art sites present an array of unforgettable images from diverse cultures.

Beginning in Las Vegas, Nevada, you’ll visit the Atlatl Rock Petroglyphs. Continuing to Southern California we will explore the Blythe itaglios, found along the banks of the Colorado River, and the petroglyphs at Corn Spring, a sacred site in the Chuckwalla Mountains. In the northern Mojave Desert, you’ll see rock art ranging from 200 to 4,000 years old. David Whitely, one of the foremost experts on prehistoric rock art and the author of A Guide to Rock Art Sites of Southern California and Southern Nevada, will accompany the tour.

THE ART OF EARLIEST TIMES Jean Clottes

Stunning photographs of rock art from the oldest-known cave site in the world —one of the most important archaeological finds of the twentieth century. This large format book is the first publication to do justice to the extraordinary art of Chauvet Cave.

176 color photographs,30 maps Cloth $45.00

The University of Utah Press (800) 773-6672 www.upress.utah.edu

BOOKS

Coyote Press

P.O. Box 3377 Salinas, CA 93912

Specializing in Archaeology, Rock Art, Prehistory, Ethnography, Linguistics, Native American Studies and anything closely related. We stock thousands of new books and reprints, used and rare books, and the back issues of many journals. Browse or shop online at our newly redesigned e-commerce website:

WWW.COYOTEPRESS.COM E-mail: coyote@coyotepress.com

Patrons of Preservation

The Archaeological Conservancy would like to thank the following individuals, foundations, and corporations for their generous support during the period of February 2003 through April 2003. Their generosity, along with the generosity of the Conservancy’s other members, makes our work possible.

Life Member Gifts Foundation/Corporate Gifts of $1,000 or more of $5,000–$29,999

Anonymous Betty Banks, Washington Robin Marion, New Jersey Mr.& Mrs.Melvin V. Simpson, New York Michael R.Waller, Oklahoma

Anasazi Circle Gifts of $2,000 or more

Carol M.Baker, Texas Mrs. W. O. Darby, California Robert A.Robinson, California Mr.& Mrs.Ian Silversides, North Carolina Mr.& Mrs.Hervey S. Stockman, New Mexico

Foundation/Corporate Gifts of $1,000–$4,999

Greenlee Family Foundation, Colorado The Phase Foundation, Maryland

TO MAKE A DONATION OR BECOME A MEMBER CONTACT: The Archaeological Conservancy

The Roy A.Hunt Foundation, Pennsylvania (in memory of Earl Gadbery)

Bequests

Bertha I.Stamper, Arizona

New Living Spirit Circle Members

Olive L.Bavins, California Richard Dexter, Wisconsin Mr.and Mrs.Arthur J. Faul, Arizona Veronica Frost, Ohio Deborah Leitner Jones, Maryland James A.Neely, Texas Jan and Judith Novak, New Mexico Margaret P. Partee, Tennessee Caryl Richardson, New Mexico Dee Ann Story, Texas Ann M.Swartwout, Michigan Mr.and Mrs.Ronald L. Taylor, Virginia Robert Zimmerman, Nevada

5301 Central Avenue NE • Suite 902 Albuquerque,NM 87108 (505) 266-1540 www.americanarchaeology.org

Making a Lasting Legacy

Established in 2002,the Living Spirit Circle has become an essential component of the Conservancy’s continued success in identifying and preserving America’s most endangered archaeological resources. Formed to recognize those members who have provided for the Conservancy in their estate plans or through charitable gift annuities,the Living Spirit Circle is made up of more than 50 dedicated and generous individuals. Membership in the Living Spirit Circle is an easy and very meaningful way to support the Conservancy’s work now and in the future.Planned giving allows you to specify how your assets will be distributed after your lifetime. According to Veronica Frost of Ohio,“The better we can understand the past,the more we can understand of ourselves and possibly make a difference in the now.” Veronica,who has been a member of the Conservancy since 1990,joined the Living Spirit Circle in 2003.Providing for the Conservancy in her estate plans was important because “archaeological sites give me an appreciation for the strength of human spirit and respect for the human being’s adaptability to nature.” The continued support of members like Veronica will ensure the preservation of the past for the benefit of the future.By joining the Conservancy’s Living Spirit Circle today, you can ensure our nation’s cultural heritage for years to come. —Kerry Elder

Parkin Archeological State Park

parkin, arkansas

Began as a Conservancy Preserve in 1985

Yes, I’m interested in making a planned-giving donation to The Archaeological Conservancy and saving money on my taxes. Please send more information on:

❏ Gifts of stock ❏ Bequests ❏ Charitable gift annuities

Name: Street Address: City:

SPENCER TIERNY Make your mark in time. Some Conservancy members think the only way to help save archaeological sites is through membership dues. While dues are a constant lifeline, there are many ways you can support the Conservancy’s work, both today and well into the future. And by supporting the Conservancy, you not only safeguard our past for your children and grandchildren, you also may save some money.

Place stock in the Conservancy. Evaluate your investments. Some members choose to make a difference by donating stock. Such gifts offer a charitable deduction for the full value instead of paying capital gains tax.

Give a charitable gift annuity. Depending on your circumstances, you may be able to make a gift of cash and securities today that lets you receive extensive tax benefits as well as an income for as long as you live.

leave a lasting legacy. Many people consider protecting our cultural heritage by remembering the Conservancy in their will. While providing us with a dependable source of income, bequests may qualify you for an estate tax deduction.

Whatever kind of gift you give, you can be sure we’ll use it to preserve places like Parkin Archeological State Park and our other 225 sites across the United States.

Mail information requests to:

The Archaeological Conservancy Attn: Planned Giving 5301 Central Avenue NE Suite 402 Albuquerque,NM 87108-1517

Or call:

(505) 266-1540