UNM Department of Anthropology Homecoming Alumni Event

Celebrating 90 Years of Anthropology at the University of New Mexico

The UNM-Chaco Canyon Legacy: Anthropology Alumni Experiences

Please join us in celebrating 90 years of Anthropology at the University of New Mexico on Saturday, September 29 at 11 am in Anthropology Lecture Hall 163.  Anthropology Alumni will discuss their experiences working in Chaco Canyon.  The panel discussion will be followed by a reception on the front lawn.  We will also have a slide show of alumni working in Chaco for your enjoyment.  Please RSVP to Jennifer George at jgeorge2@unm.edu.

The Department of Anthropology has partnered with the National Park Service to conduct archaeological, anthropological and scientific research at Chaco Culture National Historical Park since 1929.  Generations of UNM students worked and lived in Chaco Canyon and many have completed advanced degrees examining the culture and history of one of the most remarkable periods of cultural florescence in North America.  In recognition of the special place that Chaco Canyon has for understanding the human experience, and UNM’s long history of Chaco scholarship, the Department of Anthropology is pleased to host a panel discussion by UNM Chaco alumni on the current state of Chaco research, followed by questions and answers from the public. The Panel Moderator will be Dr. Wendy Bustard, Ph.D. 1993, Curator of Archaeology for the Chaco Collections, National Park Service.

Participants:

Dr. Joan Mathien, Ph.D. 1981.  Joan is a retired National Park Service archaeologist and expert on turquoise production and exchange at Chaco.

Dr. Robert Hitchcock, Ph.D.  1982.  Bob is Emeritus Professor of Anthropology and former Chair at Michigan State University.  He worked on the ground-breaking remote sensing experiments at Chaco in the 1970s.

Dr.  Lynne Sebastian, Ph.D. 1988.  Lynne is a former State Archaeologist for New Mexico and a Past President of the Society for American Archaeology.   She is an expert on the evolution of Chaco society.

Dr. Steve Lekson, Ph.D. 1988.  Steve is Emeritus Curator of Archaeology and Professor of Anthropology at the University of Colorado.  His extensive contributions to Chaco scholarship include seminal publications on Chaco architecture and political systems.

Dr. Hannah Victoria Mattson, Ph.D. 2015.  Hannah is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of New Mexico.  Her research has explored the production and social significance of ornaments in the greater Chaco world.

Dr. Edward Jolie, Ph.D. 2018.  Ed is an expert on basketry and perishable technologies and their role in establishing Chaco social identities.    He teaches at Mercyhurst College and is of mixed-blood Olglala Lakota (Sioux) and Hodulgee Muscogee (Creek) descent.

Jennie Sturm,   Ph.D. Candidate.  Jennie’s dissertation research involves the application of remote sensing technologies at Chaco Canyon in order to better understand land use and agricultural field systems.