Departmental News

Posted:  May 10, 2021 - 03:00pm

UNM Graduate students Caitlin Ainsworth, Jana Valesca Meyer, and William Marquardt have been awarded 2021 Archaeological Society of New Mexico Scholarships for their research. 

The roots of the Archaeological Society of New Mexico (ASNM) begin in the late 1800s, when a number of individuals, most of whom were not trained in archaeology or anthropology, recognized the need to preserve New Mexico’s historic and prehistoric heritage. Over the years, their efforts have resulted in avocational archaeologists working with professionals to discuss topics of interest, to search for sites, to record their locations, to participate in excavation, analysis, and report writing, and undefined most importantly undefined to preserve these important cultural resources.

The Archaeological Society of New Mexico began informally when several individuals started meeting with Edgar L. Hewett in 1898. Some were already members of the New Mexico Historical Society, founded by L. Bradford Prince in 1883. Even before New Mexico became a state, there was a nucleus of leaders who in 1900 established the Santa Fe Archaeological Society. Shortly thereafter, recognizing that their interests extended beyond the local level, they began thinking of themselves as a statewide organization and in 1909 legally changed the name to the Archaeological Society of New Mexico.