Living
It was interesting camping with about 14 other people for five weeks, especially when the closest bathroom is a 5 minute walk away and it’s a really long hike to the shower, which we all shared. We see each other 24/ 7, so I’m very attached to my little two person tent. We usually got the weekends off of working and went on field trips, which I also really enjoyed.
Chimayo
Our first field trip was to Chimayo, where we were going to watch pilgrims enter in the city and have mass, however we arrived too late and only watched a portion of the mass. They have the spiciest chilies there. I could barley eat the Frito pie. We also went into the church, where there is bottomless pit of holy dirt. They have a whole room dedicated to the miracles that have occurred because of the dirt. There are crutches hanging off of the walls and pictures of people every where throughout the room. Outside there were also beautiful arts and craft tables.
Ojo Caliente
The following weekend we drove to Ojo Caliente and learned how to make pottery using micaceous clay. Some stayed there in the evening to participate in a sweat lodge. I heard it was an intense experience. I would have liked to stay, but I already felt dehydrated. We worked on our pots at the fort for several hours every few days. Spending so much time working on that one pot made me really appreciate people who make pottery for a living, and realize how much time and work it takes to make ceramics. I was extremely nervous the entire day when we fired the pots. All the popping from the pots in the fire sounded horrific. I saw mine crack a little, but I’m glad it didn’t spall like some of the others. Luckily, everyone’s pot made it through.
San Juan Pueblo
We went to the San Juan Pueblo while they were having a feast day. We saw several dances in the pueblo, including corn dances and a buffalo dance. I thought it was interesting how it was the same day as a Catholic holy day. In the churches and other homes of people we’ve visited I can see how these two traditions have merged with each other, not completely wiping the other out.
Chaco Canyon
Last weekend we went to Coronado and Chaco Canyon. It was our only overnight field trip. The first day we went to Coronado (just north of Albuquerque) and saw a pueblo where people no longer live. Archaeologists uncovered layers and layers of artwork in the kivas there in the 1930’s, which we were privileged to look at. I was disappointed, though, to find out that the archaeologists rebuilt the pueblo using Spanish adobe bricks. The first night we stayed in a beautiful campsite. Although it was really sandy it was only a few minute walk to the Rio Grande. We watched some fireworks, which lasted for about an hour. It was a new experience for me to sleep with several other people in an eight person tent. Both nights we camped the view was amazing, but the bright, full moon blocked the view of the stars.
The next day we saw an active pueblo on top of a mesa at Sky City. It was scary being that close to the edge of a cliff, but the view was amazing. The tour guide would even talk about people throwing each other off the face of the cliff and having the children, who could walk up and down the rock staircase, bring water up to the city.
The second night we camped at Chaco Canyon. I was happy because I got a little bit more sleep than the first night, but I was not happy when the stupid crows were howling at 6:30 am for around 15 minutes. When I walked out of the tent and already wide awake they had already flown away. That morning several people decided to go on a 5 mile hike. I knew I couldn’t make it, especially since it was so late in the morning and the high was supposed to be around 99 degrees. I stayed in the canyon with a few other people and our teacher. We walked around to the nearby ruins, saw several petroglyphs and axe markings in-between them, and learned about all the different types of architecture. It was amazing seeing all the different styles of pueblos and the wide range of them during this entire weekend.
I really enjoyed the trip, but I wasn’t really fond of all the driving. When we came back I was a little sick. I don’t know if it’s because of being car sick or having altitude sickness again. The altitude sickness, if it was that, was worse then it was when I first arrived in Taos at the beginning of June.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Field School
Community Based Archaeology
I really enjoyed working with the community where we were doing our research. We helped re-mud and clean the inside of the St. Francisco de Assisi Church, and were invited to participate in a precession with pilgrims, who were passing by on their annual journey to Chimayo. They come from all corners of New Mexico and gather in Chimayo for a mass, walking about 100 miles. Other people from the community and others came by during the weeks we excavated. They gave us a different perspective in looking at what artifacts we were finding, what these artifacts were used for, and where buildings used to be, helping us to understand what happened in the past.
Rock Art
Exploring the nearby rock art was exciting for the first few days, but when we began to record all of them I got pretty tired of staring at the same rock for hours at a time, measuring out the petroglyphs, looking around for nearby plants and objects (the view shed), taking numerous compass readings, and writing all of it out. It was difficult jumping over boulders, dodging cacti and at the same time looking for rock art. Bugs were constantly flying inside my mouth and up my nose, so it wasn’t my favorite part of the summer. However, the view in the Rio Grande Gorge was amazing. I was really amazed that there was still visible rock art from around 2,000 years ago.
Survey
Survey was one of my favorite parts in the field. I found some tepee rings near some rock art, but we surveyed another time in the gorge. I got assigned the creek bed. There was nothing except old, rusted metal cans that people had been using as target practice. I thought it was interesting that people were practicing on metal cans which were only a few feet from some of the rock art. There are places nearby where people have chipped the rock art out of the basalt, and I’m glad they didn’t destroy these.
Research in the Archives and Indexing
For two days one of the TA’s and I traveled down to Santa Fe to go to the SHPO office and the Lab of Anthropology on Museum Hill. We looked up information on Turley’s Mill (on old Moonshine Mill that we would have worked at, but we ran out of time), and the Ranchos Plaza. We stopped by the Lab of Anthropology, where the ARMS office is, and looked to see if they had any other information on Turley’s Mill. Since they didn’t, we copied the information we had and gave it to them to store in their office. After coping everything at SHPO we’ve been working on organizing all the information in an index that can be kept here in Taos, so people working on projects in this area will have access to all this research.
Excavation
I loved excavating in and around a house, especially since I like doing historical archaeology. We dug several units near old trash pits and privies, and inside the dining room. I mostly worked outside, and I was so excited when we bought shades for the outside units, because for a few weeks there was absolutely no shade, unless you worked inside. I only spent one day working inside, and all I found was layers and layers of old adobe floors. It was a pain to get through. We had to almost always use a pick axe. I really enjoyed working outside. It doesn’t seem as cramped space wise. I and one guy had worked on one unit for about a week, but when I came back from the archives, everyone was switching partners. I really wish we could have kept digging there, because we knew the history behind the unit. I and another guy took the TA’s old unit. We dug several 10 cm levels within a day. When someone else took over my old unit they uncovered an old ditch, and/or possible pipe tunnel, and/or acequia. I wasn’t too happy about that, but we found the metal end of an old hoe in our unit around the same time. For the first few levels all we found we only found bits of glass, metal nails, and rocks, but the deeper we got the more ceramic sherds we found, many of them indigenous. I found a plastic doll foot, which the woman who owned the house remembered losing when she was a little kid. I love the feeling of seeing something that no one had seen in 30 + years.
Washing/Cleaning/Organizing Artifacts
I spent a few days in the lab washing, cleaning, and organizing artifacts, which I’ve been doing all of this during this past semester in my Zooarchaeology class, so it wasn’t anything too new to me. It was nice, though, to take a break from being baked by the hot sun for hours every day.
Future Archaeologist
This field school helped me to think about what kind of archaeology I wanted to do in the future and helped me realize that I really want to do this kind of work for the rest of my life, even if it doesn’t pay very much at all. I decided I really want to work in historical archaeology, and some how use my German major by working in an old German immigrant community here in the Americas. Now all I have to do is find a good school to go to….
I really enjoyed working with the community where we were doing our research. We helped re-mud and clean the inside of the St. Francisco de Assisi Church, and were invited to participate in a precession with pilgrims, who were passing by on their annual journey to Chimayo. They come from all corners of New Mexico and gather in Chimayo for a mass, walking about 100 miles. Other people from the community and others came by during the weeks we excavated. They gave us a different perspective in looking at what artifacts we were finding, what these artifacts were used for, and where buildings used to be, helping us to understand what happened in the past.
Rock Art
Exploring the nearby rock art was exciting for the first few days, but when we began to record all of them I got pretty tired of staring at the same rock for hours at a time, measuring out the petroglyphs, looking around for nearby plants and objects (the view shed), taking numerous compass readings, and writing all of it out. It was difficult jumping over boulders, dodging cacti and at the same time looking for rock art. Bugs were constantly flying inside my mouth and up my nose, so it wasn’t my favorite part of the summer. However, the view in the Rio Grande Gorge was amazing. I was really amazed that there was still visible rock art from around 2,000 years ago.
Survey
Survey was one of my favorite parts in the field. I found some tepee rings near some rock art, but we surveyed another time in the gorge. I got assigned the creek bed. There was nothing except old, rusted metal cans that people had been using as target practice. I thought it was interesting that people were practicing on metal cans which were only a few feet from some of the rock art. There are places nearby where people have chipped the rock art out of the basalt, and I’m glad they didn’t destroy these.
Research in the Archives and Indexing
For two days one of the TA’s and I traveled down to Santa Fe to go to the SHPO office and the Lab of Anthropology on Museum Hill. We looked up information on Turley’s Mill (on old Moonshine Mill that we would have worked at, but we ran out of time), and the Ranchos Plaza. We stopped by the Lab of Anthropology, where the ARMS office is, and looked to see if they had any other information on Turley’s Mill. Since they didn’t, we copied the information we had and gave it to them to store in their office. After coping everything at SHPO we’ve been working on organizing all the information in an index that can be kept here in Taos, so people working on projects in this area will have access to all this research.
Excavation
I loved excavating in and around a house, especially since I like doing historical archaeology. We dug several units near old trash pits and privies, and inside the dining room. I mostly worked outside, and I was so excited when we bought shades for the outside units, because for a few weeks there was absolutely no shade, unless you worked inside. I only spent one day working inside, and all I found was layers and layers of old adobe floors. It was a pain to get through. We had to almost always use a pick axe. I really enjoyed working outside. It doesn’t seem as cramped space wise. I and one guy had worked on one unit for about a week, but when I came back from the archives, everyone was switching partners. I really wish we could have kept digging there, because we knew the history behind the unit. I and another guy took the TA’s old unit. We dug several 10 cm levels within a day. When someone else took over my old unit they uncovered an old ditch, and/or possible pipe tunnel, and/or acequia. I wasn’t too happy about that, but we found the metal end of an old hoe in our unit around the same time. For the first few levels all we found we only found bits of glass, metal nails, and rocks, but the deeper we got the more ceramic sherds we found, many of them indigenous. I found a plastic doll foot, which the woman who owned the house remembered losing when she was a little kid. I love the feeling of seeing something that no one had seen in 30 + years.
Washing/Cleaning/Organizing Artifacts
I spent a few days in the lab washing, cleaning, and organizing artifacts, which I’ve been doing all of this during this past semester in my Zooarchaeology class, so it wasn’t anything too new to me. It was nice, though, to take a break from being baked by the hot sun for hours every day.
Future Archaeologist
This field school helped me to think about what kind of archaeology I wanted to do in the future and helped me realize that I really want to do this kind of work for the rest of my life, even if it doesn’t pay very much at all. I decided I really want to work in historical archaeology, and some how use my German major by working in an old German immigrant community here in the Americas. Now all I have to do is find a good school to go to….
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