Center for Desert Archaeology

Mission

The mission of the the Center for Desert Archaeology, a private nonprofit organization based in Tucson, Arizona, is to preserve the places of our shared past. Through innovative programs combining rigorous scientific research, public outreach and involvement, and a strong commitment to archaeological preservation, the Center is increasing understanding of over 11,000 years of human heritage in the Desert Southwest. Erosion, human activities, even archaeological work itself, are all taking a toll on important artifacts, sites, buildings, and entire ancient landscapes. To counter this destruction, the Center applies the principles of preservation archaeology in its work throughout the Southwest.

Programs

The Center's programs focus on one or more aspects of preservation archaeology -- research, stewardship and preservation efforts, and public outreach and education. Current research programs focus on the 1)the late prehistoric period along San Pedro River Valley in southern Arizona, 2) the coalescence of populations into large clustered communities in the Southwest between A.D. 1200 and 1700, 3) the arrival of agriculture to the American Southwest and Mexican Northwest, 4) a consideration of Zuni origins, and 5) the Chacoan period in northwestern New Mexico. Preservation programs include 1) the Snaketown Artistic Heritage Project to document this important collection of prehistoric artifacts, 2) various endeavors to map and photograph important threatened sites, 3)an archaeological conservation easement program, and 4) site purchases. In our public involvement programs, we work with volunteers and interns, partner with museums to create exhibits on Southwestern archaeology, and are heavily focused on using the Internet and the latest computer technology as interpretive tools. Through the Center's Preservation Fellowship program, promising archaeology Ph.D. students further the Center's goals while pursuing a preservation archaeology research project. Finally, the Center publishes an award-winning quarterly magazine, Archaeology Southwest, which is distributed to over 1200 Center members and professional colleagues. The Center's Archaeology Library publishes books on archaeology for a general audience, while its Anthropological Papers are the Center's primary scientific publication series.