Early European settlers and traders were obliged to follow American Indian paths upon their arrival and subsequently for years afterward. Over time many American Indian routes evolved to became bridle paths, wagon roads, paved roads, and even highways, some of which survive today, at least in part, along their original courses. Archaeologists use archeological reconnaissance and field work in an attempt to reconstruct them. Indigenous trails help archaeologists study former sites of occupation, religious sites, burial sites, battle sites, monuments, and memorials.
Despite their unmistakable significance in regional histories and unique roles in cultural transmission and traditions, Indigenous trail systems are frequently ignored in non-Indigenous heritage resource management regimes. These regulatory regimes often require that heritage have discrete spatial and temporal boundaries Read More …
Shell was traded into the United States Southwest from various areas, one of which was coastal Southern California. Abalone shell, or Haliotis, is solely sourced from the Pacific coast and provides irrefutable evidence of this trade. This exchange likely involved Read More …
Aaron M. Wright, Preservation Archaeologist (November 12, 2020)—One aspect of ancient life in the Southwest that doesn’t get its fair share of attention is that people really got around. Movement was a regular part of life. Such is the case Read More …