Mike Ruggeri's Ancient Southwest Magazine

The history, culture, religions, iconography, art, archaeology and sites of the Hohokam, Mogollon, Mimbres, Sinagua, Salado, Anasazi/Puebloan, Chacoan, Gallina, Fremont Cultures and the Chaco Meridian and the Puebloan Collapse.

By Michael Ruggeri

Food may have been scarce in Chaco Canyon
colorado.edu
Chaco Canyon, a site that was once central to the lives of precolonial peoples called Anasazi, may not have been able to produce enough food to …
July 18
Body Modification
Researchers discover oldest tattoo tool in western North America
phys.org - Washington State University
Washington State University archaeologists have discovered the oldest tattooing artifact in western North America. With a handle of skunkbush and a …
March 13
Early Native Americans Imported Exotic Parrots, DNA Reveals
National Geographic - Michael Greshko
The discovery suggests that scarlet macaws were being bred for trade centuries earlier than previously thought. For more than two millennia, indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica have traded macaws and included
Aug 14, 2018
Conservatism took hold here 1,000 years ago. Until the people fled.
The Washington Post - By Annalee Newitz
During the eighth century, a new kind of civilization arose in New Mexico’s Chaco Canyon. It started a social movement that swept across what is now the U.S. Southwest, transforming people’s beliefs about
Jun 20, 2018
Datan en 2000 años de antigüedad, cabeza momificada de guacamaya hallada en cueva Avendaños, Chihuahua
inah.gob.mx - Sergio
El colorido plumaje de las guacamayas fue motivo de que esta ave ocupara un lugar relevante en el imaginario colectivo de las comunidades …
Feb 13, 2018
Archaeologist says fire, not corn, key to prehistoric survival in arid Southwest | EurekAlert! Science News
eurekalert.org
Conventional wisdom holds that prehistoric villagers planted corn, and lots of it, to survive the dry and hostile conditions of the American …
Dec 5, 2017
Chaco Canyon’s ancient civilization continues to puzzle
sciencenews.org - Bruce Bower
Chaco Canyon is a land of extremes. Summer heat scorches the desert canyon, which is sandwiched between sandstone cliffs nearly two kilometers above …
May 23, 2017
Prehistoric Native Americans farmed macaws in 'feather factories'
nature.com
Birds were spiritual emblems in pueblos of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.
Apr 12, 2017
Chaco’s Elites Were Natives of Chaco Canyon, Not Migrants, Their Remains Show
westerndigs.org - Blake de Pastino
More than a century after the great sandstone monuments of New Mexico’s Chaco Canyon were first studied, archaeologists are finally learning about …
Feb 23, 2017
New Evidence Reveals Violent Final Days at Arizona’s Montezuma Castle
westerndigs.org - Blake de Pastino
It’s one of Arizona’s most famous landmarks: a pair of 900-year-old limestone cliff dwellings whose sudden abandonment centuries ago has proven to be …
Dec 13, 2016
Fertility
Earliest Known Clay Figurines in the Southwest May Be Fertility Symbols, Study Says
westerndigs.org - Blake de Pastino
Curious clay figurines that have been found in southern Arizona appear to be fertility symbols used by desert farmers as much as 3,000 years ago, …
Dec 6, 2016
Turkeys were a major part of ancestral Pueblo life
phys.org - Eric Sorensen
While the popular notion of the American Thanksgiving is less than 400 years old, the turkey has been part of American lives for more than 2,000 …
Nov 25, 2016
Parrots
Mummified Bird, Baby Found in Cave Shed Light on Earliest Desert Farmers
westerndigs.org - Blake de Pastino
Archaeologists called to investigate a cave on a rancher’s property have discovered an unusual burial that’s providing new insights into the ways of …
Oct 28, 2016
Salt's secret success in ancient Chaco Canyon
phys.org - Melanie Schefft
A team of University of Cincinnati researchers had to go deep to uncover brand new knowledge that they say will "shake up" the archaeological field …
Oct 11, 2016
Dating the Macaws
wordpress.com - teofilo
Macaw Feathers and Copper Bell on Display at Chaco Visitor Center MuseumOne of the most exciting recent developments in the study of Chaco Canyon is …
Aug 27, 2016
The Utah Chocolate Story
utah.edu
Cacao pods growing on the plant, Theobroma cacao. Eco Chocolate Museum, Yucatán Peninsula. Photo: Enrique Pérez Huerta Chocolate, a product of the …
Aug 22, 2016
Ice Age Hunting Camp, Replete With Bird Bones and Tobacco, Found in Utah Desert
westerndigs.org - Blake de Pastino
In the dead-flat desert of northwestern Utah, archaeologists have uncovered a scene from a distant, and more verdant, time.Just a few centimeters …
Jul 26, 2016
900-Year-Old Village Recorded in Volcanic Badlands of New Mexico
westerndigs.org - Blake de Pastino
In the black-rock badlands of northwestern New Mexico, archaeologists have documented a 900-year-old village with unique ties to the Ancestral …
May 16, 2016
First Evidence of Corn Beer in Southwest Discovered on Teeth From Ancient Burials
westerndigs.org - Blake de Pastino
The last meals of men and women buried centuries ago in the ancient city of Casas Grandes were dominated by corn, new research has found — from …
Mar 10, 2016
Ancient Grave of Teenage Girl May Reveal Secrets of Southwest’s Earliest Farmers
westerndigs.org - Blake de Pastino
Archaeologists working in the borderlands of northern Mexico have uncovered a camp used by ancient hunters as much as 10,500 years ago, revealing …
Feb 27, 2016
Nearly 20 Stone-Tool Sites, Dating Back Up To 12,000 Years, Discovered In Nevada
westerndigs.org - Blake de Pastino
Along lakes and streams that have long since disappeared, archaeologists working in southern Nevada have found nearly 20 sites used by ancient …
Feb 1, 2016
2,500-year-old footprints of Native American family unearthed
dailymail.co.uk - Richard Gray
It likely started as a simple stroll through their crops, but the footprints left in the mud by a family of farmers 2,500 years ago are now providing …
Jan 30, 2016
Archaeology
The early 'gastronomes' of Tucson
tucson.com - Tom Beal Arizona Daily Star
When Tucson was selected as the first U.S. Creative City of gastronomy by UNESCO last week, its long history of cultivated crops was cited as part of …
Dec 22, 2015
Nearly 9,000 Artifacts Uncovered in California Desert, Spanning 11,500 Years of History
westerndigs.org - Blake de Pastino
Archaeologists exploring the remote reaches of a military training base in southern California have uncovered nearly 9,000 artifacts that represent …
Nov 3, 2015
Cocoa, Caffeinated ‘Black Drink’ Were Widespread in Pre-Contact Southwest, Study Finds
westerndigs.org - Blake de Pastino
Stimulating drinks made from exotic plants, like the cocoa tree and a type of southern holly, were consumed much more widely across the prehistoric …
Sep 8, 2015
'Winged Monster' Rock Art Finally Deciphered
Live Science - Laura Geggel
The mystery surrounding the ancient rock paintings of Utah's Black Dragon Canyon has finally been solved. For decades, researchers and creationists …
Aug 19, 2015
Hundreds of Dice, Game Pieces Found in Utah Cave Shed Light on Prehistoric Gambling
westerndigs.org - Blake de Pastino
A cave on the shore of Utah’s Great Salt Lake is giving archaeologists a rare glimpse into a seldom-studied aspect of life in the ancient West — …
May 18, 2015
Mesoamerican ‘Fool’s Gold’ Mirrors Found in Arizona Reveal Ties to Ancient Mexico
westerndigs.org - Blake de Pastino
Archaeologists exploring the ties between ancient cultures in the Southwestern U.S. and central Mexico have turned their attention to some unusual …
Jan 13, 2015
Tuzigoot National Monument
desertusa.com - DesertUSA.com
Archeologists regard the Verde Valley as an aboriginal melting pot where at least four prehistoric cultures intermingled. Tuzigoot -- Apache for …
Jan 2, 2015