April 3, 7:00 PM
Missouri History Museum Lecture, Co-sponsored by the Mound City
Chapter of the Missouri Archaeological Society.
"Recent Archaeological Investigations at the East St. Louis Mound
Center"
Tamira Brennan, a reseasrch archaeologist at the Illinois State
Archaeological Survey, focuses on the ongoing archaeological work
conducted at a site in East St. Louis, Illinois. Efforts there have
resulted in the finding of more than 3,500 prehistoric features dating
from 900-1200 A.D.
AT&T Foundation Multipurpose Room
Missouri History Museum
Lindell and DeBaliviere in Forest Park,
St. Louis, Missouri
http://www.***.com/

April 3, 7:00 PM
Illinois Valley Archaeology Society Lecture
"Big Things in Small Packages: The Archaeology of Small Sites"
Dr. Michael Conner, Curator of Anthropology at the Illinois State
Museum
While large, spectacular sites like{*filter*}son Mounds and Cahokia can
teach us a great deal about the past, small sites also have much to
offer. They have produced glimpses into everyday life and evidence of
unexpected relationships between regions. This talk will discuss
several such small excavations, including a family farmstead that was
inhabited for perhaps 10-20 years in the lower Illinois Valley about
A.D. 1250.
{*filter*}son Mounds Auditorium
Lewistown, Illinois
http://www.***.com/

April 3, 7:00 PM
Oregon Archaeological Society April Lecture
Early-Holocene Pre-Mazama Components in the North Umpqua River
Drainage
Dr. Brian ONeill
ONeill is an archaeologist with the University of Oregon Museum of
Natural and Cultural History.  He has done archaeological field work
throughout the Pacific Northwest, but the focus of his work has been
the interior valleys of the Willamette, Umpqua, and Rogue River
drainages.  He is particularly interested in documenting the early
Holocene (pre-Mazama) in the western Cascades.  Research interests
include complex hunter-gatherer-fisher societies, obsidian studies,
residue analysis, and the use of GIS in Cultural Resource Management
and predictive modeling.
Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) Auditorium
Portland, Oregon
www.oregonarchaeological.org

April 3, 6:00 PM
Center for Desert Archaeology Lecture
"Prehistory, Personality, and Place: Emil W. Haury and the Mogollon
Controversy"
Jeff Reid, University of Arizona
Casa Vicente,
375 S. Stone Avenue,
Tucson, Arizona
http://www.***.com/

April 3, 7:00 PM
The Hisatsinom Chapter of the Colorado Archaeological Society April
Lecture
"Basketmaker III in the Southern Chuska Valley, Northwest New Mexico"
Tim Kearns
In his presentation, Tim will highlight the Basketmaker III
settlement, architecture, subsistence and material culture of the
southern Chuska Valley area with a focus on the population movement
and settlement dynamics of the period AD 500 to AD 725.  His remarks
will address questions that complement the current Basketmaker III
research project being conducted by the Crow Canyon Archaeological
Center. Much of the material for this presentation is drawn from his
experience in directing survey and excavation for a natural gas
pipeline project in the San Juan Basin of New Mexico and as general
editor of the investigation report.  The project excavated forty-one
archaeological sites dating from the Archaic and later periods.  As a
result of this project, Tim has maintained his research interest in
the southern Chuska Valley area.
Tim Kearns is a professional archaeologist currently associated with
Woods Canyon Archaeological Consultants.
Cortez Cultural Center,
25 North Market Street,
Cortez, Colorado
http://www.***.com/

Wednesday, April 4, 1:30 PM
Bowers Museum Lecture
The South American Mother Cultures (Olmec - Inca)
Join Cynthia MacMullan, Senior Curator Emerita, Museum of Latin
American Art, for this engaging and fascinating lecture on the oldest
cultures of Latin America.
Part I begins with the two most powerful mother cultures of the
Chavin in Peruand the Olmec in Mexico(500 B.C.). These 2 cultures
spawned a legacy of subsequent imperial Mesoamerican civilizations
Teotihuacan(150 BCAD 750), Maya (250 BCAD 1020), Toltec (900-1200),
Mixtec (1200-1350) and Aztec (13501521); and the Andean empires of
the Nasca (250 BCAD 750), Moche (100-500 AD), Tiwanaku  (3001000 AD)
and Inca (14001533).  The deities and religious practices of these
cultures are emphasized through an exploration of their most
spectacular works of art and architecture.
Individual tickets: M $12/ N-M $15
Bowers Museum
2002 N. Main St.
Santa Ana, California
http://www.***.com/

Wednesday, April 4, 2012, 6:30 PM
"Polynesian Contacts with the New World"
Sponsored by Archaeological Institute of America
Terry Jones
The possibility that Polynesian voyagers reached the shores of the New
World before Columbus has been considered by scientists and non-
scientists alike for nearly two centuries.  In North America where the
case for contact has focused on sewn-plank boats and bone and shell
fishhooks (which show strong similarities with Polynesian
technologies), the possibility was discussed regularly between the
1910s and the 1950s.  In South America the case for contact was
considered as far back as the early 1800s based on fishhook styles,
sewn-plank boats and chickens on the coast of Chile, and the sweet
potato and associated liguistic referents in the north.  By the late
1970s, the possibility of contact especially in the northern
hemisphere had disappeared almost entirely from mainstream scholarly
discourse due to shifting theoretical priorities.  Benefitting from
enhanced perspectives on Polynesian voyaging capabilities that emerged
in the 1990s. a number of scholars have rediscovered the long-dormant
case for Polynesian contact and a flood of sophisticated new research
has been completed on the issue in the last five years.  In this talk
I'll review the evidence for Polynesian contact with the Americas in
the northern and southern hemispheres and ponder the question of why
American (and some Pacific) scholars continue to dismiss the
possibility of such contacts even though the passages involved were
well within the capabilities of Polynesian seafarers.
Museum of Arts and Culture
2316 West 1st Avenue
Spokane, Washington
http://www.***.com/

April 5, 7:00 PM
Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center Lecture
"Ancient Human use of Aquatic Environments along the Northern Coast of
the Gulf of Mexico"
Jonathan Baker, Assistant Professor of Archaeology, Department of
Sociology and Archaeology, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
This presentation will examine how ancient human societies (200 B.C.
A.D. 1000) adapted to the coastal environments found along the
northern reaches of the Gulf of Mexico. The talk is based largely upon
the authors Ph.D. dissertation in which he examined over 60,000
animal bones from two sites near Mobile Bay, Alabama. These bones
represent the refuse of many past meals and help us reconstruct the
diets of the areas ancient inhabitants. Analysis of the remains shows
us that the areas occupants were well accustomed to exploiting a wide
range of environments. Rather than specializing on a few select
species, the animal remains reflect a generalized adaptation strategy
that involved the use of many different harvest techniques.
Additionally, the presentation will examine how archaeologists use
animal remains to determine the seasons in which a site was occupied.
Data from these coastal sites show a more limited occupation in the
fall and winter months, which may be tied to the dispersal of many
fish species during the cool season. Call MVAC at 608-785-8454 or e-
mail Jean for more information.
Port O'Call, Cartwright Center,
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
http://www.***.com/ #

April 5, 6:45 PM
Pre-Columbian Society of Washington DC April Lecture
"Political Economy on the Post-Classic Western Maya Frontier"
Elizabeth Paris
At the dawn of the Postclassic period, networks of inter-regional
interaction and exchange expanded throughout Mesoamerica, allowing
many communities to take advantage of opportunities for wealth and
prestige, facilitating the rise of new centers of power. Excavations
at Moxviquil and Huitepec, two small hilltop sites in the Jovel
Valley, suggest that their durability in the face of the instability
and collapse experienced by their lowland counterparts was in part due
to highly diversified local economies and relatively autonomous
participation in long-distance trade networks. A bottom-up perspective
highlights the complex relationships between household producers and
the broader economic networks in which they participate, and
challenges the assumptions of traditional core-periphery models.
Elizabeth Paris is a  PhD candidate at University of Albany, SUNY, and
a Junior Fellow in Pre-Columbian Studies at Dumbarton Oaks.
Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives,
1201 17th Street  NW.
Washington DC
http://www.***.com/

Thursday, April 5, 2012, 6:00 PM
Sponsored by Archaeological Institute of America
"How did the Maya feed the Multitudes?"
Payson Sheets
Beginning in the 1840s, and extending for over a century, scholars
believed that the ancient Maya lived in dispersed households, with low
regional population densities.  Thus they could easily have fed
themselves with shifting (swidden) agriculture focusing on maize,
beans, and squash.  The prominence of maize in art and in creation
beliefs (e.g. Popol Vuh) reinforced this view.  However, settlement
surveys during the past six decades have found exceptionally dense
housemounds, interpreted as very dense populations, in the hundreds of
people per square kilometer.  Archaeologists have discovered some
large-scale agricultural features that must have increased
productivity, such as terraces and wetland reclamation raised fields.
Microscopic remains of cultigens have been found, but what has eluded
scholars are the details of cultivation.  We wish to know what was
cultivated, where, how, and with what productivity per unit area.
The exceptional preservation of the ancient Ceren village and its
environs provides us an unusually clear window into past agriculture.
That is because the eruption of Loma Caldera volcano, at about AD 600,
buried the landscape under many meters of volcanic ash.  We recently
discovered intensive agricultural fields some 150 meters south of the
village where manioc, a root crop, was grown.  Land use lines radiated
from the village that divided individual farmers plots. Manioc was
not just an occasional kitchen garden plant, but it was a staple at
Ceren, and perhaps at other Maya settlements.  The tubers are high in
carbohydrates, and the leaves are high in protein.  Manioc may have
helped feed the Maya multitudes.
118 University of Cincinnati Law School
Cincinnati, Ohio
http://www.***.com/

April 5, 7:30 PM
AIA Lecture
"Closer than We Know: Comparing the Rock Art of Australia and Western
North America"
David Lee
Both Australia and the New World were originally colonized by people
who brought with them rich spiritual and symbolic systems. These
people successfully adapted to major environmental changes, and these
adaptations may be reflected in the paintings and engravings they left
on cliff faces and on shelter walls. Despite being a world apart,
there are a surprising number of parallels in the production,
evolution, and context of rock art on the two continents. Viewing rock
art with a global perspective highlights both the similarities and the
differences of people surviving under similar circumstances. This
lecture will investigate the rock art of both continents, focusing on
environmental and cultural context, ethnography, and current research
trends.
Whitman College
Walla Walla, Washington
http://www.***.com/

April 10, 6:00 PM
Agua Fria Chapter (Glendale), Arizona Archaeological Society Lecture
"Unlocking the Mysteries of the Pierpoint Site (near Gila Bend)"
Glendale Public Library Auditorium
59th Avenue and Brown
Glendale, Arizona
http://www.***.com/ #Meetings

Tuesday, April 10, 7:00 PM
Taos Archaeological Society Lecture
"Glimpses of Xibalba: The Archaeology of Maya Ritually Used Caves in
Belize and Guatemala"
This lecture will cover Classic and Modern Maya ritual use of caves,
geology and environment, and the archaeology of caves in central
Belize and Alta Verapaz and Peten, Guatemala.
Amalia Kenward
Amalia Kenward recieved her B.A. in archaeology from Boston
University, where she focused on Maya Cave Archaeology in Belize and
subsequently worked in Guatemala mapping caves with the Vanderbilt
Upper Pasin Archaeological Cave Survey. She has a Masters in
anthropology from University of New Mexico as well as her Graduate
Certification in Historic Preservation and Regionalism from University
of New Mexico's Architecture and Planning Department. She has worked
as an archaeologist throughout the southwest for over four{*filter*} years
and has also worked in Mesoamerica and the South Pacific.
Kit Carson Electric
118 Cruz Alta Rd.,
Taos, New Mexico
http://www.***.com/

April 10, 7:00 PM
AIA St. Louis Lecture
"Recent Experiments with Mante?o-Huancavilca Sailing Replicas:
Possible Maritime Innovations Employed by the Chiefdoms of Coastal
Ecuador"
John F. Hazlett
The Missouri History Museum Auditorium
5700 Lindell Blvd. at DeBaliviere,
Forest Park
St. Louis, Missouri
http://www.***.com/

Wednesday, April 11, 2012, 6:30 PM
Sponsored by Archaeological Institute of America
"Sacred Spaces and Human Sacrifice: The Nasca Lines in their Cultural
and Religious Context"
Christina Conlee
The Nasca Lines of southern Peru have long been an enigma for
archaeologists and lay people alike. Many theories have been proposed
about what they were used for and why they were constructed. In the
last 20 years archaeologists have learned much more about the ancient
Nasca people and we are now able to understand the lines as an
important part of their religion. These were sacred places where
ceremonies were performed and offerings were made to ensure fertility
and the continuation of society.
Columbia University (to be confirmed)
New York, New York
http://www.***.com/

April 11,1:30 PM
Bowers Museum Lecture
"Sacred Gold Burial Sites: Panama, Colombia and Peru"
Part II explores the gold tradition related to the Central Region of
Panama and Colombia and Peru. The lecture focuses on the ancient royal
tomb excavations of the Calima and MuiscaRegions of Colombia, the
Sipan, Moche civilization in Peru and Sitio Conte in Panama. Some of
the most significant gold works have been discovered in recent 20th
century excavations of these particular burial sites. The objects
found in these tombs tell us about the extraordinarily magnificent use
of gold and its meaning in the ceremonial attire and customs of their
chieftains, priests and warriors.  The series concludes with a review
of the most significant gold works represented in the Museo de Oros
collection on view in the current exhibition.
Individual tickets: M $12/ N-M $15
Bowers Museum
2002 N. Main St.
Santa Ana, California
http://www.***.com/

April 11, 8:00 PM
Institute of Maya Studies Explorer Session Lecture
Getting to Know: Maya Vaults
with Joaquin J. Rodriguez III, PE, SECB
Our IMS Director of Research has released a new study of ancient Maya
vault analysis. In the investigation, the mass stability and internal
stresses of Maya vaults were calculated and compared. Time and
location distribution data was also incorporated in the research.
Previous objectives to learn about the actual stability of the so
called false arch vs. true arching behavior are clarified.
Joaqun J. Rodrguez III is a Professional Registered Engineer in
Florida and other states with degrees in physical sciences from the
University of Florida and Stetson University. For the past 20 years he
has worked with the IMS in investigating Maya building construction
practices and technology.
The Institute of Maya Studies meets at the Miami Science Museum,
3280 South Miami Avenue, across from Vizcaya;
Miami, Florida
Maya Hotline: 305-279-8110.
Subscribe to the full-color e-mailed version of our monthly IMS
Explorer newsletter at:
www.instituteofmayastudies.org

April 12, 7:00 PM
The Department of the History of Art, Johns Hopkins University
Distinguished Lecture
"The Murals of San Bartolo; The Mythic Origins of Maya Gods and Kings"
Karl Taube
The murals of San Bartolo, Guatemala constitute one of the richest
visual sources of information about ancient Maya creation mythology.
Recognized for their exceptional beauty, the paintings are also among
the earliest known, dating to the first century B.C. Discovered in
2001 within a buried chamber, the murals predate the Classic Maya
sites of Tikal, Copn and Palenque by hundreds of years, and form an
important link between the religious beliefs and practices of the
still earlier Olmec and the later Classic Maya. In his distinguished
lecture, Professor Taube discusses the discovery and excavation of the
mural paintings and their symbolic significance, elaborating upon such
themes as the creation of humankind, the world directions, and the
mythic origins of Maya kingship. In addition, the talk outlines some
of the most recent findings at San Bartolo, including still finer
murals from another structure, and the earliest writing and mural
painting known for the ancient Maya.
Karl Taube is Professor of Anthropology at the University of
California, Riverside. He currently serves as Project Iconographer for
the San Bartolo Project, Petn, Guatemala. Taube has conducted
extensive archaeological and linguistic fieldwork in Yucatan, and has
participated on archaeological projects in Chiapas, Mexico, coastal
Ecuador, highland Peru, Copn, Honduras, and in the Motagua Valley of
Guatemala. His current research centers upon the writing and religious
systems of Mesoamerica.
Gilman 50
Marjorie Fisher Auditorium
John Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland
Contact; Prof. Lisa Deleonardis

410-516-5528
http://www.***.com/

April 12, 7:30 PM
AIA Lecture
"Sacred Spaces and Human Sacrifice: The Nasca Lines in their Cultural
and Religious Context"
Christina Conlee
The Nasca Lines of southern Peru have long been an enigma for
archaeologists and lay people alike. Many theories have been proposed
about what they were used for and why they were constructed. In the
last 20 years archaeologists have learned much more about the ancient
Nasca people and we are now able to understand the lines as an
important part of their religion. These were sacred places where
ceremonies were performed and offerings were made to ensure fertility
and the continuation of society.
MAG M&T Bank Ballroom, Cutler Union,
Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester
500 University Avenue
Rochester, New York
http://www.***.com/

April 12, 7:00 PM
San Juan Basin Archaeological Society Lecture
"McLean Basin and Squaw Point: Archaeology North of Hovenweep -- on
the Stateline."
Jerry Fetterman
His information comes from the results of archaeological surveys in
the McLean Basin and Squaw Point Area of the Canyons of the Ancients
National Monument conducted over the past several years for the BLM by
Woods Canyon Archaeological Consultants, Inc. and others. Located
within 7,362 acres of the project area are 687 sites from Archaic to
Historic in age. The vast majority of these date to the period AD 900
to 1300. Highlights include pottery kilns, rock art, towers and
agricultural terraces. The surveys also document an historic use
associated with uranium mining and the best evidence of early Ute
occupation of the area documented to date.
Center for Southwest Studies Lyceum,
Fort Lewis College
Durango, Colorado
http://www.***.com/

April 14, 2:00 PM
"The Children of the Plumed Serpent: Art and Ritual in Mexico's Late
Antiquity"
John Pohl
The culture hero Quetzalcoatl, the Plumed Serpent, epitomizes a
Mexican sense of national identity that is deeply rooted in the heroic
qualities of its ancient art. Dr. John Pohl, co-curator of the
exhibition Children of the Plumed Serpent: The Legacy of Quetzalcoatl
in Ancient Mexico, presents his latest research on the Nahua, Mixtec,
and Zapotec civilizations of southern Mexicothe Children of the
Plumed Serpent, as they called themselvesand shows that while the
fall of the Aztecs in 1521 heralded the end of that civilization, it
signaled the rise of another whose legacy continued throughout the
colonial period and persists to the present day.
Bing Theater
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
http://www.***.com/

April 15, 2:00 PM
El Paso Archaeological Society Program
"The Ozette Site: The Pompeii of the West"
David T. Kirkpatrick
The Ozette Site has been called the Pompeii of the West because of the
excellent preservation of baskets, mats, boxes, fishing and whaling
tools, and the architectural features of six long houses buried under
a clay-based landslide that occurred ca. AD 1700. The site, located on
Cape Alava, Olympic Peninsula, Washington, was occupied for over 2000
years by the Makah, a northwest coast tribe who lived off the
resources of the ocean and forests, including whale hunting, a very
prestigious occupation. This PowerPoint presentation will discuss
aspects of the historic Makah culture and the material culture
recovered from the excavations by archaeologists from Washington State
University.
Dr. David T. Kirkpatrick is an Associate Director of Research and
Public Education with Human Systems Research. He has conducted
research throughout New Mexico since 1977.
http://www.***.com/

Sunday, April 15, 2:00 PM
"Kuaua: A Prehistoric Pueblo on the Rio Grande [at Coronado State
Monument]"
Joann Mazzio
Sandoval County Historical Society
DeLavy House, 161 Edmond Road,
Bernalillo, New Mexico
http://www.***.com/ ~friendsofcsm/Activities.htm

April 15, 2:30 PM
Denver Art Museum Lecture; Alianza De Las Artes Americanas
"The Dumbarton Oaks Tunic: A Satorial Statement of Inca Imperial
Power"
The Dumbarton Oaks Tunic is one of the most well-known but poorly
understood Inca objects in the world. Although it has given rise to
many theories, some more plausible than others, a close examination of
the garment indicates it was likely a sartorial statement of Inca
imperial power phrased through scaled relationships.
Art Historian, Andrew Hamilton - Harvard University
C-Level Auditorium, North Bldg.,
Denver Art Museum
Denver, Colorado
http://www.***.com/

April 16, 7:30 PM
Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society Lecture
Power, Distance, and Mesoamerican-US Southwestern Interaction
Ben Nelson
Trade goods found at impressive distances from their sources in
todays American Southwest and Mexico have inspired archaeologists to
think of imperial reach, commercial exploitation, mercantilism, and
explosive growth of power centers. Turquoise, copper, macaws, and
pseudo-cloisonn ceramics, along with symbols such as butterflies and
the horned serpent, have long been seen as evidence of sustained
interaction.  Recent discoveries apparently marking widespread
consumption of cacao beverages in Southwestern sites add to the
intrigue.  Yet Mesoamerican-Southwestern interaction is typically
assessed from the point of view of single goods, usually with the
assumption that their value was commercial, or from or single sites,
seen as trade centers.  New work assesses occurrences of multiple
objects and symbols in a wide range of sites, focusing especially on
the critical intervening area of Northern Mexico.  The patterns seem
inconsistent with expectations that come from existing ideas, leading
to new interpretations.  Rather than trade goods, the valued objects
are better thought of as costly signals of trust between distant
partners, including some in the supernatural realm.  These
relationships in turn served local leaders as practical and
cosmological validation of their political power.
University Medical Centers Duval Auditorium,
1500 N Campbell Blvd,
Tucson, Arizona
http://www.***.com/

April 16, 7:30 PM
AIA Lecture
"Closer than We Know: Comparing the Rock Art of Australia and Western
North America"
David Lee
Both Australia and the New World were originally colonized by people
who brought with them rich spiritual and symbolic systems. These
people successfully adapted to major environmental changes, and these
adaptations may be reflected in the paintings and engravings they left
on cliff faces and on shelter walls. Despite being a world apart,
there are a surprising number of parallels in the production,
evolution, and context of rock art on the two continents. Viewing rock
art with a global perspective highlights both the similarities and the
differences of people surviving under similar circumstances. This
lecture will investigate the rock art of both continents, focusing on
environmental and cultural context, ethnography, and current research
trends.
Courtyard by Marriott
3347 Cerrillos Road
Santa Fe, New Mexico
http://www.***.com/

April 18, 8:00 PM
Institute of Maya Studies Presentation
The Huastec Culture: History and Sculpture
with Marta Barber
The ancient Huastec civilization is thought to date back to
approximately the 10th century BCE, although their most productive
period of civilization is usually considered to be the Postclassic,
between the fall of Teotihuacan and the rise of the Aztec Empire. They
inhabited the states of Hidalgo and Veracruz, concentrating along the
Panuco River and the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The Huastec were
admired for their abilities as musicians by other Mesoamerican
peoples. Some of the ceramics found dating to the Middle Formative
period resemble Preclassic objects from Uaxactn, a Maya site in the
Petn. Their distinctive sculpture opens a window to this little-known
civilization. Past IMS President Marta Barber will also share IMS
member photos from a recent visit to the area.
The Institute of Maya Studies meets at the Miami Science Museum,
3280 South Miami Avenue, across from Vizcaya;
Miami, Florida
Maya Hotline: 305-279-8110.
Subscribe to the full-color e-mailed version of our monthly IMS
Explorer newsletter at:
www.instituteofmayastudies.org

April 18-22
Society for American Archaeology 77th Annual Meeting
Memphis, Tennessee
Extensive program at the URL below
http://www.***.com/

April 20-22
2012 New Mexico Archaeological Society Annual Meeting
Torrance County Archaeological Society and Friends of Tijeras Pueblo
"The Estancia Basin/Salinas Province A Long View of People and Salt
in the Land Between Mountains and Plains"
Moriarty Civic Center,
Moriarty, New Mexico
http://www.***.com/

April 26, 6:00 PM
Old Pueblo Archaeology Centers Fourth Thursday cooking.net">food for
Thought dinner & presentation:
Recent Archaeological Investigations at Tucson's University Indian
Ruin
with Drs. Paul and Suzanne Fish
Dragons View Asian Cuisine,
400 N. Bonita Avenue (just west of the Santa Cruz River between St.
Mary's Rd. &
Congress St.),
Tucson, Arizona

April 27, 7:00 PM
Maya Society of Minnesota Lecture and Workshop
"Masonry, Memory and Meaning in Inka Rockwork"
Carolyn Dean, Professor, History of Art and Visual Culture, University
of California Santa Cruz.
The Inka are renowned for their flawless masonry, for blocks of stone
joined together without the use of mortar. Because such walls were
rarely decorated, their aesthetic appeal relies on the beautiful
patterning of stone blocks, their playful joins, and the extraordinary
expertise exhibited by the masons. By eschewing decoration, the Inka
drew attention to the method of manufacture, emphasizing the
experience of the stone as it went from its natural state to its
cultural form. Professor Dean focuses on the ways the Inka understood
stone as a building medium, the ways they used it and worked with it,
and what values or ideas their rock walls conveyed.
Shepherd Room, Weisman Art Museum,
333 E. River Parkway, University of Minnesota
St. Paul, Minnesota
April 28 Workshop; 9:00 AM-12:00 PM
"The Challenge of Inka Visual Culture"
Inka imagery contains no narrative, no pictures that tell stories.
Rather, much of Inka visual culture is presentational in nature with
figures that do not interact with one another. Moreover, the Inka were
inclined to abstraction and many of their most significant artworks
feature no imagery at all. These characteristics make the job of the
art historian difficult owing to the fact that traditional
disciplinary methods, which are designed to read representations,
fail to yield results when confronted with Inka artforms.  In this
workshop, Professor Dean will discuss the challenges presented by Inka
monuments, and consider some new ways of discerning meaning in Inka
visual culture.
Anthro Lab (6S), GLC,
Hamline University
St. Paul, Minnesota
http://www.***.com/ (8-24-201...

April 27, 7:30 PM
Quad Cities Archaeological Society Lecture
"The Excavation of Mound 72 at the Cahokia Mounds State Historic
Site"
William Eisenminger, Assistant Site Director of the Cahokia Mounds
State Historic Site
William will describe the spectacular burials and associated artifacts
found in the mound associated with a central status burial. The mound
is arguably one of the most important ever excavated in the United
States, both in terms of its complexity, spectacular artifacts, and
importance in describing the hierarchical and social fabric of the
Cahokia Mounds site and its people. The Cahokia Mounds site hosts the
largest prehistoric mound and the largest village and mound complex in
North America located outside of Mexico.
Singing Bird Nature Center,
Blackhawk State Park
1510 46th Ave.,
Rock Island, Illinois
http://www.***.com/

Mike Ruggeri's Ancient America Museum Exhibitions, Conferences and
Lectures
http://www.***.com/