Daily Sentinel

Last night we got cell phone service and Dr. Dormady as well as students Dan, and Jordan had a phone interview with the Daily Sentinel in Nacogdoches, TX. Watch for the story by Kimberly Foli.

Mesa Verde National Park

We rolled into Mesa Verde after two dusty, hot, days out in Chaco and the students were VERY happy to be up out of the desert floor.  We arrived a little later than planned due to some unexpected car sickness - but they bounced back fast and we had plenty of time in the park.  After visiting the excellent displays at Far View we visited the guided Cliff Palace tour.  It was a great comparison with Chaco's religious design versus the Cliff Palace defensive / shelter goals.  Back in camp Dr. Bremer went over Ancestral Puebloan culture.  Dr. Dormady talked about the effects of environment on social structure by highlighting the comparative case of the Andes.  We also took some time to talk about the Columbian Exchange - the exchange of bilogical material between the Afro-Eurasian Complex and the Americas.  Plants were the main focus, and students were asked to watch for and journal about the effects of the exchange as the trip continued.

Students Dan and Jordan view the Mancos Valley from an overlook in Mesa Verde.

The Cliff Palace.

Student Kayla conquered her fear of heights and shimmied down the ladders to get to the Cliff Palace.

The group takes 5 after the tour of Cliff Palace.

Chaco Culture National Park

We spent two nights in Chaco Culture National Park near Nageezi, NM.  The park is home to some of the Southwest's most impressive architecture from Ancestral Puebloan civilizations.  In the park we discussed the questions of the foundation of agriculture in human society, the settlement of the southwest, nomadic vs. settled societies, and how historians and archaeologists ask questions about a place like Chaco where we have no written records.  We toured Pueblo Bonito - the absolute center of what they think is a religious ritual complex - as well as visiting the great Kiva at Casa Rinconada.  We were also able to attend presentations by Dr. Ruth Van Dyke on the purpose of ritual, directionality, and religion at Chaco.  We also attended a presentation on the use of natural fibers in the Southwest (such as yucca and bullrushes) for making clothing, sandals, baskets, and many other daily items.

Photos: Top: Student Joe Monreal enjoys 'smores around the campfire at Chaco.  Middle: Students gathered together at Chaco's Pueblo Bonito.  Below: A view of the great Kiva in the central plaza of Pueblo Bonito.

Santa Fe II - More Pictures

Below: The Catholic cathedral in Santa Fe. Bottom: the replica of a village church in New Mexico as reproduced in Las golondrinas, New Mexico.  The central image at the altar is San Isidro Labrador - a saint of workers and farmers.  San Isidro carries a "media luna" for hamstringing cattle - a common practice of hide hunting vaqueros seen throuought the Southwest as well as in East Texas.

Santa Fe / Rancho Golondrinas

We're finally at a functional WiFi system in Mesa Verde and we can catch up on what we've been up to for the last few days.  After Washita we headed to Santa Fe to discuss the Spanish conquest, law and empire, and the World History practice of putting subjects in their habitat/context.

We let the students cool their heels after a long day of driving then hit the Spanish Rancho Golondrinas, which bills itself as the Colonial Williamsburg of the Spanish Period.  More to come when we have a faster WiFi connection.

Washita National Battlefield, Cheyenne, OK

9 June 2011 - Washita National Battlefield.  We kicked off our morning with a visit to the site of the massacre of a peaceful band of Cheyenne on the Washita river in Southern Oklahoma.  The site is designed to memorialize both the fallen Cheyenne as well as US Troops.  Professor Bremer discussed the beginning of reservation policy enforcement and Prof. Dormady compared forced migration and extermination to similar patterns seen in Mesopatamia and the Levant.

Settling In

The students have had to learn to deal with the wind - this is not like East Texas.  Below, students work together to get a tent up in the Black Kettle National Grassland.

We also had a few students with... ample gear.

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