11 celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary As the United States turns 250, celebrations of epic proportions will ring out from sea to shining sea.

U.S. 250: Planning ahead for America’s 250th and looking for heritage travel ideas? AAA has a roundup of destinations and celebrations tied to 2026 that can be useful for building a public-history itinerary.

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The Little-Known Story of the Enslaved Africans Who Found Freedom in the European Fight Over North America Long before the famous Underground Railroad, those seeking freedom from slavery traveled on foot, by boat and under cover of darkness to Fort Mose in Spanish-controlled Florida

FLORIDA: Long before the Underground Railroad became widely known, freedom-seekers navigated dangerous routes across contested colonial frontiers. A new Smithsonian feature spotlights Fort Mose, which became a refuge for formerly enslaved Africans.

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Archaeologists upload the history of North America’s oldest colonial city The city of St. Augustine, Florida, has the distinction of being continuously occupied longer than any other European settlement in what is today the continental United States. A large portion of the…

ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA: Archaeologists and museum staff have launched a new digital portal that makes the archaeology of colonial St. Augustine easier to explore—bringing together records, images, and research tied to household sites in the city

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Mesa Verde prepares for upgrades ahead of busy season Mesa Verde National Park is entering a milestone summer as officials prepare to mark the park’s 120th anniversary on June 29, which coincides with Colorado’s 150th birthday and the nation’s 250th…

MESA VERDE, COLORADO: Mesa Verde is heading into a milestone season with infrastructure projects and preservation work ramping up ahead of a busy summer. The park is balancing visitor experience with long-term needs.

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NEW MEXICO: Spring is fiber-festival season at New Mexico Historic Sites, with two hands-on events that bring living traditions to life. Los Luceros Historic Site hosts Sheep Shearing Day on April 12, and Bosque Redondo Memorial follows with a Fiber Fair on May 2.

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SITE SPOTLIGHT: The Ingomar mound site is a 64-acre Archaeological Conservancy Preserve in north Mississippi, dated to the Middle Woodland Period (around A.D. 200). Its most prominent feature is a 30-foot-tall, ramped platform mound.

See a site tour video: buff.ly/sst22LP

Chaco Canyon signage in national park database of material under review A database of media flagged as potentially violating a 2025 executive order on "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History" was recently leaked.

CHACO CANYON, NEW MEXICO: The National Park Service is reviewing materials in a regional database after concerns were raised about interpretive content at Chaco Culture National Historical Park.

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Third Thursday Food for Thought Presentation - “Ghost Canals of the Phoenix Area” - Old Pueblo Archaeology Center On Thursday, April 16, 2026, join Old Pueblo Archaeology Center’s “Third Thursday Food for Thought” online presentation featuring “Ghost Canals of the Phoenix Area” by archaeologist Daniel Garcia.…

VIRTUAL LECTURE: Old Pueblo Archaeology Center’s free Zoom series Third Thursday Food for Thought features “Ghost Canals of the Phoenix Area” with archaeologist Daniel Garcia on Thursday, April 16, 2026 (7–8:30 p.m. Arizona/MST).

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TAC SITE SPOTLIGHT: Western Regional Director Linsie Lafayette recently visited the Cary Ranch Archaeological Preserve in California, met with members of the Cary family who shared the ranch’s history from the 1940s through the 1990s, and toured key features on the property.

Debate explodes over age of key South American archaeological site New study argues Monte Verde is far younger than once thought, challenging when people arrived in the Americas

CHILE: Want a clearer overview of the Monte Verde controversy and what’s at stake? Science published a companion explainer that walks through why this site matters so much—and why the proposed re-dating has prompted immediate pushback.

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A mid-Holocene age for Monte Verde challenges the timeline of human colonization of South America Our understanding of the timing of the human colonization of South America has been anchored by the Monte Verde II site in Chile, reported to date to ~14,500 years before the present (B.P.) and…

CHILE: A major new Science paper is reigniting debate over one of the most important early sites in the Americas: Monte Verde. The study argues the site may be thousands of years younger than the widely accepted timeline—while other researchers strongly dispute it.

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Submerged remains found at El Huarco Archaeological Complex The Ministry of Culture has initiated a new research campaign in the marine area surrounding the El Huarco Archaeological Complex, a significant coastal heritage site located in the district of Cerro…

PERU: Underwater archaeology at the El Huarco complex is revealing submerged structures and artifacts that hint at how coastal landscapes have changed over time. New work has documented stone features and materials now beneath the waterline.

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Tracking the First Americans - Archaeology Southwest The 18th season of Archaeology Cafe is all about trails and foot travel in the US Southwest.

ICYMI— Watch now: “Tracking the First Americans” with Vance T. Holliday, who explores evidence and debates around the earliest people in the Americas, including what the White Sands footprints may mean for timing and movement.

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VIRTUAL LECTURE (ARIZONA HISTORICAL SOCIETY): Route 66 fans—this one’s for you. The Arizona Historical Society’s virtual series "Arizona Histories, American Stories" features Jake Wolff on Wednesday, May 20, 2026 (12–1 p.m.)

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Recently published: Changing the Landscape of Archaeological Publishing (Current Anthropology) A new article takes a big-picture look at the pressures and possibilities shaping archaeological publishing today.

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Following up on “Tracking the First Americans” - Archaeology Southwest On February 3, 2026, Dr. Vance Holliday presented “Tracking the First Americans” to a standing-room-only audience at Archaeology Café. Here is some further Q & A.

ARCHAEOLOGY CAFÉ: FIRST AMERICANS (FOLLOW-UP Q&A). After an Archaeology Café program on “Tracking the First Americans,” presenter Vance Holliday followed up in writing to answer audience questions that didn’t fit into the live event.

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2026 Preservation Archaeology Museum Curation Internship - Archaeology Southwest This summer program trains four participants to work with archaeological museum collections, including cataloging with PastPerfect software, ceramic analysis, digitization, document and photograph…

INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY (DEADLINE APRIL 1). Archaeology Southwest and Western New Mexico University are accepting applications for the Summer 2026 Preservation Archaeology and Museum Curation Internship.

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Interview with EcoFlight’s Executive Director - Archaeology Southwest Preservation Archaeology Today for 3/5/26: Interview with EcoFlight's ED; new short doc from TWS; censorship at NPS; IPCC turns 50; feminist critique in archaeology; events and more!

SOUTHWEST: Archaeology Southwest recently interviewed EcoFlight’s Executive Director about how aerial advocacy and on-the-ground partnerships can help protect public lands.

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#Archaeology #Preservation #PublicLands #CulturalHeritage #Conservation #Southwest

News - Bird Guano May Have Helped Fuel Rise of Peru's Chincha Kingdom - Archaeology Magazine CHINCHA VALLEY, PERU—According to a statement released by the University of Sydney, seabird guano may […]

PERU: A powerful new study argues that seabird guano—yes, fertilizer—helped fuel the rise of the Chincha Kingdom by boosting maize production and supporting population growth, wealth, and influence.

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#Archaeology #Andes #Peru #AncientAgriculture #EnvironmentalArchaeology

From teeth to trade routes: SIU researcher traces ancient dogs' origins to reveal new clues about the Maya world To trace connections across the ancient Maya world, archaeologists often follow objects that traveled, such as jade, obsidian, or pottery. But Chris Stantis — assistant professor of anthropology at…

MAYA WORLD: To track ancient connections, archaeologists often follow jade, obsidian, or pottery—but what if the best clues have four legs? New research tracing ancient dogs suggests long-distance movement across the Maya world.

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New study finds evidence that Aztec King Moctezuma kept a zoo for ritual purposes Archaeological evidence suggests Aztec King Moctezuma kept a zoo in Tenochtitlan, with animals cared for ritual purposes.

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO: New research is adding fresh weight to longstanding accounts that Moctezuma II maintained a zoo in Tenochtitlan—suggesting animal captivity and care were tied to ritual life and state power.

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#Archaeology #Aztec #Tenochtitlan #Mexico #Zooarchaeology

VIRTUAL LECTURE: Crow Canyon Archaeological Center is hosting a free webinar, “The Future of Archaeology is Indigenous,” with archaeologist John A. Torres on Thursday, March 26, 2026, at 4 p.m. MT. The talk explores how NAGPRA helped catalyze Indigenous leadership in heritage work.

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TAC TOUR RECAP: The Conservancy’s California Missions and Archaeology Tour, March 9-13, explored three of the region’s best-known missions over five days—Mission San Diego de Alcalá, Mission San Juan Capistrano, and Mission San Luis Rey; the Alcalá Presidio; and Cabrillo National Monument.

Archaeologists Discover Massive 8,000-Year-Old Petroglyph Complex in Venezuela A remarkable archaeological discovery in northeastern Venezuela is drawing international attention after authorities confirmed the finding of a major petroglyph...

MONAGAS, VENEZUELA: A massive petroglyph complex—estimated at 4,000–8,000 years old—has been reported in northeastern Venezuela. Rock art on this scale can offer rare insight into early belief systems, landscapes of meaning, and long-term continuity in place-making.

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Zapotec tomb hailed as most important discovery in Mexico in last decade Archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) have announced the discovery of a well-preserved Zapotec tomb in the central valleys of Oaxaca, Mexico.

OAXACA, MEXICO: A newly reported Zapotec tomb discovery is being called one of Mexico’s most significant finds in years—remarkable for its preservation and what it may reveal about Classic-period Zapotec beliefs, burial practices, and social life.

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Historic illustration is part art, part investigation - The Archaeological Conservancy The artists who bring the past to life occupy a niche with a specific suite of skills to ensure the work is engaging and historically accurate.

AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY, VOL. 30, NO. 1 (Spring Issue): The archaeological past you picture in your mind was likely shaped by an illustrator as much as by an excavation. This feature highlights the specialized craft of artists who translate evidence into images.

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Archaeologists and others research how burning once shaped northeastern forests - The Archaeological Conservancy Archaeologists,geographers, and others are working toward a betterunderstanding of how burning once shaped northeastern forests.

AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY, VOL. 30, NO. 1 (Spring Issue): Did Indigenous burning shape pre-colonial forests more than we’ve recognized—and what should that mean for land management today? Researchers weigh evidence from archaeology to understand the role of fire.

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New lines of inquiry take shape at Paquimé, Casas Grandes region of northwest Mexico - The Archaeological Conservancy Whalen and Minnis conducted surveys and excavations in the region since the 1980s, recording 400 Medio period sites and excavating portions of nine sites.

AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY, VOL. 30, NO. 1 (Spring Issue): In the Chihuahuan Desert, the adobe city of Paquimé has long seemed like an outlier. This feature explores how new surveys, excavations, aerial imagery are reshaping long-held assumptions about the site’s origins.

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AI is becoming a tool in archaeology to manage, analyze data - The Archaeological Conservancy Early versions of machine intelligence have evolved into “deep learning” neural networks capable of “teaching” themselves. When archaeologists train them on existing data, AI becomes a potent part of…

AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY, VOL. 30, NO. 1 (Spring issue): Archaeology is entering an era where data can pile up faster than it can be interpreted. “When Data Outruns the Dig” looks at how AI and machine learning are becoming new tools for managing and analyzing data.

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GREAT BASIN: Want to make a real difference for archaeological site protection? Become a site steward. CASSP is hosting a volunteer site stewardship training workshop online on March 21, 2026 (9 a.m.–3 p.m. PT). Free and open to the public.

Register: cassp.org/events