Archaeology program connects the past and present
For Patrick Cruz, studying archaeological sites in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico this summer was a way to hone his skills.
But the trip also allowed Cruz, a CU Boulder archaeology graduate student, to retrace the journey his Tewa ancestors made centuries ago.
“My interest in the subject matter is very personal,” said Cruz. “I am interested in how Tewa peoples arrived, how they adapted to their new landscape, what social changes took place, what material and social traits survived the migrations from Colorado to New Mexico and what didn't.”
Cruz was one of 13 undergraduate and graduate students who participated in CU Boulder’s archaeological field school in June, led by CU Boulder anthropology assistant professor Scott Ortman. Students began the month-long program excavating an ancient pueblo site in the Ute Mountain Ute reservation in Colorado and then traveled to the Pueblo of Pojoaque in New Mexico, where they worked alongside tribal members of all ages identifying pottery, mapping sites, collecting data and learning about native traditions and history.
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Photo: CU Boulder archaeology students Samantha Linford, Kaitlyn Davis and Patrick Cruz at an ancestral site in northern New Mexico.