New Mexico State University (NMSU) students engaged in the Archaeological Field School, a comprehensive 6-week and 6-credit summer field research program offered by NMSU's anthropology department and supported by the College of Arts and Sciences. This educational initiative took the students to Cottonwood Spring Pueblo, providing them with practical experience and valuable insights into the realm of archaeology according to a July 18 press release by NMSU.
“Field school helps students decide if this field is for them,” NMSU anthropology professor William Walker said, according to the press release. “For many, it confirms their decision to become archaeologists and for others it gives them pause to reconsider. Both are valuable experiences.”
According to the press release, a team of students from NMSU participated in the Archaeological Field School held at Cottonwood Spring Pueblo during the summer. This intensive 6-week program, offered by the anthropology department at NMSU with support from the College of Arts and Sciences, provided students with hands-on experience and research opportunities. Under the guidance of graduate students Tuesday Critz and Keely Yanito, along with anthropology professor William Walker and affiliated faculty member Judy Berryman, the students received training in various archaeological techniques such as mapping, excavation, recording, and field research.
“So, everything was going slow at first, and then it just kind of took off,” Yanito said, according to the press release. “We had a really good crew this year. It’s exciting because you can see the way everybody was starting to learn out there.”
The group's focus was on Area E of Cottonwood Spring Pueblo, an ancient 14th-century village located near the San Andres Mountains, where they explored the remains of adobe room blocks that provide valuable insights into the village's multicultural community and its response to environmental changes, according to the press release.
Participants in the field school learn not only archeology experience, but leadership experience as well. Graduate teaching assistants Critz and Yanito state that they've learned group management strategies and organizational skills.
“I feel like one of the big things I’ve learned is the power of collaboration,” Critz said, according to the press release. “When all the TAs and the graduate students would get together and go over paperwork with each other, and all get on the same page, through that I was able to gain confidence.”
