Excavation Day 2

Today was our second official excavation day, and we were all excited to get back to our units and dig. By now we have a basic understanding of how to excavate, so we focused more on broadening our skillset and situating our findings into the wider context. We spent the first few hours doing just that, and by early afternoon we were ready to take a look at everyone’s progress.

After we learned a little bit about each group’s unit, we took a short field trip to a Basketmaker III site. This site is a vital piece of the Basketmaker Community Project, so we were all looking forward to learning more about it. By the end of the visit, many of us realized that seeing the site in person provided us with a deeper understanding of what excavations look like in the later stages and the way archaeology blends across time.

We finished the day with an evening program with Dan Simplicio, a Cultural Specialist at Crow Canyon, who is heading the Zuni Kiva Project. This project has many long-term goals, but most center around renovation and revitalization of the six kivas at Zuni Pueblo. By introducing us to Zuni Pueblo culture, Dan Simplicio provided us with tangible examples that highlight the importance of collaboration and the human element of archaeology.