Dr. Yolanda Chávez Leyva, Chair of the History Department, University of Texas, El Paso, has created this exhibit about connections among peoples across time and space. Utilizing pottery, photographs, stories and other artifacts, the exhibit draws on themes of corn, rain, parrots, the peyote cactus and the rabbit in the moon to trace the movement of life: the movement of the ancestors.
The exhibit includes a
Día de los Muertos altar illustrating the Aztec journey to Mictlan, which is the place many people were believed to go after death. The nine levels of Mictlan are portrayed on the altar.
Walking with the Ancestors: From Mesoamerica to the Southwest was created in collaboration with the Department of History at the University of Texas at El Paso and
Museo Urbano, a public history project of UTEP.
Please go to the
Exhibits section of this website for more details.
Please see our Event Calendar for details on our April, May, June and July Events:
April 20, 2:00 pm – Southwest Rock Art Hunting Iconography
May 11, 2:00 pm – The Monarch butterfly and its unique multigenerational migration through North America
May 18, 2:00 pm – Archaeological Investigations in the Cottonwood Springs Site in New Mexico
May 18, 7 to 10 pm – Sky Stories, Ancient and Modern, an International Museum Day Event
May 25, 2:00 pm – From Hunter Gatherers to Complex Chiefdoms: The Archaeology of Prehistoric Costa Rica
May 30, 3:00 pm – Archaeology Museum Gallery Tour
June 18 to 21, 9 am to noon – For ages 7 to 9, Children’s Archaeology Special Event/Camp
June 25 to 28, 9 am to noon – For ages 10 to 12, Children’s Archaeology Special Event/Camp
July 9 to 12, 9 am to noon – For ages 7 to 9, Children’s Archaeology Special Event/Camp
July 23 to 26, 9 am to noon – For ages 10 to 12, Children’s Archaeology Special Event/Camp
Getting to the Archaeology Museum
The Archaeology Museum can be recognized easily as the one-story reddish-brown color building on the north side of Transmountain Road, adjacent to the National Border Patrol Museum. The two museums are the only buildings on the north side of Transmountain Road, west of Highway 54, surrounded by the Castner Range open space.
Transmountain Road Widening:
TXDOT is widening Transmountain Road in Northeast El Paso, adjacent to the Archaeology Museum. To make your drive to the museum easier, please read the following:
Highway 54 Access:
You may now exit Highway 54 on Woodrow Bean Transmountain Road both north and south bound and then proceed west on Transmountain Road to reach the museum.
Transmountain Road Access:
Westbound:
The westbound access to the museum on Transmountain Road now includes a right turn lane to enter the museum’s grounds and both a merge lane when leaving the museum’s grounds to go west on Transmountain as well as a turn lane across the median to go east on Transmountain.
Eastbound:
From the west side of town, eastbound motorists on Transmountain Road may use the new left turn opening across the median.
The public can call the museum at 915-755-4332 for information and updates.
POTENTIAL TRAFFIC DELAYS AND ROAD CLOSURES
Expect occasional traffic delays when accessing the museum due to TXDOT widening of Transmountain Road from Dyer St. to one mile west of the Highway 54. Access to the museum will remain open during construction.
During inclement weather or a traffic accident, Transmountain Road may be temporarily closed.
For further information call the museum staff at 915-755-4332.
El Paso Museum of Archaeology
The El Paso Museum of Archaeology presents 14,000 years of prehistory in the El Paso area, the greater Southwest, and northern Mexico. You’ll see dioramas and exhibits of American Indian lives and their material culture from the Paleoindian hunters of the Ice Age to their modern Indian descendants. The exhibits are periodically changed to reflect the scope of the museum's collections and the interests of the community. Special changing exhibits are located in the auditorium where lectures, family programs, and events are held.
Walk nature trails on our 15 acres with more than 250 varieties of Chihuahuan Desert native plants, outdoor exhibits and an Indian Garden. A gazebo is available for rent for family picnics and small group activities.
Free tours may be scheduled in advance.
