Children’s Archaeology Special Event - Camp

July 9 to 12, 2013

9 am to 12 noon

For children ages 7 to 9 years, grades 2 to 4

$42.90 for Museum Members; $54.60 for Non-Members

Advanced Registration Required

This is an interactive, hands-on course held on the museum’s grounds, weather permitting, in the galleries and lab, and a field trip to be announced. If weather prevents outdoor activities, alternative indoor activities will be held. Be prepared by wearing sun screen, sturdy shoes (no sandals), protective clothing, insect repellant, and a hat for the outdoor activities. Each participant should bring their own snacks and beverages. Children must have completed first grade and be at least 7 years old. Children must attend the first day of camp in order to be prepared for days 2-4. For complete details of camp activities see page 6 of the registration form. A camp for children ages 10 to 12 begin on July 23. For further information contact the museum at 915-755-4332 or guidamr@elpasotexas.gov.

The fees shown above are special reduced fees courtesy of a grant from the Franklin Mountains Rotary Club.

2013 Children’s Archaeology Special Event – Camp Registration Form »

Children’s Archaeology Special Event - Camp

July 23 to 26, 2013

9 am to 12 noon

For children ages 10 to 12 years, grades 5 to 7

$42.90 for Museum Members; $54.60 for Non-Members

Advanced Registration Required

This is an interactive, hands-on course held on the museum’s grounds, weather permitting, in the galleries and lab, and a field trip to Hueco Tanks State Park. If weather prevents outdoor activities, alternative indoor activities will be held. Be prepared by wearing sun screen, sturdy shoes (no sandals), protective clothing, insect repellant, and a hat for the outdoor activities. Each participant should bring their own snacks and beverages. Children must attend the first day of camp in order to be prepared for days 2-4. For complete details of camp activities see page 9 of the registration form. For further information contact the museum at 915-755-4332 or guidamr@elpasotexas.gov.

The fees shown above are special reduced fees courtesy of a grant from the Franklin Mountains Rotary Club.

2013 Children’s Archaeology Special Event – Camp Registration Form »

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Children’s Archaeology Special Event - Camp

June 18 to 21, 2013

9 am to 12 noon

For children ages 7 to 9 years, grades 2 to 4

$42.90 for Museum Members; $54.60 for Non-Members

Advanced Registration Required

This is an interactive, hands-on course held on the museum’s grounds, weather permitting, in the galleries and lab, and a field trip to be announced. If weather prevents outdoor activities, alternative indoor activities will be held. Be prepared by wearing sun screen, sturdy shoes (no sandals), protective clothing, insect repellant, and a hat for the outdoor activities. Each participant should bring their own snacks and beverages. Children must have completed first grade and be at least 7 years old. Children must attend the first day of camp in order to be prepared for days 2-4. For complete details of payment see registration form. For complete details of camp activities see page 8 of the registration form. Another camp for children ages 7 to 9 begins on July 9. Camps for children ages 10 to 12 begin on June 25 and July 23. For further information contact the museum at 915-755-4332 or guidamr@elpasotexas.gov.

The fees shown above are special reduced fees courtesy of a grant from the Franklin Mountains Rotary Club.

2013 Children’s Archaeology Special Event – Camp Registration Form »

Children’s Archaeology Special Event - Camp

June 25 to 28, 2013

9 am to 12 noon

For children ages 10 to 12 years, grades 5 to 7

$42.90 for Museum Members; $54.60 for Non-Members

Advanced Registration Required

This is an interactive, hands-on course held on the museum’s grounds, weather permitting, in the galleries and lab, and a field trip to Hueco Tanks State Park. If weather prevents outdoor activities, alternative indoor activities will be held. Be prepared by wearing sun screen, sturdy shoes (no sandals), protective clothing, insect repellant, and a hat for the outdoor activities. Each participant should bring their own snacks and beverages. Children must attend the first day of camp in order to be prepared for days 2-4. For complete details of payment see registration form. For complete details of camp activities see page 9 of the registration form. Another camp for children ages 10 to 12 begins on July 23. A camp for children ages 7 to 9 begins on July 9. For further information contact the museum at 915-755-4332 or guidamr@elpasotexas.gov.

The fees shown above are special reduced fees courtesy of a grant from the Franklin Mountains Rotary Club.

2013 Children’s Archaeology Special Event – Camp Registration Form »

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The Monarch Butterfly and Its Unique Multigenerational Migration through North American

2:00 to 3:00 pm

Free Admission

Dr. Gertrud Konings, Assistant Professor of Biology at EPCC, and her husband Ad Konings, traveled to Mexico on their 2012 Christmas vacation to visit the Monarch butterfly reserves in Mexico where the butterflies hibernate. She’ll show many photographs taken in this area and explain what she learned about the behaviors and yearly migration pattern of the Monarchs.

Dr. Konings was born, grew up and studied in Germany, receiving her Ph.D. in Biology from the Free University Berlin. She has lived in the United States for 16 years, always in El Paso where, with her husband Ad, she loves to explore the southwestern desert. Her research focuses mainly on cacti. She and her husband recently published a beautiful book filled with photographs and interesting information on the cacti of Texas flowering in their natural habitat.

Archaeological Investigations in the Cottonwood Spring Site in South Central New Mexico

2:00 to 3:00 pm

Free Admission

Program Sponsored by El Paso Archaeological Society

Meade F. Kemrer, PhD., is a research collaborator with the Jornada Experimental Range. Over the past five years he has worked in the Cottonwood Spring Site, the largest prehistoric site known in south central New Mexico. His work involves mapping and collecting other data. This lecture will describe the contents of this unique site including four villages dating to A.D. 900-1400, numerous rock art images, and the defensive system. He’ll also discuss environmental studies and unmanned aerial vehicle remote sensing at Cottonwood.

Dr. Kemrer received the doctorate degree in archaeology from the University of Arizona. He has lived in New Mexico for 34 years performing archaeology throughout the American Southwest. For the past 18 years he has resided in Las Cruces, studying the prehistory of southern New Mexico.

International Museum Day Event

Sky Stories, Ancient and Modern

7:00 to 10:00 pm

Free Admission

In celebration of International Museum Day, May 18, we present the program “Exploring the Night Sky through Ancient Stories and Modern Astronomy” which interweaves Native American stories of the night sky and knowledge of the cosmos with astronomical knowledge from the ancient Greeks and other old world cultures and modern astronomical science into a unique exploration of the night sky suitable for adults and families with children of elementary school age and up. The moon figures in stories from many different cultures. For example, Europeans see a “man in the moon” while many ancient and modern indigenous American cultures have stories of a “rabbit in the moon.”

Solstices, equinoxes and eclipses have been observed by cultures from around the world and are the basis for much folklore as well as scientific observations and calculations. Similarly stars and constellations such as Orion, Cassiopeia, Polaris, Scorpio, Antares, the Pleiades, and others will be included in this program. Those participating will be able to peer through telescopes on the museum’s grounds with the help of professional and avocational astronomers to see the planets, stars and constellations that have important roles in the folklore and science presented in this program.

Each participant should bring a flashlight.

Reservations:
Due to limited seating and limited parking, a maximum of 60 places are available and advance reservations are required. Contact the museum at 915-755-4332 or guidamr@elpasotexas.gov and be sure to leave a contact name, phone number, and number in your group. If you don’t receive a confirming call you don’t have a reservation. It is highly unlikely that a last minute request for reservations can be accommodated.

Presenters:

Alex Mares: is currently Vice- President of Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition, former Volunteer Interpretive Guide for Hueco Tanks State Historic Site as well as former Lead Park Ranger of Hueco Tanks, and currently serve as Tribal Liaison for New Mexico Wilderness Alliance and as a Certified Interpretive Guide for Southwest Expeditions, a heritage tourism and outdoor adventure company. Through his contacts with individuals from several Native American tribes and his own family, he has permission to tell certain stories and relate certain knowledge that has been shared with him about the night sky. Alex will be presenting an outdoor orientation to the night sky and telling Native American stories which are based on stars and constellations.

Francisco Carreto-Parra
Francisco is a local physicist and astronomer, an adjunct faculty member in astronomy and physics at El Paso Community College since 2008 and a lecturer in physics at UTEP since 2010. He will present both the history of astronomical science and a scientific explanation for the natural astronomical phenomenon that figure in Native American stories.

Schedule:

7:00 to 7:45 pm – Inside Museum: Professor Francisco Carreto-Parra talks about the knowledge of ancient eastern astronomers such as Greeks and Arabs and modern astronomers while showing many photos of the stars and constellations in a PowerPoint presentation
7:45 to 8:15 pm – Outside Museum: Alex Mares and Francisco Carreto-Parra lead the audience in observations of the sky and landscape by the light of the setting sun
8:15 to 9:00 pm – Outside: Storyteller Alex Mares tells stories from ancient American tribes that reveal their astronomical knowledge and shows you how to use your body as a compass by using the night sky
9:00 to 9:45 pm – Outside: El Paso and Las Cruces astronomers provide telescopes to give you an up close look at the stars and constellations discussed in this program.
10:00 pm – museum and grounds close, thanks for joining us this evening!

Photography, Filming, Recording:
Our storyteller, Alex Mares, does not allow full filming or recording of an entire story or of his entire presentation by private individuals or by representatives of the media. Members of the media should identify themselves with their credentials to Mr. Mares before the presentation begins if you wish his permission to photograph, film or record a portion of his presentation. Brief recording for news broadcasts or announcements before or after the event are generally permissible. Recordings of any length for later commercial use, sale, or business purposes are not permissible.

Mr. Mares is available before or after the program for interviews about the importance of storytelling and creating venues for storytelling.

Information: Marilyn Guida, 915-755-4332, guidamr@elpasotexas.gov

International Museum Day was created to increase public awareness of the role of museums in the development of society. The theme for 2013 is Museums (memory + creativity) = social change. Our rich heritage, which museums both display and protect, is associated with inventiveness and vitality, both of which have characterized the museum sector in recent years and are museums’ greatest strengths.

From Hunter Gatherers to Complex Chiefdoms: The Archaeology of Prehistoric Costa Rica

2:00 pm

Free Admission

George Maloof, III, Curator of the El Paso Museum of Archaeology, presents a PowerPoint overview of forty years of archaeological research in Costa Rica, where he has been living and working as an archaeologist for the past eleven years.

The modern territory known as Costa Rica has been inhabited for around 14,000 years, when the first people arrived on their way south, following the megafauna that they hunted. Thanks to the last 40 years of research, archaeologists, both foreign and local, have begun to document how society changed from the original hunter-gatherers to the complex chiefdoms that were encountered by Christopher Columbus when he came to this “Rich Coast” in 1504. Also discussed will be the coming of Mesoamerican immigrants from the area of Veracruz, Mexico to the Nicoya Peninsula and how their arrival affected the local and regional populations.

A recent arrival to the El Paso area after 11 years of living in Costa Rica, George Maloof is a northern New Mexico native who has worked on archaeological sites in New Mexico, Arizona, Mexico, El Salvador, and most recently in Costa Rica. He obtained his undergraduate degrees in history and anthropology from Arizona State University and his master’s degree from The University of Costa Rica, being the first graduate from the archaeology program. His professional interests include Southwest, Mesoamerican and Lower Central American archeology and archeogeophysics.

Archaeology Museum Gallery Tour

3:00 pm

Free Admission

Groups and individuals are invited to explore the galleries with Curator of Education Marilyn Guida to learn about the prehistoric people of El Paso and Mexico. You’ll take a journey through 14,000 years of El Paso’s Indian heritage including the Paleoindians, Archaic hunter-gatherers, Pit Dweller-Horticulturalists, Pueblo, Manso, Suma, Piro, Tigua and Mescalero Apache. Our galleries also include Casas Grandes culture and the ancient city of Paquime in Chihuahua, and the major regions of ancient Mexico – West, Central, North and Maya. Reservations are not necessary but contact the museum with the number of people in your group if you plan to attend, 915-755-4332; guidamr@elpasotexas.gov. Large groups can schedule their own tour.

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Desert Weeds Printmaking Workshop

1:00 to 3:00 pm

Free Admission

Artists Oscar Moya and Lydia Limas lead this workshop for adults and children age 3 and up to create art by including leaves and weeds in a drawing or painting on a board which is then transferred onto paper with a press. The result is a unique collagraph print or monoprint which can be framed and taken home or given as a gift. All materials are provided. Family members must stay with children during the workshop. Space is limited; those interested should contact the museum before April 4 at 915-755-4332. This workshop is sponsored by the City of El Paso Museums and Cultural Affairs Department and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

Mr. Moya began his Desert Weeds series in 2009 by experimenting with plants and leaves in his backyard. He says “I was amazed at the incredible detail and the beautiful textures.” Oscar has found that children as young as three years old easily get involved in creating potentially limitless unique art through this process.

Oscar Moya has participated in group exhibitions in the United States, Mexico, Canada, and in Europe. Moya’s recent collaborative printmaking projects include Centenario de la Revolucion Mexicana, Arceo Press, Portafolio, 2010 and teaching Desert Weeds basic printmaking workshops in the El Paso region since 2009.

Lydia Limas is an award winning and published photographer and visual artist who has exhibited in the United States and Mexico. She and Mr. Moya are members of the Juntos Art Association of El Paso.

Information: 915-755-4332; guidamr@elpasotexas.gov

Exhibit Tour – Walking with the Ancestors

2:00 to 3:00 pm

Free Admission

Find out about the exhibit Walking with the Ancestors, From Mesoamerica to the Southwest with Marilyn Guida, Curator of Education. Highlights include ancient and modern connections such as the hearth, macaws, Tlaloc the rain deity, peyote, the rabbit in the moon, and corn. Included is a Día de los Muertos altar illustrating the nine levels of the journey to Mictlan, the place in Aztec beliefs where most people went after death. Please see full information on this exhibit in the Current Temporary exhibits section of this website.

Southwest Rock Art Hunting Iconography

2:00 to 3:00 pm

Free Admission

Program Sponsored by El Paso Archaeological Society

Mr. LeRoy Unglaub discusses the various weapons and techniques used by Southwest Indians to hunt small and large game as show in images on rocks. This presentation will include many photographs of images of rabbit hunts as well as large game hunting with atlatls and with bows and arrows.

LeRoy Unglaub is a retired Electronics engineer who got bitten by the rock art bug about 18 years ago and it has been his passion ever since. He resides in Las Cruces, New Mexico and is currently a member of three Archaeological societies; the Dona Ana Archaeological Society, the El Paso Archaeological Society and the Archaeological Society of New Mexico and three rock art associations: the American Rock Art Research Association, The Utah Rock Art Research Association and the Southern Nevada Rock Art Association. He has participated in the recording of a number of rock art sites and has given lectures on rock art to archaeological societies, rock art associations and various other clubs and organizations.

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Ritually Killed Ceramic Vessels from Ancient Cultures across the American Southwest

2:00 to 3:00 pm

Free Admission

Chadwick K. Burt, an El Paso archaeologist, speaks about the burial customs of prehistoric Native American groups across the Southwestern US.

He’ll examine the 10th to 12th century Mimbres mortuary practice of placing hemispherical ceramic bowls with “kill-holes” punched into them over the head of deceased individuals prior to interment. Archaeological evidence indicates that this custom extends well beyond the Mimbres region, both geographically and through time. Chad will review examples of this cultural practice and others such as flexed and extended inhumations and cremations from the Anasazi, Hohokam, Jornada, Mogollon, and Salado traditions of the later 13th and 14th centuries in the Southwest. Photo of a reproduction of a Mimbres pot by Bill Luther, photo courtesy of Kay and Bill Luther.

Chadwick K. Burt is an El Paso archaeologist with over 15 years of cultural resource management experience within the Jornada Mogollon region. He has worked for a number of firms including Human Systems Research, Geo-Marine, and Vista Technical Services on both White Sands Missile Range and Fort Bliss Military Reservations. He conducts ongoing research for the La Frontera Archaeological Research Program directed by Dr. William H. Walker of New Mexico State University. His current research interest involved prehistoric mortuary practices and applying an artifact agency theoretical model that explores how prehistoric humans interacted with material culture.

This program is presented by the El Paso Archaeological Society in partnership with the El Paso Museum of Archaeology. Information: 915-755-4332; guidamr@elpasotexas.gov

Poppies Fest

10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Free Admission

The seventh annual 2013 Franklin Mountains Poppies Fest on Castner Range will take place on Saturday, March 23, 2013 at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology at 4301 Transmountain Road. The day will feature a full program of live music and dance, food & art vendors, nature talks & walks, educational exhibits, a live wolf, Houdini the Harris Hawk, children’s activity center. Everyone is welcome to come out and enjoy the beauty of the mountains and the poppies during this free educational family fun event.

FREE Parking at El Paso Community College Transmountain Campus in Northeast El Paso on Gateway North between Diana and Transmountain
FREE Shuttle service between EPCC and the Archaeology Museum provided from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm
No parking at the Archeology Museum – vendor booths are located in the parking lot

Schedule:

Master of Ceremonies - Keith Hall, City Parks Department

9:45 to 9:50 am
Blessing by Mr. Javier Loera
Ysleta del Sur Pueblo-Tigua Tribe
Under Car Port

9:50 to 10:05 am
State Rep Joe Moody
City Rep Carl Robinson
Under Car Port

10 am to 4:00 pm
Children’s Activity Center in Special Tent
Vendors and Exhibitors Open
Vendors in Parking Lot area
Exhibitors in Special Tents
Live Wolf in the Vendor area with Info table

10:05 to 10:30 am at the Gazebo
Houdini the Harris Hawk with Heather Rivera,
El Paso Zoo

10:00 to 10:45 am
Indian Uses of the Chihuahuan Desert
by Jim Thomas
Meet at Museums and Cultural Affairs Department Tent (MCAD)

10:30 to 11:00 am - Tigua Youth Social Dances
Under Car Port

11:00 am to 12 pm
MOVIE: Legends of El Paso’s Mountains
by Capstone Productions, Inc. (56 mins)
INSIDE MUSEUM AUDITORIUM

11:00 to 11:30 am at the Gazebo
Mike Gaglio, Frontera Land Alliance

11:00 am to 11:45 pm
Identification of Native Plants
by Alex Mares
Meet at Museums and Cultural Affairs Department Tent (MCAD)

11:30 am to 12:00 pm at the Gazebo
Scott Green, Farm and Ranch Museum

12:00 to 1:00 pm
MOVIE: El Paso’s Hueco Tanks
By Capstone Productions Inc. (53 mins)
INSIDE MUSEUM AUDITORIUM

12:00 to 12:30 pm at the Gazebo
Dr. Gertrud Konings

12:00 to 12:45 pm
West Texas Cacti Tour by Peter Beste
El Paso Cactus & Rock Club
Meet at Museums and Cultural Affairs Department Tent (MCAD)

12:30 to 1:00 pm - Ballet Folklorico Totec de la Fe, Under Car Port

Band Ceiba, 1:00 to 2:30 pm
INSIDE MUSEUM AUDITORIUM

1:00 to 1:45 pm
Indian Uses of the Chihuahuan Desert
by Albert Nungaray
Meet at Museums and Cultural Affairs Department Tent (MCAD)

2:00 to 2:45 pm
Identification of Native Plants
by Alex Mares
Meet at Museums and Cultural Affairs Department Tent (MCAD)

2:30 to 4:00 pm
Band Slackabilly, Under Car Port

3:00 to 3:45 pm
West Texas Cacti Tour by Gertrud Konings
El Paso Cactus & Rock Club
Meet at Museums and Cultural Affairs Department Tent (MCAD)

If you are interested in making a donation for this event please contact Pat White at 915-591-3562 or pat_white@hotmail.com.

If you are interested in helping as a volunteer contact Sylvia Price at slyfox7tx@att.net.

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor for this event please contact Lisa Gutierrez at 915-269-1239 orlisamarie177@juno.com.

This event celebrates the marvelous open space in Northeast El Paso where we frequently enjoy a stunning spring display of our native Mexican Gold poppies. This festival is an opportunity to enjoy our beautiful outdoors while learning about what our mountains and desert have to offer. It takes place on the 15 acre grounds of the El Paso Museum of Archaeology. The museum's Chihuahuan Desert Gardens boast examples of more than 200 native plants.

Castner Range is a former artillery range known for its cultural, geologic and unique biology. If the rain and weather cooperate, it is most known for its beautiful and vast display of Mexican Poppies in the spring.

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Write Off the Walls

1:30 to 3:30 pm

Free Admission

Monica Gomez leads this writing workshops taking inspiration from our exhibit Walking with the Ancestors: From Mesoamerican to the Southwest

This educational and inspirational 2-hour workshop lets you learn and write about images created by the great artists of time, including Edgar Degas, Jacob Lawrence, Gaspar Enriquez, Mary Aiken, Salvador Dali, Gauguin and van Gogh. Learn about interesting connections among these artists and their work, and compare the nature of the times in which they lived with today. Then participants will turn their attention to the Walking with the Ancestors exhibit for more creative writing. Think back to the early Mesoamericans. If they could write the way we write, what would they say? Write Off the Walls sparks a sharp and inquisitive interest in visual art, while encouraging writers of all skill levels to formulate personal opinions and express themselves with confidence.

Seating: Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact the museum to confirm your attendance at 915-755-4332.

This workshop is supported by the City of El Paso Museums and Cultural Affairs Department and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

Biography
Monica Gomez is an award-winning writer, teaching artist, and on-air talent. She has recently released her creative writing workbook, EXPRESSERCIZE: Write Answers. Monica says “A good workshop should turn us inside-out just enough to see how we’re all different, yet so alike.”

Museum Gallery Tour

2:00 to 3:00 pm

Free Admission

Explore the museum’s galleries with our Curator of Education, Marilyn Guida. Learn about the Prehistoric people of El Paso and Mexico. You’ll take a journey through 14,000 years of El Paso’s Indian heritage including the Paleoindians, Archaic hunter-gatherers, Pit Dweller-Horticulturalists, Pueblo People, Manso and Suma, Tigua and Mescalero Apache. Our galleries also include Casas Grandes culture and the ancient city of Paquime of Chihuahua, and all the major regions of ancient Mexico – West, Central, North and Maya. Reservations are not necessary but contact the museum with the number of people in your group if you plan to attend, 915-755-4332; guidamr@elpasotexas.gov.

A Cold War Soldier’s Life at White Sands Proving Grounds: Archaeological Clues from a Trash Deposit, 1945-1947

El Paso Archaeological Society Program

2:00 to 3:00 pm

Free Admission

David T. Kirkpatrick, Associate Director, Human Systems Research, will talk about the results of one of the first studies of material culture of a Cold War military installation. In 1994, during the construction of a new commissary building at White Sands Missile Range, a previously unknown trash deposit was encountered. The artifacts from this deposit, possibly the earliest on White Sands Proving Ground (now known as White Sands Missile Range), provide us with insight into the daily lives of the soldiers and scientists working on the V-2 missile program. Many of the artifacts relate to the personal lives of these men, stationed in temporary quarters in the desert of southern New Mexico. Dates on various artifacts, especially bottles, indicate the trash deposit was in use from July 1945 to 1947. The slide based-lecture will show many of the recovered artifacts. Hopefully, some of the unidentified artifacts may be identified by the audience.

Biography: David T. Kirkpatrick, Ph.D., R. P. A.

Dr. Kirkpatrick is an Associate Director with Human Systems Research, Inc. in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He earned his M. A. and Ph.D. at Washington State University. Since 1972 he has conducted numerous archaeological surveys and excavations in New Mexico. His historic archaeological project include excavations at the 1870s McSween House in Lincoln, the 1850s Maxwell-Abreu House at Rayado on the Santa Fe Trail, and the West 800 Instrumentation Bunker at the Trinity Site. A long time member of the El Paso Archaeological Society, Dave has served at First Vice-President and is currently the editor for The Artifact, the journal of the El Paso Archaeological Society. Dr. Kirkpatrick is a Registered Professional Archaeologist (RPA.)

This program is presented by the El Paso Archaeological Society in partnership with the El Paso Museum of Archaeology. Information: 915-755-4332; guidamr@elpasotexas.gov

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5, 12, 19

Winter Children’s Archaeology Special Event

9 am to 12 pm

$42.90 for museum members
$54.60 for non-members

The museum is offering scholarships for archaeology special events in 2013 through a generous grant from the Franklin Mountains Rotary Club.

The first special event will be held three consecutive Saturdays, January 5, 12 and 19 from 9 am to 12 noon for children 8 to 12 years at the museum and on the museum’s grounds. Registration fees for the three-day course are $42.90 for museum members and $54.60 for non-members per participant. This fee is the scholarship rate made possible by a Franklin Mountains Rotary Club grant. Registration is accepted on a first-come, first-served basis as attendance is limited to 12 participants per special event.

This special event is an interactive, hands-on course about the science of archaeology, its tools, and the prehistory of the Americas from the Ice Age to European contact. Participants will learn respect for prehistoric, historic and contemporary Indian people.

Registration and payments must be submitted no later than 3:00 pm on Jan. 4, 2013.

Download the registration packet here

Contact the Curator of Education, Marilyn Guida, at 915-755-4332 for more information.

Membership and Volunteer Appreciation Celebration

2 to 4 pm

Membership is your admission ticket to this party

Food! Music! Prize Drawings! Lots of Fun!
Your membership brings benefits to you and brings 14,000 years of El Paso prehistory to families, children and adults. You receive discounts in the museum store, on camps and events, invitations to member-only events, and other benefits at higher levels. Your membership donation is tax deductible. Renew your membership and bring a friend, become a new member, give a gift membership. Memberships start at $15 for students, $20 for seniors, $40 for families - More membership rates and info at 915-755-4332 or enriquezrx@elpasotexas.gov

Native American Storytelling

4:00 to 7:00 pm

Fall and winter are storytelling seasons for many Native American tribes. Gather on the museum’s grounds as storyteller Alex Mares tells stories of pottery, coyote and the night sky from Navajo, Pueblo, and Apache tribes. Contact the museum at 915-755-4332 to reserve your place by completing the registration packet and making advance payment before January 18 at 3:00 pm.

Click here for the registration packet

Families with children age 4 and above and adults will enjoy this special cultural storytelling event. Stories start before darkness falls, then, after dark, Alex will guide you to observe the night sky and learn tribal stories about the stars and constellations. Each person should bring a flashlight, a chair to sit on, and your own water and snacks. Dress for a cool desert evening in sturdy shoes (no sandals) and appropriate clothing. In the event of inclement weather we will move into the museum auditorium.

Space is limited; registration is accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, limit of 85 people.

The admission fees for this program are:
Museum Members: $2:00 for ages 4 through 12 and $4.00 for ages 13 through adult,
Non-Members: $4:00 for ages 4 through 12 and $6.00 for age 13 through adult.

Alex Mares, Storyteller
Mr. Mares is currently Vice- President of the Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition and was Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site Lead Park Ranger for15 years.

Photography, Filming, Recording:
Our storyteller, Alex Mares, does not allow full filming or recording of an entire story or of his entire presentation by private individuals or by representatives of the media. Members of the media should identify themselves with their credentials to Mr. Mares before the presentation begins if you wish his permission to photograph, film or record a portion of his presentation. Brief recording for news broadcasts or announcements before or after the event are generally permissible. Recordings of any length for later commercial use, sale, or business purposes are not permissible. Mr. Mares is available before or after the program for interviews about the importance of storytelling and creating venues for storytelling.

Information: Marilyn Guida, 915-755-4332, guidamr@elpasotexas.gov

Real Family Stories of a Sacred Place: Hueco Tanks

2 pm

Free Admission

Alex Mares will share with you in storytelling fashion, events and actions that took place at or near Hueco Tanks. All of these stories he either witnessed personally, or were shared with him by past or living family and close friends from Native American, Mexican American, Anglo American and African American communities. None of these stories have been previously shared with the general public and remain the intellectual property of the storyteller and the characters within the stories.

Out of respect to the oral tradition and for those people past and present, any type of recording of these stories will not be allowed.

Alex Mares was born in El Paso and says he was very fortunate to be raised throughout the greater Southwest and Old Mexico. With native relatives and close friends both north and south of the border to draw unique knowledge and wisdom from, he went on to add to his education in Anthropology and Sociology at EPCC and UTEP. Alex is nationally accredited as a Certified Interpretive Guide and Certified Interpretive Planner through the National Association for Interpretation.

For nearly 24 yrs, Alex has served as a park ranger in both Texas and New Mexico. He advocates for both the sacred nature of Hueco Tanks and the special relationship between the various culturally affiliated groups and the site.

This program is presented by the El Paso Archaeological Society in partnership with the El Paso Museum of Archaeology. Information: 915-755-4332; guidamr@elpasotexas.gov

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