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North American Archaeology News and Events

Presents the best of North American Archaeology News and Events Members of IAAA receive Illinois Antiquity quarterly and an occasional journal, Rediscovery.

The Illinois Association for the Advancement of Archaeology (IAAA) is made up of eight chapters throughout Illinois. The IAAA promotes the field of archaeology in Illinois and elsewhere with monthly meetings, lectures, events at all of our chapters. The IAAA maintains the IAAA PERMANENT FUND, a new fund for the association. The PERMANENT FUND was developed to assist in preserving and developing the rich prehistoric and historic archaeological heritage of Illinois through the awarding of monetary grants for avocational and professional archaeological projects conducted within the State of Illinois.

10/04/2026

OCTOBER 2026 ANCIENT AMERICAS ZOOM EVENTS AND MUSEUM EXHIBITS

https://mikeruggerisevents.tumblr.com/

October 2, 7:00 PM ET

Pre-Columbian Society of Washington DC October Zoom

“Architecture and sacrifice: an unexpected combination providing cultural stability”
(Central Gulf Coast Mesoamerica Classic)

Register here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8VKrtRXLRWOuCCBscrjjsw #/registration

Monday, October 12 • 8 PM ET • Indigenous Peoples’ Day Aztlander Virtual Presentation

“Chilam Balam Prophecies and the Spanish Invasion of Yucatan Turned On Its Head”

Bruce Love

Access this active hyperlink to join the event: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84679490085

October 14th, 7:00 PM

San Juan Basin Archaeological Society

“Late Middle Archaic and Early Agricultural Period in Southern Arizona: Materials from McEuen Cave.”

Zoom link here:

https://fortlewis.zoom.us/j/94032371260

Meeting ID: 940 3237 1260

October 14, 6:00 PM CT

Cleveland Archaeological Society

“The Nelson Stone Tool Cache: Evidence of Ohio’s First Stone Age People?”

Rergister here:

https://cwru.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_KP7IIWsoSbmwRwZxdvFPrw #/registration

October 15, 9:00 PM CT

Old Pueblo Archaeology Center Zoom

“Defining the Main Plaza and Ritual Use of Space in the Ceremonial Precinct at Paquimé”

Register here;

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_w73hqmngToCIR5cIU_VQcw #/registration

Wednesday, October 21, 8 PM ET

Institute of Maya Studies Zoom

“What Lies Beneath the Canopy? Airborne Laser Mapping and Ground Truthing at the Maya site of El Mirador”

Access this active hyperlink to join the event:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86496088246

October 24, 11:00 AM EDT

The Textile Museum; Washington DC Zoom

“Rug and Textile Appreciation Morning: Radiocarbon Dating and the Inka Empire”

Register here:

https://connect.gwu.edu/site/Calendar?id=133210&view=Detail

October 26, 8:00 PM EST

Aztlander Virtual Presentation:

“A Glimpse Into Infinity: Deciphering the Deep Time Chronology on the Maya Cosmic Plate (Kerr Vessel 1609)”

with the enigmatic but always entertaining art historian and archaeologist Carl D. Callaway, PhD.

Access this active hyperlink to join the event: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86734670021

October 29, 4:00 PM MDT

Crow Canyon Archaeological Center Webinar

"Searching Beyond Clovis: The Challenges and Opportunities of Pre-Clovis Research”

Register here:

https://4454pp.blackbaudhosting.com/4454pp/Searching-Beyond-Clovis-The-Challenges-and-Opportunities-of-Pre-Clovis-Research

October 29, 8:00 PM CT

AIA Central Arizona Society Zoom

"Bundles of Meaning: Interpreting Rock Art Through Indigenous Knowledge”

Register here:

https://asu.zoom.us/meeting/register/cp78sp8pQ6e1Bz9QlRB90g #/registration

10/03/2026

OCTOBER 2026 AZTLANDER: VOICE OF THE ANCIENT AMERICAS
https://aztandler.tumblr.com/

Greetings Aztlanders !

Welcome to your first October issue. We have four main articles this month and only room for one noteworthy post in the news. But more groups and societies have woken up after their summer breaks, so we have 3-1/2 pages of upcoming events so you can plan your month.

At 8 pm ET on October 12, we feature paradigm-shifting research by anthropologist and Maya scholar Dr. Bruce Love. His program is titled: “Chilam Balam ‘Prophecies’: The Spanish Invasion of Yucatan Turned on its Head.”

By digging deeper and focusing tightly on the first decades of Spanish presence in Yucatan, the pre-Landa days, and with fresh translations of the Chilam Balam “prophecies” by collaborating linguist Shigeto Yoshida, Love re-tells the so-called conquest of Yucatan from the Maya viewpoint. Be sure to be there with us on Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The link is in the issue, but it is also here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84679490085

Bruce maintains an excellent website where he posts his “Contributions to Mesoamerican Studies.” Here, we focus on his illustrations and photos of important stelae at the Maya site if Itzimte. Check out all of Bruce’s interesting and informative posts at: brucelove.com

We bring you news of the shifting of the guard at the popular MAM: Mayas for Ancient Mayan. We publish most of Michael Grofe’s informative post. Read the complete farewell letter at discovermam.org

Check out page 7, our Aztlander Upcoming Programs page. Not only do we list our remaining programs for 2026, but here, we post our full 2027 schedule of presenters. We’ve got a lot of important scholars, researchers, and professors so next year is really going to be something special.

Ruben C. Cordova has submitted a lengthy two-part article about a magnificent museum exhibit at the MET Cloisters in New York City, on view only through October 18. The exhibit titled: “Creatures of Myth and Imagination” explores hybrid creatures from both sides of the Atlantic created between 500 and 1500 CE. Here, Part I focuses on Tzinacantecuhtli, the Zapotec Bat Lord. Images that Ruben has included show views of the sculpture that you cannot see when the sculpture is on display at its usual home, the Templo Mayor Museum in Mexico City. Part II will appear in your second October issue. Muchas gracias, Don Ruben!

Our illustrator friend Steve Radzi has submitted a really nice drawing of the Temple of the Count (Templo del Conde) at Palenque.

David Bolles, together with his co-author Antonia P**t Tuz have submitted “Two Family’s Stories About Happenings During the Caste War.” Most Maya and researchers now refer to the conflict as the “Social War” (Guerra Social). I love that David has become quite the expert at manipulating AI to achieve images that tell the stories of the past but appear as if they are actual color photos from that time. Expect to see more from David in future issues.

Imagine… November 18, 2027, will be the next culmination/beginning of the Calendar Round. It will be 18,970 days since November 18, 1975. Our good friend, Kari Noren-Hoshal, who we know from her Atlander presentation a few years ago about America’s White Bison, does a pretty good job of describing the historical significance of the New Fire Ceremony. I’ve included some excellent illustrations of the Aztec New Fire Ceremony by artist Felipe Dávalos featured on Mexicolore.co.uk. Thank you, Ian!

Kari is also announcing a sacred journey, along with Spiritual Elder Miguel Angel Vergara, to take place December 6-13 of this year, to prepare the way for the important date in 2027. You can attend sacred ceremonies and preparations, plus visit the Maya sites of Uxmal, Labnah, Ake, Izamal, and Ixcambo. The itinerary will also take you to visit the workshop of artesana Maya Patricia Martin Morales. We provide links to casakin.org where you can get more information and register for this special, sacred journey with a special significance.

Our single noteworthy post in the news features ancient rock art spanning 2,000 years preserved inside a Mexican cave.

We provide a link to the recording of Barbara MacLeod and Péter Bíró’s excellent presentation titled “New Thoughts About the Kaloomté Title,” full of insights and new information. If you didn’t attend or haven’t seen the recording yet check it out at: “New Thoughts About the Kaloomte' Title”with Barbara MacLeod and Péter Bíró

“New Thoughts About the Kaloomte' Title”with Barbara MacLeod and Péter Bíró
We agree with the compelling evidence that the early "kaloomte'" title, together with distinctive dress and rega...

That’s it! A 27-page Aztlander issue created for you.

Enjoy your month of October as we step off into fall together.

Jim Reed /Creator/Editor
Michael Ruggeri/Main Man/Promotions

09/18/2026

Monday, September 21, 8:00 PM ET
Aztlander Zoom

“New Thoughts About the Kaloomte' Title”

with Barbara MacLeod and Péter Bíró

Access this active hyperlink to join the event:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86469254288

We agree with the compelling evidence that the early

09/18/2026

2026 IAS Annual Meeting Saturday, October 3, 2026
Cahokia Visitor and Education Center, Collinsville, Illinois

IMPORTANT ATTENDANCE NOTICE: Seating in the auditorium is limited. Once the auditorium reaches maximum capacity, we will not be able to admit additional attendees. If you plan to attend the presentations, please arrive early to help ensure a seat.

Here is the schedule for the 2026 IAS Annual Conference!

10:45–11:30 a.m. — Papers
“Collaborative Archaeology and Community History in Brooklyn, Illinois”
Erin Benson, Alleen Betzenhauser, Roberta Rogers, Michael E. Smith, Elizabeth Watts Malouchos, and Miranda Yancey — Illinois State Archaeological Survey, IDNR
This presentation explores the partnership between the Historical Society of Brooklyn, Illinois, and the Illinois State Archaeological Survey to preserve and promote the heritage of one of Illinois’ most historically significant African American communities. Recent archaeological investigations demonstrate how archaeology can support community history, heritage preservation, youth engagement, and grassroots revitalization.

“From Bricks to Breakthroughs: What the FIRST LEGO League ‘Unearthed’ Challenge Taught Us About the Future of Archaeology”
Dale F. Simpson Jr., Illinois State Archaeological Survey, and Ruhaan Kumar
The 2025–2026 FIRST LEGO League “Unearthed” season challenged young people to tackle real archaeological problems through science, engineering, robotics, and innovation. Drawing on experience working with eighteen FLL teams, this presentation explores what archaeologists can learn from the next generation—and how outreach can become genuine collaboration rather than simply public education.

11:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. — IAS Awards Presentations

12:00–1:30 p.m. — LUNCH
Please note: Food is not permitted inside the venue. Attendees must leave the facility for lunch. We will provide a list of nearby recommended restaurants.

1:30–2:15 p.m. — Papers
“Crowdsourcing Archaeology: Five Years of Ask an Archaeologist”
Alleen Betzenhauser and John M. Lambert, Illinois State Archaeological Survey
A look back at five years and roughly 850 public submissions to ISAS’s “Ask an Archaeologist” program—and what crowdsourcing archaeological information can contribute to understanding and protecting Illinois archaeology.

“Geoarchaeology in Illinois CRM: Fifty Years of Practice and New Directions from IDOT Research”
Michael Aiuvalasit, Illinois State Archaeological Survey
Drawing on more than 400 geoarchaeological reports dating from 1970–2025, this presentation examines five decades of geoarchaeological practice in Illinois CRM and highlights new directions emerging from current ISAS and IDOT research.

“The ‘Other Lithics’ at Kincaid’s Fluorite Workshop”
Brian M. Butler, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Research from SIUC investigations at Kincaid’s famous “Fluorite Workshop” examines lithic debris and tools beyond the well-known microlithic complex, revealing a broader range of processing and crafting activities at the site.

2:15–2:30 p.m. — BREAK
“Playing in the Shawnee: Toys and Personal Items at Late 19th and Early 20th Century Homesteads”
Ayla Amadio, Elijah Keefer-McGee, and Langdon Jerrell — Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Toys and personal objects from historic sites in and around the Shawnee National Forest provide a much more personal view of daily life, leisure, families, and the people who called southern Illinois home.

“Over There, Over Here: WWI Training Trenches in Rockford, Illinois”
Clare Tolmie, Illinois State Archaeological Survey
Archival research and remote sensing are helping reconstruct the extensive World War I trench-training system at Camp Grant in Rockford and identify portions that may still survive in the modern landscape.

3:00 p.m. — CLOSE
Come spend the day with us at Cahokia for Illinois archaeology, new research, awards, collaboration, and a chance to catch up with colleagues from across the state.

See you at Cahokia!

09/17/2026

TONIGHT! Fill Your Archaeological Bucket!

Illinois Archaeology Awareness Month is in full swing, and tonight you have THREE fantastic presentations to choose from!

At 6:00 PM, join Dr. William Green and the Chicago Map Society for “This Is the Route of My Forefathers: The 1837 Ioway Map.” Explore this remarkable Indigenous map and what it reveals about nearly 200 years of Ioway history, settlements, relationships, and connections across the Midwest. Attend at the Newberry Library or via Zoom.

https://us.list-manage.com/5EHccWEioKm?e=0791e8fde9&c2id=13c4dd60a694864c29bdce9df1d7d3a6

At 7:00 PM, the Cahokia Archaeological Society welcomes Dr. Michael Wiant and Margorie B. Schroeder for “Flotation-Recovered Small-Scale Material from 30-meter-long Sediment Cores: Insights into the Construction and Use of Monks Mound.” Learn how flotation-recovered materials from deep sediment cores are providing insights into the construction, chronology, and use of one of North America’s most remarkable Indigenous earthworks. Attend at the Cahokia Mounds Interpretive Center or watch on Facebook Live.

https://www.facebook.com/CahokiaArchaeologicalSociety

Also at 7:00 PM, the South Suburban Archaeological Society welcomes Dr. Christina Friberg for “The Influence of Cahokia on Smaller, Local Communities.” Explore how Cahokia and the broader Mississippian world influenced—and were adapted by—communities throughout Illinois. Attend at the Irwin Center in Homewood or via Zoom.

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86191232555?pwd=OLR7lIaFPviR3158PX51TIo7ytPYtd.1

THREE presentations. ONE night. You choose!

09/15/2026

SAVE THE DATE FOR THE 2026 ANNUAL MEETING - 10/3/2026!

09/14/2026

Thursday, September 17, 7:00 PM CT
South Suburban Chapter IAAA

"The Influence of Cahokia on Smaller, Local Communities"

with Dr. Christina Friberg, Field Museum & University of Illinois (Chicago)

Cahokia was the largest and most complex Native American city north of Mexico from 1050-1375 CE, and the epicenter of the Mississippian phenomenon that spanned and influenced Native American communities throughout the Midwest, Midsouth, and Southeastern US until the arrival of Europeans in the 16th century. In this talk, Dr. Christina Friberg will discuss the broader impacts of large Mississippian-period sites like Cahokia on outlying communities and on the daily lives of people living in the Mississippian-period Illinois River Valley (IRV). The IRV is a region that fell outside of Cahokia’s direct sphere of economic influence, yet the people there built Mississippian towns, made Mississippian pottery, and engaged in Mississippian practices with reference to their own identities and traditions. The ways in which IRV Mississippians engaged with Cahokian culture varied over time and with distance from Cahokia. In order to understand variation in the nature of interactions in Cahokia’s hinterland, Dr. Friberg will address issues of identity, community organization, sociopolitical complexity, and religion by incorporating a combination of geophysical survey, excavation, geospatial analysis, and material analyses.

Dr. Christina Friberg is Assistant Curator of North American Anthropology at the Field Museum of Natural History and a lecturer at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She received a PhD in anthropology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and specializes in the archaeology of precontact American Indian societies in the Midwest and Southeast. Her research focuses on the impacts of complex nonstate societies on outlying communities and endemic warfare on daily life.

This presentation, which is free and open to the public, will be in-person at the Marie Irwin Community Center, 18120 Highland Avenue, Homewood, IL
and also available via ZOOM. Please join us for light refreshments before the program.
Interested in participating remotely? Using the link below, send an email requesting access.* Make your request as soon as possible and include enough information to verify your identity. A day or two before the program, the host will respond with an invitation to attend via ZOOM. To ensure access to this event, please log in by 7:00 PM.

[email protected]

09/14/2026

Wednesday, September 16, 8:00 PM ET
Aztlander Zoom

"Art Born from Mountains: The Ancestral Maya and their Peers"

Download or access the hyperlink to join the event:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86219694533

The royal courts of the Classic Period (ca. 250-900 CE) in the Maya Lowlands undoubtedly sponsored some of the most iconic architectural and artistic creations in the ancient world. The Classic Maya artists, many now known by name, drew from deep ancestral traditions within Mesoamerica and practiced at the same time as makers from radically different but interrelated traditions across the Americas. The story of ancestral Maya art forms a central case study in the new book Arts of the Ancient Americas, coming out in October for Thames & Hudson’s World of Art series. This hemispheric treatment for general readers proceeds roughly from early to late, in four main parts. Overarching themes – the earliest art making, royal patrons and their artists, the arts of cities, and imperial arts – unite chapters addressing roughly contemporaneous case studies from across North, Central, and South America. Each chapter focuses on a regional investigation, placing different related traditions in conversation with comparative examples from other cultural areas. The goal of this thematic organization is to move away from strict geographical understandings of art traditions (divided by locations such as Mesoamerica, the Andes, etc.) that tend to isolate rather than celebrate commonalities. The chapters thus stand alone or spark connections with the others in each part. Each chapter addresses universal components of world art such as architecture, color, materiality, regalia, luminosity, performance, and visual parables, among others, to expand our understanding of what ancient American art was and who the creators were in these regions. Overall, Arts of the Ancient Americas hopefully provides readers with an updated consensus on important visual cultures employing interdisciplinary scholarship of archaeology, art history, epigraphy, and related fields.

James A. Doyle, an archaeologist and curator, is a leading scholar on the art and architecture of the Indigenous Americas and has published and lectured widely on the ancestral peoples of the Mesoamerican and Isthmo-Colombian areas. He is the Director of the Matson Museum of Anthropology, Research Professor of Anthropology, and Affiliate Professor of Art History at the Pennsylvania State University. Currently, he is a Fulbright U.S. Scholar to Panama, completing research and writing a new book, Gran Coclé: The Royal Arts of Ancestral Panama, to be published by the University of Texas Press. In addition to scholarly publications, including the book Architecture and the Origins of Preclassic Maya Politics (Cambridge University Press, 2017), he has also organized and participated in multiple award-winning, critically acclaimed exhibitions for the public such as Lives of the Gods: Divinity in Maya Art (2022–23), Arte del Mar: Artistic Exchange in the Caribbean (2019–21), and Golden Kingdoms: Luxury and Legacy in the Ancient Americas (2017–18). His work has been supported by, among others, the National Gallery of Art, Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Science Foundation, and the Wenner-Gren Foundation. He obtained his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Anthropology from Brown University, and his B.A. in Anthropology from Vanderbilt University.

09/09/2026

https://magazineoftheancientamericas.tumblr.com/

MIKE RUGGERI’S MAGAZINE OF THE ANCIENT AMERICAS; MAY-AUGUST

RECENT ANCIENT MAYA NEWS

RECENT ANCIENT ANDEAN NEWS

RECENT ANCIENT MESOAMERICA NEWS

RECENT ANCIENT AZTEC NEWS

RECENT ANCIENT NORTH AMERICA NEWS

RECENT ANCIENT NICARAGUA, ANCIENT AMAZON, ANCIENT C0LOMBIA NEWS

AZTLANDER; MAGAZINE OF THE ANCIENT AMERICAS

09/07/2026

Additional September 2026 Ancient Americas Events

ANCIENT AMERICAS EVENTS AND MUSEUM EXHIBITS
https://mikeruggerisevents.tumblr.com/

September 12, 1:30 pm EDTY
Pre-Columbian Society at the Penn Museum Zoom

"A Reinterpretation of Eclipse Dates at Xochicalco”

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3804685493?omn=82116392472

Meeting ID: 380 468 5493

September 24, 4;00 PM MDT
Crow Canyon Archaeological Center Zoom

"Montezuma Castle National Monument: Recent Research & Insight”

Register here;
https://4454pp.blackbaudhosting.com/4454pp/Montezuma-Castle-National-Monument-Recent-Research--Insight-with-Matt-Guebard

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