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Chihuahua Adventure – Paquime, Cueva de la Olla and more
November 1, 2019 @ 8:00 am - November 4, 2019 @ 5:00 pm MST
Paquimé, previously known as Casas Grandes, was one of the largest and most influential communities in the ancient U.S. Southwest and northwestern Mexico and is UNESCO World Heritage Site. Excavations by the Amerind Foundation and Mexico’s Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia reveal a thriving community with many multi-storied room blocks, ballcourts, ritual mounds, and enormous amount of exotic goods, like macaw parrots, copper, and marine shell. We will visit Paquimé and its world-class museum.
The trip will be led by archaeologist/ethnobotanist Paul Minnis.
Paquimé was more than a large community; it was the center of a large network of hundreds of outlying towns and hamlets. We will visit several of these sites. Cueva de la Olla (Cave Valley) is a famous ruin in the mountains just west of the Casas Grandes region. If we have sufficient time, we will also visit other sites not one to the public.
A trip to this region is not complete without a visit to Mata Ortiz, a town of 400 potters who started their tradition by imitating ancient pottery. Their artistic talents have now extended far beyond imitation.
Itinerary. The trips will be four days. The first day will be driving to the Casas Grandes area through Columbus, New Mexico/Palomas, Chihuahua with lunch at the Pink Store in Palomas. There are many good hotels in the Nuevo Casas Grandes with most of us staying at the Hotel Hacienda. The first night will be a group dinner with a short lecture about what we will be seeing. Day 2 will be devoted to exploring Paquimé and Mata Ortiz. Day three will take us to Cueva de la Olla and other sites in the region. We will return to Tucson on day four. There is no charge for the trip but participants will cover their own food and lodging costs as well as any tourist fees, entrance fees to archaeological sites and Mexican car insurance.
Logistics. The tour is limited to seven vehicles. We will arrange carpooling from Tucson. If you are experienced and comfortable driving in Mexico please indicate this when you register for the trip. To register email Katherine Cerino at Registration closes October 21st. We will help make hotel arrangements for you.