Pecos conference
Encyclopedia
The Pecos Conference is an annual conference of archaeologists which is held in the southwestern United States
or northern Mexico
.
Each August, archaeologists gather under open skies somewhere in the southwestern United States or northern Mexico. They set up a large tent for shade, and then spend three or more days together discussing recent research and the problems of the field and challenges of the profession. In recent years, Native Americans
, avocational archaeologists, the general public and media organizations have come to speak with the archaeologists. These individuals and groups play an increasingly important role, as participants and as audience, helping professional archaeologists celebrate archaeological research and to mark cultural continuity.
First inspired and organized by A.V. Kidder
at Pecos
, New Mexico
, in 1927, the Pecos Conference has no formal organization or permanent leadership. Somehow, professional archaeologists find ways to organize themselves to meet at a new conference location each summer, mostly because they understand the problems of working in isolation in the field and the importance of direct face time with colleagues. To make progress with objective science and with other cultural matters, books and journal articles are important, but one still must look colleagues in the eye and work out the details of one's research in cooperative and contentious forums.
Open to all, the Pecos Conference remains an important and superlative opportunity for students and students of prehistory to meet with professional archaeologists on a one-on-one informal basis to learn about the profession, gain access to resources and to new research opportunities, and to test new methods and theories related to archaeology.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
or northern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
Each August, archaeologists gather under open skies somewhere in the southwestern United States or northern Mexico. They set up a large tent for shade, and then spend three or more days together discussing recent research and the problems of the field and challenges of the profession. In recent years, Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
, avocational archaeologists, the general public and media organizations have come to speak with the archaeologists. These individuals and groups play an increasingly important role, as participants and as audience, helping professional archaeologists celebrate archaeological research and to mark cultural continuity.
First inspired and organized by A.V. Kidder
Alfred V. Kidder
Alfred Vincent Kidder was an American archaeologist considered the foremost of the southwestern United States and Mesoamerica during the first half of the 20th century...
at Pecos
Pecos, New Mexico
Pecos is a village in San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,441 at the 2000 census, growing much faster than in other parts of San Miguel County, partly because Pecos is within commuting distance of Santa Fe. The village is built along the Pecos River which flows from...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, in 1927, the Pecos Conference has no formal organization or permanent leadership. Somehow, professional archaeologists find ways to organize themselves to meet at a new conference location each summer, mostly because they understand the problems of working in isolation in the field and the importance of direct face time with colleagues. To make progress with objective science and with other cultural matters, books and journal articles are important, but one still must look colleagues in the eye and work out the details of one's research in cooperative and contentious forums.
Open to all, the Pecos Conference remains an important and superlative opportunity for students and students of prehistory to meet with professional archaeologists on a one-on-one informal basis to learn about the profession, gain access to resources and to new research opportunities, and to test new methods and theories related to archaeology.