A group of New Mexico State University students went to Cottonwood Spring Pueblo this summer for the Archaeological Field School, a 6-week and 6-credit summer field research course offered by the anthropology department at NMSU, with the support of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Graduate students Tuesday Critz and Keely Yanito led the field school with guidance from William Walker, anthropology professor, and Judy Berryman, affiliated faculty member. Students were trained in mapping, excavation, recording and field research that will prepare them for future careers in archaeology.

"So, everything was going slow at first, and then it just kind of took off," Yanito said. "We had a really good crew this year. It's exciting because you can see the way everybody was starting to learn out there."

"I think it can be a really practical thing," Critz said. "Most jobs in the field of archaeology are cultural research management (CRM) jobs or contract archaeology jobs where you minimally need to have a field school. You have to learn all the foundations of excavation in order to take that next step to become an archaeologist."

"Field school helps students decide if this field is for them," Walker said. "For many, it confirms their decision to become archaeologists and for others it gives them pause to reconsider. Both are valuable experiences."

The Cottonwood Spring Pueblo is a 14th century village located just north of Las Cruces near the San Andres Mountains and holds clues to human responses to climate change. The students' main area of focus this summer was Area E, an area containing remains of multiple adobe room blocks from a village that seems to represent a multicultural community.

"Cottonwood Spring Pueblo is a misnomer," Walker said. "Rather than one pueblo, it's a cluster of several. It represents the coming together of multiple groups of people from Southern New Mexico to forge a large 14th century community of villages. The 13th century was one of the most difficult periods in pueblo history. The entire century experienced below average rainfall and the last 25 years 1275-1300 were the worst. During that century people began to move to new areas. When the rainfall returned in the 1300s, we see the rise of large pueblos and communities with new religions and ways that depend on cooperation of previously distinct cultures. There are lessons for today we can learn from those people. That's why we are documenting how people at cottonwood made it work in trying times."

Students found the material culture and architecture they observed in Area E differed from what was observed at another area. They found more local pottery and room architecture.

"This is one of the reasons we believe there may have been multiple cultural groups represented within the site," Critz said.

This field school not only benefits students seeking more experience in the field of archeology, but it also benefits those in leadership positions. Serving as graduate teaching assistants, Critz and Yanito learned strategies for group management and organizational skills.

"I feel like one of the big things I've learned is the power of collaboration," Critz said. "When all the TAs and the graduate students would get together and go over paperwork with each other, and all get on the same page, through that I was able to gain confidence.

By learning how to delegate, Yanito observed that the undergraduate students also gained confidence.

"By giving them opportunities to step up and do those things," Yanito said, "even though they didn't feel comfortable, it was a way to help them get comfortable."

Yanito, recipient of the 2023 Society for American Archaeology National Science Foundation Scholarship for Archaeological Training, plans to finish her master's degree in anthropology and then pursue her Ph.D. Critz will start the master's program in anthropology at NMSU this fall and also plans to get a museum studies certificate to pursue a career as a curator.

"It was one of the few places where I could get both my masters and a museum studies certificate simultaneously," Critz said of NMSU.

Yanito and Critz also expressed their gratitude to Walker for his mentorship in making the field school a success.

"With these guys," Yanito said, "they've helped me so much, and you can tell that they really do care about us."

"I learned more than I could have imagined during this experience and am very grateful," Critz said.

The full article can be seen at https://newsroom.nmsu.edu/news/nmsu-archaeological-field-school-returns-to-cottonwood-spring-pueblo/s/d2e5fa1b-3492-43d9-947c-222141c2c2fb