With Stephen Lekson and Brian Redmond
May 9 - 17, 2010
Dear friends,
I invite you to join me for a very special archaeological tour to the Four Corners area of the United States. The Southwest Exploration was designed to 
provide an in-depth study of the area and to highlight the exciting work done by our study leader, Dr. Steven Lekson.
We have included a number of special features in the trip. Sally Cole, author of Legacy on Stone: Rock Art of the Colorado Plateau and Four Corners Region joins us at Sand Island for a discussion on the petroglyphs there. In Canyon de Chelly, we board a truck to drive along the canyon floor where sweeping vistas await. In the mission church in Zuni Pueblo, a member of the Seowtewa family, painters of Kachina cycle murals, will join us to discuss their meaning. And we will visit two remote and rarely-visited sites – Bluff Great House and Chimney Rock – where Dr. Lekson has worked and learn about his most recent discoveries.
Initial interest has been extremely strong, so I urge you to send in your reservation early. Please join us as we explore the wonders of the ancient Anasazi. We look forward to sharing new discoveries and insights with you on our journey to the Southwest.
BRIAN REDMOND
Brian G. Redmond
Curator and John Otis Hower Chair of Archaeology,
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Click here to request a printer friendly Southwest brochure
(B) breakfast, (L) lunch, (D) dinner
DAY 1 Begin our tour of Albuquerque. Meet in the Best Western Rio Grande Inn at noon. Transfer to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, where we will enjoy a light lunch. Featuring exhibits on the history of New Mexico's 19 Indian pueblos, including a permanent exhibit of the development of the Pueblo culture from prehistoric times until present day, the Cultural Center gives us an overview of the land we are about to visit. Gather this evening for a traditional New Mexico welcome dinner. Overnight in Albuquerque for two nights in the Best Western Rio Grande Inn, located in Old Town. (L/D)
DAY 2 Tour of Salinas Mission: The role of the missions in the Colonial era of New Mexico's history will be explored during an all-day excursion to the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. Today's exploration will focus on all three of the Salinas missions: Gran Quivira, Quarai and Abo. Originally known as La Purisima Concepcion de Cuarac, Quarai was built in 1630. The surrounding pueblo, consisting of compact apartment complexes built around kivas, or subterranean ceremonial chambers, dates to 1300 AD. The magnificent crimson sandstone walls of the mission church still stand overlooking the village. Continue to Gran Quivira, the most extensive pueblo and mission ruin in the monument, and Abo, known by Coronado and visited by Oñate. Within a few years, Abo became the seat of the Mission of San Gregorio with a monastery, orchards, and gardens. Curiously, there is a kiva within the courtyard of the church. Apache raids finally forced the abandonment of the site in the 1670s. Return to Albuquerque with dinner on our own. (B/L)
DAY 3 Tour of Acoma: Acoma Pueblo sits atop a forbidding mesa rising 400 feet above the valley floor. Known as "Sky City," Acoma has been inhabited since the 12th century and is reputed to be the oldest continuously occupied community in the United States. As we walk through the village, we learn about the distinctive black and white pottery made here. Then it’s on to Zuni, the Pueblo village where the conquest of what is now the Southwestern United States began in 1538. These are the villages described by Fray Marcos de Niza as paved with gold. Stop at the Zuni Mission Church, first begun in the 17th century. By special arrangement, meet with the son of the Zuni mural artist who created the full Kachina cycle depicted on the walls of the church and who will talk about the symbolism of each of the figures represented. The Seowtewa family has been working on this project for more than thirty years, and the fascinating evolution of their style can be seen as we compare the early works to the complexity of their style today. Continue to Gallup and check into the El Rancho Hotel for one night. This quaint inn, built in 1937 by the brother of movie magnate D.W. Griffith, attracted many of Hollywood's stars who came here to make their films. Their autographed photos adorn the fascinating two-story lobby. (B/L/D)
DAY 4 Tour of Canyon de Chelly and Hubbell's Trading Post: Hubbell’s Trading Post is the oldest, continuously operating trading post on the Navajo Nation, and it offers a unique glimpse into the time when traders served as the main contact to the outside world for reservation dwellers. John Lorenzo Hubbell purchased a trading post in 1878, and the Hubbell family continued to operate it until it was sold to the National Park Service in 1965. Today, the post store still operates and there will be time to peruse the merchandise after a tour of the museum. Created by streams slicing through a large mesa, Canyon de Chelly is located in a breathtaking natural setting. Narrow arroyos are framed by sheer red and yellow cliffs and lined with white sand stream beds. Navajo families still live in hogans within the lush valley floors. Above the canyon floor, cliff dwellings and lovely rock paintings and petroglyphs recall the prehistoric canyon dwellers who called this magnificent area home. The grandeur of this locale will be truly appreciated as we ride through the canyons in the back of a World War II Weapons Carrier (now a tour bus!). Overnight in the Best Western Canyon de Chelly Inn. (B/L/D)
DAY 5: Early this morning, walk along the canyon rim to see the valley from above before driving into Utah where we will view two remarkable sites along the San Juan River. The Sand Island Rock Art Site is nearly 150 feet in length and along the panel several hundred figures are displayed. It is especially known for its Kokopelli images - five in all. Here, Sally Cole, renowned rock art specialist and author of Legacy on Stone: Rock Art of the Colorado Plateau and Four Corners Region will join us for a private talk. As we wander along the cliff face, Sally will discuss their meaning and point out recent discoveries. Time permitting, stop by the Great House overlooking the town of Bluff and where our trip leader has excavated.. Standing several stories tall with a ceremonial Great Kiva and Chacoan road, this outlier would have been the center of society along this stretch of the river. See rarely visited Hovenweep, a series of magnificent ruins straddling the Utah and Colorado border. As we wander along the trails, we will examine a series of masonry-walled "castles" built by the Anasazi to guard water sources at the heads of shallow canyons. Continue to Cortez where we overnight for two nights in the Holiday Inn Express. (B/L/D)
DAY 6: About 600AD a group of Native people chose Mesa Verde for their home, and for more than 700 years their descendants lived and flourished here. During the centuries they built elaborate stone multi-storied "apartment houses" in the sheltered recesses of the towering canyon walls. Today’s all day tour takes us to Mesa Verde where we explore some of these spectacular cliff houses and their associated prehistoric farming terraces and pit houses. (B/L/D)
DAY 7: Our morning drive takes us from Cortez to Chimney Rock, located on San Juan National Forest land surrounded by the Southern Ute Indian Reservation. Of great spiritual significance to these tribes, their ancestors built over 200 homes and ceremonial buildings high above the valley floor, probably to be near the sacred twin rock pinnacles. Dr. Lekson headed a team that excavated and stabilized the Great House here in the summer of 2009. After lunch in Durango, continue to Aztec, New Mexico and the multi-storied Aztec Ruin, situated on the north bank of the Animas River. This five hundred room complex was built almost 1000 years ago and contains a large and beautifully restored kiva in the central plaza. Overnight in Aztec at the Step Back Inn. (B/L/D)
DAY 8: Today will be a long but memorable day as we explore Chaco Canyon. An archaeological survey has recorded over 2000 ancient sites within the valley and nearby areas. This arid, treeless arroyo was the center for the Pueblo culture a thousand years ago, and magnificent pueblos still stand as mute testimony to its former grandeur. The area was an important hub for commerce and the immense road system branching out from Chaco Canyon shows the importance of trade to the area. In complexity of community life, in social organization and architecture, the Native people of Chaco Canyon reached heights rarely matched and never surpassed by their kindred in the Four Corners Region. Continue to Albuquerque and overnight in the Rio Grande Inn. Gather this evening for a farewell dinner in one of Albuquerque’s renowned restaurants. (B/L/D)
DAY 9: Transfer to the airport for the return flight back to Cleveland. (B)
Dr. Stephen Lekson is Curator of Anthropology, Museum of Natural History, and Professor of Anthropology at the University of Colorado. He received his PhD in Anthropology from the University of New Mexico in 1988. A specialist in the archaeology of the North American Southwest, Dr. Lekson has worked throughout the Four Corners region, including several sites we will visit on the trip – Chimney Rock, Bluff Great House, Aztec Ruins National Monument, and Chaco Canyon. Dr. Lekson is the author of many books and other periodicals, most notably A History of the Ancient Southwest, The Architecture of Chaco Canyon, The Archaeology of Chaco Canyon, Chaco Meridian: Centers of Political Power in the Ancient Southwest, and Great Pueblo Architecture of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. He has been consultant and curator of several projects including the permanent exhibit at Chaco Canyon National Park Visitors' Center, and has presented papers throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. Dr. Lekson has been an invited speaker at many conferences and public lectures, including the Smithsonian Institution, the Archaeological Institute of America, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Arts, and was a featured speaker on Southwest archaeology on several radio and television specials including National Public Radio, the Discovery Channel, and the History Channel.
Brian G. Redmond is the Curator and John Otis Hower Chair of Archaeology, The Cleveland Museum of Natural History. He received his BA and MA in Anthropology from the University of Toledo, Ohio, and his PhD in Anthropology at Indiana University, Bloomington. A specialist on the Late Woodland and Late Prehistoric periods, he has directed archaeological excavations throughout the Ohio and Indiana region.
Tour Dates May 9 - 17, 2010
$ 3245.00 (per person, double occupancy) includes group accommodations based on double occupancy; meals as noted in the itinerary; airport transfers; entry fees to sites named in itinerary; ground transportation by 24-passenger bus throughout the tour; emergency evacuation insurance for each participant; and luggage handling (where available – see note below).
Cost Does Not Include: Flights to and from Albuquerque, New Mexico; separate tax-deductible check for $100 written to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History; meals other than those listed in the itinerary; food, alcoholic and other beverages not on set menus; gratuity to drivers; airport fees and taxes; excess baggage charges; email, telephone and fax charges; laundry, personal tips; or other items of a personal nature.
Single Supplement:: $425.00. Far Horizons will attempt to find a roommate for participants requesting that we do so. However, if one is not available, the single supplement will be charged.
Fuel Surcharges: Far Horizons must pass on price increases when additional fuel charges are levied.
Donation Check: The cost of the trip does not include the separate donation check for $100.00 (per person) to 'The Cleveland Museum'.
The cost of the tour does not include air tickets into and out of Albuquerque. The hotel offers airport to hotel transfers. You must contact the hotel to confirm your transfers. Alternatively, if you wish to participant in the group transfer, you must arrive into Albuquerque by 11:30 a. m. on the first day of the trip. You are responsible for all flight arrangements and transportation (including airport transfers) to join the group. If Far Horizons must change the trip dates or cancel the trip for any reason, Far Horizons is not responsible for any air ticket you may have purchased. The group tour begins at noon in the hotel.
A deposit check for $500.00 made out to “Far Horizons” along with a separate check for $100.00 to “The Cleveland Museum of Natural History,” will confirm your reservation. Please mail both checks to Far Horizons, P.O. Box 2546, San Anselmo, CA 94960. Final payment is due on February 8, 2010 (90 days before departure). If you have any questions regarding the itinerary, please contact Far Horizons, (800) 552-4575.
Cancellations received in writing at least 90 days before departure (February 8, 2010) will receive a refund less a $300.00 administrative fee. There are no refunds after that date. If for any reason you are unable to complete the trip, neither the Cleveland Museum nor Far Horizons will not reimburse any fees. Upon registering for the trip the purchase of travel protection with both trip cancellation and emergency evacuation is strongly advised.
Changes in our itinerary, accommodations, and transportation schedules may occur. A good book to read as well as a flexible attitude and a sense of humor are essential.
We will be traveling into remote areas of the Four Corners region. The itinerary is designed for energetic people in good health who like to be active and have a spirit of adventure. Hotels will be simple and clean. They will not be five- or even four-star. Most will not have bell staff, and you may have to carry your own luggage. Meals will not be haute cuisine and several lunches will be picnics or box lunches. During several days we will walk over uneven terrain for a mile or more. The adventurous nature of the itinerary makes it essential that participants be in good physical condition and have the ability to maintain a flexible attitude. Team spirit and a good sense of humor are vital! If you have questions about your ability to handle this sort of challenge, please call us.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL TOUR OF THE SOUTHWEST IS LIMITED TO 20 PARTICIPANTS
