Publications
Lithic Raw Materials in the Lower Rio Grande Valley South Texas and Northeast Mexico
ABSTRACT
Analysis of 976 lithic artifacts from twelve museum and private collections in the Lower Rio Grande Valley revealed a preference for seven rock types. Sixty nine percent of all tools were made from gravel chert, which is locally the most abundant rock type on the Frio and Goliad Formations, as well as on the gravels of the Rio Grande. Representing less than 10% each were, the local El Sauz Chert, a black banded metamorphic rock, volcanic rocks, agates, silicified wood, limestone and black chert. Variations in the relative proportion of each rock type are observed by location, suggesting a tendency to use other suitable rocks that were locally available. Contrary to what has been suggested an abundance of lithic resources were available to stone tool makers in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. This study underscores the value of working with collectors in regions where little archaeological research has been conducted.Read the full the article
Ancient Landscapes of South Texas at the Nexus of Natural and Social History: AN Educational, Community Engagement and Research Initiative for the Twenty-First Century
ABSTRACT
Prior to 2009 the geoarcheological landscape of the lower Rio Grande valley was virtually a tabula
rasa within the scholarship of archeology and geology. To rectify this shortcoming the Community
Historical Archeology Project with Schools (CHAPS) Program was created from an interdisciplinary
team of scholars with research interests in the Rio Grande valley while working initially with undergraduate
and graduate students conducting in-depth studies of family farms and working with collectors
to identify archeological sites. Through time the CHAPS Program created forums for locally focused
K-12 education while developing community engagement initiatives to encourage public heritage
tourism. One, the Ancient Landscapes of South Texas initiative, is a model for exploring how an
environmental archeology approach can bridge the earth and social sciences while revealing the deep
natural history and nuanced cultural history of the region. Today the CHAPS Program is recognized
regionally, nationally, and internationally for its innovative approach integrating scholarly research,
to the use of augmented reality and photogrammetry for the 3D recording of buildings and structures,
what was once a tabula rasa is becoming a model for public archeology in Texas.
rasa within the scholarship of archeology and geology. To rectify this shortcoming the Community
Historical Archeology Project with Schools (CHAPS) Program was created from an interdisciplinary
team of scholars with research interests in the Rio Grande valley while working initially with undergraduate
and graduate students conducting in-depth studies of family farms and working with collectors
to identify archeological sites. Through time the CHAPS Program created forums for locally focused
K-12 education while developing community engagement initiatives to encourage public heritage
tourism. One, the Ancient Landscapes of South Texas initiative, is a model for exploring how an
environmental archeology approach can bridge the earth and social sciences while revealing the deep
natural history and nuanced cultural history of the region. Today the CHAPS Program is recognized
regionally, nationally, and internationally for its innovative approach integrating scholarly research,
to the use of augmented reality and photogrammetry for the 3D recording of buildings and structures,
what was once a tabula rasa is becoming a model for public archeology in Texas.