Archaeological Field School
Every summer the CU Department of Anthropology conducts an archaeological field school for interested undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at CU Boulder. From 2002 to 2004, the field school was in the Southwest (Utah and New Mexico). From 2005-2015, students set up camp on the Great Plains. From 2016-2018, students had the opportunity to live in and do archaeology with contemporary American Indian communities in the Southwest with Scott Ortman. In 2019 the field school returned to the Great Plains with Doug Bamforth. Since 2024, the field school has again been in the US Southwest with Professor Ortman.
Summer Archaeological Field School 2025: The 2025 Anthropology Department archaeological field school focuses on Indio-Hispano and Tewa communities in Northern New Mexico. Students will learn how to excavate, analyze stratigraphy, record new sites on survey, identify artifacts, and work in partnership with local, indigenous, and descendant communities. Test excavations will take place at the Indio-Hispano village of Estaca (1700-present) and we will record an eroding village on Pueblo of Pojoaque tribal land, and the ancestral Tewa village of Navawi’i on Pueblo of San Ildefonso tribal land. We will also do a camping trip to the four corners, visit contemporary Pueblos, attend traditional dances, and do other fun stuff! Transportation and lodging will be provided, but there may be a modest fee for food depending on the available funding. Interested students must apply for and be accepted into the course, and accepted students must register for ANTH 4350 for 6 credit hours.
CU Summer Archaeological Field School: ANTH 4350/4390 (6 Credits)
ANTH 4350: Archaeological Field and Laboratory Research.
Students participate in archaeological field research or conduct laboratory analysis of archaeological materials and data. Students work with faculty on archaeological research projects with a field or lab focus, depending on the project undertaken. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. Prereq., instructor consent. Same as ANTH 5350.
Field schools in physical anthropology and cultural anthropology are available through other universities. Please ask the undergraduate advisor for more information.
CU Summer Archaeological Field School
Archaeology program connects the past and present
For Patrick Cruz, studying archaeological sites in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico this summer was a way to hone his skills. But the trip also allowed Cruz, a CU Boulder archaeology graduate student, to retrace the journey his Tewa ancestors made centuries ago.
To read the full story, visit the Office for Outreach and Engagement website.