February
04
/ 2016
About 590 years ago, the inhabitants of a large village in New Mexico abandoned it, just 125 years after its founding. Researchers think severe drought, food shortages, illness, and possible warfare or ritual killings because of suspected witchcraft, all contributed to the village’s downfall. Researchers led by Douglas W. Schwartz, then president of the School for Advanced Research, excavated the site for five field seasons and analyzed the information they collected for another 20 years. And research on the sites continues. Dr. Schwartz has a website with loads of information, articles, theses, dissertations, and photos from many scholars who have worked at Arroyo Hondo Pueblo since 1970. He received three U.S. National Science Foundation grants over the years to excavate
