Cafe Botanique, October 7 - Morrison center

Trees, Corn and the Ancient Southwest
By Stephen H. Lekson, Ph.D., University of Colorado, Boulder
Wood beams found in ruined pueblos of Mesa Verde and great houses of Chaco Canyon tell us when and how those structures were built and offer key climatic information about their environment. Maize (corn) cobs and their fragments tell us when sites were occupied and how ancient economies worked. Recent field work by the University of Colorado is used to illustrate how wood and maize inform the history of the ancient Southwest, often in surprising ways.
Stephen H. Lekson is Curator and Professor of Anthropology at the Museum of Natural History, University of Colorado, Boulder. He directed more than 20 archaeological projects throughout the Southwest, most recently at Pinnacle Ruin in New Mexico, Chimney Rock in southern Colorado and Black Mountain in southern New Mexico.  Lekson's publications include a dozen books and many chapters and articles.  Most recently: A History of the Ancient Southwest (SAR Press, 2009) and The Architecture of Chaco Canyon (University of Utah Press, 2007).
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Denver Botanic Gardens – Morrison Center
6:30 – 8 p.m.