Shell Jewelry and Ornaments in the Ancient Southwest

Old Pueblo Archaeology Center’s “Third Thursday Food for Thought”
dinner & presentation: “Shell Jewelry and Ornaments in the Ancient
Southwest” with archaeologist Arthur W. Vokes at Dragon’s View Asian
Cuisine, 400 N. Bonita Ave., Tucson
6 to 8:30 p.m. Free (Order your own dinner off of the restaurant’s
menu)
The pre-Contact cultures of the Southwest have a rich tradition in
the use of shell, stone, and other mediums to create personal jewelry and
other ornaments. These traditions varied in terms of types and motifs over
time and across space. This presentation will focus on the nature of this
variation and discuss possible causes of the observed patterns across these
different dimensions, focusing on ancient southwestern shell ornaments.
Arthur Vokes, Old Pueblo’s guest speaker for this month’s program, is
Archaeological Collections Curator at the Arizona State Museum, University
of Arizona. He has spent many years researching the nature of personal
ornamentation across the varied cultures of the pre-Contact period in the
American Southwest and northwestern Mexico.
Guests may select and purchase their own dinners from the
restaurant’s menu. There is no entry fee but donations will be requested to
benefit Old Pueblo’s educational efforts. Because seating is limited in
order for the program to be in compliance with the Fire Code, those wishing
to attend must call 520-798-1201 and must have their reservations confirmed
before 5 p.m. Wednesday April 16.
Click here for a flyer containing more information.