On Thursday, March 19, 2026, join Old Pueblo Archaeology Center’s “Third Thursday Food for Thought” online presentation featuring “A Globalized Past? Long-Distance Exchange and Interaction in the US Southwest and Mexican Northwest” by archaeologists Christopher W. Schwartz, Ph.D. and Ben Nelson, Ph.D. This free Zoom presentation will be held from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.  ARIZONA/Mountain Standard Time (same as Pacific Daylight Time) and sponsored by Old Pueblo Archaeology Center, P.O. Box 40577, Tucson AZ 85717.

Exchange is a fundamental human behavior. While today people rapidly exchange goods and information over great distances, in the past long-distance exchange required the mobilization of vast networks of interaction. This talk examines the long-distance relationships between people living in the U.S. Southwest and Mexican Northwest (SW/NW) with people living to the south in Mesoamerica and West Mexico. Specifically, it will explore the material evidence (or lack thereof) for long-distance interaction at SW/NW archaeological sites, the significance of those objects and materials, and the larger intellectual debates surrounding this topic. Dr. Christopher Schwartz is the City of Phoenix Archaeologist and holds a Visiting Faculty appointment at Arizona State University. Dr. Ben A. Nelson is Professor Emeritus, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University.

To register for the Zoom webinar go to https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_77TI8ibqRLuHq3fUU9Xahg. For more information contact Old Pueblo at info@oldpueblo.org or 520-798-1201.

Flyer: 20260319(v1)ThirdThursday_ChristopherSchwartz&BenNelson_AGlobalizedPast
Caption: Scarlet macaw remains in U.S. Southwest and Mexican Northwest archaeological sites suggest important social relationships with Mesoamerica; photo courtesy of Christopher Schwartz