Old Pueblo Archaeology Center educational tours to significant archaeological, historical & cultural sites
These are a few examples.
For more information:
520-798-1201 or info@oldpueblo.org
Comments on Old Pueblo’s Tours
General Comments
“I have participated in 2 tours with and have signed up for a third. These tours have been outstanding in every regard!!”
Mike Nushawg, Phoenix AZ
December 2010
“Mimbres Ruins, Rock Art, and Museums of Southern New Mexico” tour
“One of the best organized tours I have been on. Ref: – Keeping to a timetable/Knowing where we’re headed”
John M. Harlow, Jr., Tucson AZ
June 2011
Archaeology, History, and Culture Site Tours
Since our public archaeological field school and education program was initiated in 1995, Old Pueblo’s guided tours of the ongoing excavations and ancient cultural features revealed in them have been among our most popular education programs. Thousands of kids and adults have gone on organized tours of our excavation sites, and it is not uncommon for visitors to go on the tours more than once to see how the excavations are progressing and to witness new archaeological discoveries continually being made.
Old Pueblo’s guided tours of our archaeological excavation sites typically last 1 to 2 hours depending on how many questions participants ask. Most of the guided tours of our excavation sites begin with a brief orientation in which the guide shows examples of artifacts recovered from the site, talks about the kinds of archaeological features present, and explains the research orientation that archaeologists are using to guide the excavations. The tours to some of Old Pueblo’s excavation sites are by reservation only so that site owners’ interests can be protected and Old Pueblo can provide consistently high-quality educational experiences during each tour while limiting unauthorized visits that might result in theft or vandalism.
Tour participants are advised in advance to bring drinking water, to dress appropriately for desert conditions, and to not wear open-toed shoes.
Ancient Discovery Tours
Some of Old Pueblo’s “Ancient Discovery” tours visit well-known archaeological and culture sites such as the Hopi and Zuñi Pueblo areas, Canyon de Chelly, the Casa Grande Ruins, Chaco Canyon, and the Gila Cliff Dwellings. Other tours include opportunities to see and learn about places not so well known such as Ventana Cave and nearby historic villages of the Tohono O’odham Nation, sites of the ancient Mimbres Pueblos culture in New Mexico, and many petroglyph and pictograph sites of the Southwest.
All Ancient Discovery tours are with Old Pueblo’s experienced guides.
Other Old Pueblo Ancient Discovery Tours
Other tours offered by Old Pueblo are led by experienced guides.
Allen Dart, a Registered Professional Archaeologist, is Old Pueblo’s founder and Executive Director who has led tours in the Southwest since 1975.
Marc B. Severson was a full-time archaeologist before he became a teacher in southern Arizona’s Indian Oasis and Tucson Unified school districts; Marc has been active teaching archaeology and leading exciting archaeological and cultural site tours for more than 20 years, and still works as an archaeologist during summers off from his teaching career.
Old Pueblo also contracts experienced local guides and charter companies to provide accurate interpretation and comfortable transportation and lodging for specific Old Pueblo Archaeology Center tours.
Other tours offered by Old Pueblo periodically include:
Canyon de Chelly, Puerco Ruins-Petrified Forest, and Hubbell Trading Post. This multi-day tour travels from Tucson via Globe, Show Low, and Holbrook to the Petrified Forest, Ganado, and Chinle. Visits the Puerco Ruins and numerous petroglyphs of the Ancestral Pueblo culture in the environs of the Petrified Forest National Monument, and Arizona’s stunning Painted Desert; the historic Hubbell Trading Post National Monument to learn about the historic Navajo economy and buy Navajo rugs if you wish; and the Indian ruins, petroglyphs and pictographs, Native American craft vendors, and beautiful views of historic Canyon de Chelly and the adjacent Canyon del Muerto in the colorful Navajo sandstone country, including a spectacular four-wheel-drive vehicle trek into Canyon de Chelly to visit the White House Ruin, other Puebloan ruins and rock art, and contemporary Navajo dwellings and fields. Lodging and some meals are at the famous Thunderbird Lodge. Guide: Marc Severson.
Central Arizona’s Classic Period Gila and Besh-ba-gowah Pueblo Ruins. This one-day tour proceeds from Tucson to Globe by way of Oracle, Mammoth, and Winkelman. It visits the historic Gila Pueblo, an ancient Salado Indian ruin that was rebuilt by archaeologists Harold and Winifred Gladwin in 1928. Now the site of a junior college, the Gila Pueblo grounds feature excavations done by students of Eastern Arizona College in the late 1970s, and the site’s rich history is presented and interpreted inside the rebuilt pueblo. The tour also proceeds to Besh-ba-gowah (the Apache name for the City of Globe!), a large Salado pueblo first excavated in the 1930s by Irene Vickrey. Nearly fifty years later the City of Globe set about to re-excavate, stabilize, and develop Besh-ba-gowah for public interpretation. The site’s fine museum and ruins make Besh-ba-gowah one of the most interesting archaeological sites to visit in central Arizona. The tour may include a visit to the Pinal Creek Ruin and a short trip to the local historic museum on the west side of Globe as we head back to Tucson by way of Devil’s Canyon, Queen Creek Canyon, and Superior, all of which offer spectacular scenery including the fabled “Apache Leap”.
Guide: Marc Severson.
Mimbres Ruins, Rock Art, and Museums. Click on this link for description.Wupatki National Monument and the Sinagua Culture. This tour takes in the numerous ruins of four national monuments: Wupatki, Tuzigoot, Montezuma’s Castle, and Montezuma’s Well (which includes a prehistoric irrigation system and an excavated Hohokam pithouse preserved for viewing). These ruins were once occupied by the ancient Sinagua people who flourished in the western and northern parts of prehistoric Arizona and who were ancestors of modern Hopi Indians. The tour also visits the historic Museum of Northern Arizona and includes three nights in Flagstaff (one of Arizona’s coolest cities in July!). Guide: Marc Severson.
Zuñi Pueblo & Neighboring Areas Rock Art & Ruins. The Zuñi-area tour visits Halona-wa (the modern Pueblo Indian village of Zuñi) including its Mission Church built in 1629, now featuring Zuñi-painted murals that meld native traditions and devotional zeal. Halona-wa and its church and murals are featured in magazines and newspapers, and attract visitors from all over the world. Also visited is Hawikuh, one of the Southwest’s most important historic sites, where history says Esteban the Moor was killed and the explorer Coronado introduced the Zuñi people to Spanish conquistadores. In the early twentieth century southwestern archaeology pioneer F. W. Hodge was one of the first archaeologists to utilize the new stratigraphic techniques, in his excavations at Hawikuh. A spectacular place visited is the Village of the Great Kivas archaeological site, an outlying community of the great prehistoric Chaco Canyon cultural efflorescence, directly below cliffs embellished with abundant petroglyphs and pictograph murals. Also, the Upper and Lower Nutria satellite farming communities east of Zuñi are visited. And, the tour includes a grand loop through El Morro National Monument where the National Park Service protects over 2,000 prehistoric and historic inscriptions and petroglyphs as well as the ancestral Zuñi village ruins of Atsinna. Guide: Marc Severson, accompanied by Zuñi Indian artists Alex and Ken Seowtewa. Alex has been painting traditional scenes of Zuñi ceremonial life for more than three decades, and is the artist of the Zuñi Church murals. Kenneth Seowtewa has joined his father Alex, and his brother Edwin, in the Zuñi murals endeavor for most of Ken’s adult life.
Upcoming tours for adults are listed in our Upcoming Activities Upcoming Activities page.
For more information about a specific tour contact Old Pueblo Archaeology Center
Tours for children are described in our Site Tours for Classrooms page and listed in our Upcoming Activities page.