2025 Sul Ross State University Archaeological Field School
May 28 to July 4, 2025
6 credit hours (3 ten-day field sessions)
This course will provide students first-hand experience doing archaeological fieldwork in the Texas Big Bend. Our primary work will occur at Pala Vieja, a small rockshelter with strong potential for preserved perishable materials (cultigens, basketry, weapon components, etc.). Taught methods will include formal excavation, open-site recording, digital mapping (GPS, robotic total station), experimental studies, and artifact curation. Reading, lectures, and discussion will take place after fieldwork to introduce additional materials, and field trips to adjacent sites will give a taste of the archaeology of the northern Chihuahua Desert. Our field base is a rustic ranch house with kitchen, indoor bathroom and shower, camping space in the yard, and adjacent tinaja for swimming.
Participation in this course requires hiking across rugged terrain in extreme temperatures, carrying equipment and buckets of sediment, and excavating for extended periods on hands and knees. All students are expected to assist in general aspects of camp function (cooking and cleaning). Please communicate any physical or health concerns with the instructor prior to the start of the fieldschool.
The course is split into three 10-day sessions that will run consecutively with four-day breaks in between:
May 27-June5 (Session 1)
June 10-19 (Session 2)
June 25-July 4 (Session 3)
To apply please contact Dr. Devin Pettigrew (Devin.Pettigrew@sulross.edu).
