The final days at one of Arizona’s most famous ancient landmarks were fraught with violence and death, new research shows.
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Earliest Known Clay Figurines in the Southwest May Be Fertility Symbols, Study Says
Curious clay figurines found in Arizona may be fertility symbols used by farmers as much as 3,000 years ago.
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Grave of Disabled Young Woman Reveals Touching Tale of Care in Prehistoric Arizona
Human remains found buried in downtown Tempe, Arizona, are revealing a touching story about one young woman’s painful life and the community that cared for her more than 800 years…
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Photos: Watch the ‘Shadow Dagger’ Solar Calendar Mark the Equinox
See for yourself how ancient petroglyphs found in Arizona mark the spring equinox with a “shadow dagger.”
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Thousands of Ancient Petroglyphs, ‘Dramatic’ Solar Calendar Reported in N. Arizona
Archaeologists have uncovered a trove of previously undocumented rock art in northern Arizona, including a prehistoric solar calendar that has been marking the seasons for more than 700 years.
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‘Unexpected’ 3,000-Year-Old Bison Hunting Site Discovered in Southern Arizona
On a ranch in southeastern Arizona, archaeologists searching for signs of ancient corn farming have instead uncovered a 3,000-year-old bison-hunting site.
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Oldest Human Footprints in the Southwest Discovered at Tucson Construction Site
The footprints of ancient farmers, their children, and even their dogs have been found perfectly preserved at a construction site just north of Tucson.
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Cocoa, Caffeinated ‘Black Drink’ Were Widespread in Pre-Contact Southwest, Study Finds
Stimulating drinks made from exotic plants, like the cocoa tree and a type of southern holly, were consumed much more widely across the prehistoric Southwest than was thought, according to…
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1,200-Year-Old Pouches Found in Arizona Cave Contain Prehistoric ‘Chewing Tobacco,’ Study Finds
Dozens of small, fiber-wrapped bundles discovered in a cave in Arizona have been found to contain wild tobacco, the first scientific evidence suggesting that Ancestral Puebloans of the prehistoric Southwest…
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Mesoamerican ‘Fool’s Gold’ Mirrors Found in Arizona Reveal Ties to Ancient Mexico
Archaeologists exploring the ties between ancient cultures in the Southwestern U.S. and central Mexico have turned their attention to some unusual artifacts excavated in Arizona: more than 50 mirrors encrusted…
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Twin 1,300-Year-Old Villages Discovered in Arizona Sand Dunes
Archaeologists exploring the high desert of northern Arizona have found a pair of “matching” villages that date back some 1,300 years, revealing evidence of a crucial phase in Southwestern prehistory….
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Southwestern-Style Spear Throwers Identified in the Ozarks
New analysis of two spear-throwers excavated nearly a century ago in the Ozark Mountains reveals what one archaeologist calls an “uncanny” similarity to those used in the ancient Southwest and…
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Ruins in Arizona May Be ‘Lost’ Jesuit Mission
If archaeologists working in southern Arizona are right in their assumptions, some adobe ruins showcased in Tumacácori National Park may not be what the pamphlets and tour guides say they…
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New Discoveries in Arizona May Be ‘Game-Changers’ in Study of Ancient Culture’s Fate
The remains of houses, bits of charcoal, and rarely seen types of pottery are tantalizing new clues in one of the more persistent mysteries of Southwestern history: What happened to…
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Long-Hidden Sites Discovered in the Southwest May Change Views of Ancient Migrations
A type of site never before described by archaeologists is shedding new light on the prehistory of the American Southwest and may change conventional thinking about the ancient migrations that…
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Croc-Like Reptiles, Giant Amphibians Found in Ancient Poop-Filled Pond
Scientists exploring the high-desert grasslands of northern Arizona have discovered a trove of remarkable Triassic animals, including croc-like ancestors of dinosaurs, carnivorous amphibians that grew as big as people, and…
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