PROJECT ABSTRACT
Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit
(Cooperative Agreement # H1200-004-0002)
Park: Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Project Title: Inventorying and Re-housing Aztec Ruins Museum Collections
Funding Amount: $20,923
CPCESU Partner Institution: University of New Mexico [Maxwell Museum of Anthropology]
Principal Investigator: David A. Phillips, Curator of Archaeology, Maxwell Museum of
Anthropology, MSC01 1050, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001,
(505) 277-9229, (505) 277-1547 FAX, dap@unm.edu
NPS Key Official: Wendy Bustard, Curator, Chaco Culture National Historical Park Museum
Collection, Hibben Center Room 307, 450 University Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM, 87106, (505)
346-2871 ext 201, (505) 346-2523 FAX, wendy_bustard@nps.gov.
Start Date: September 15, 2008
End Date: January 31, 2010
Abstract:
As part of the NPS Intermountain Region’s Curation Facility Strategy, the archaeological
collections from Aztec Ruins National Monument, a Chacoan outlier site, were moved to Chaco
Culture’s collection repository in the Hibben Center. The Aztec Ruins collections that were
moved have not been inventoried and are stored in boxes that do not fit well on the shelving in
Chaco Culture’s repository. This project will inventory approximately 145,000 archaeological
items in over 630 boxes and 14 specimen cabinets; missing items will be recorded. The
collections will be organized for easy retrieval for researchers and rehoused in boxes sized for
the Hibben Center shelving units. All boxes will be labeled and locations recorded in an Excel
spreadsheet. All catalog records will be updated to reflect the new storage locations. The work
will be done in the NPS archaeology workroom in the Hibben Center, the NPS will provide all
supplies, oversight, and access to the NPS Automated National Catalog System.
Keywords:
Cultural Resources Management; Native American; Historic Sites; Archeology
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