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Mesa Prieta Petroglyph Project

Mesa Prieta Petroglyph Project
A fine mist of pale green can be seen as the cottonwoods below the Wells Petroglyph Preserve come into leaf. The lazy days of summer are well on their way. Hot on the heels of a record number of school tours of the Preserve, we wrap up our spring offering of public tours at the end of May, and now are encouraging would-be visitors to book a private tour for their friends and families.  
May 2016
Report from the Mesa
Field training is ongoing for our nine new petroglyph recorders. Most have been in the field at least once, others are finished with their training. We have had some interesting findings in these outings - from a slab metate to an intact arrow point, a large jar rim and an extensive agricultural field; all this in addition to finding gorgeous petroglyph images. Now that the weather is warming up, our established teams are again working regularly in the field – ether monthly or weekly - depending on their schedules and desire. We’re looking forward to the material they will submit when their assigned areas on Mesa Prieta are complete.
Video News!
We’ve begun work on our MPPP video! Filming began a few weeks ago on Mesa Prieta as Ramona Emerson, our fabulous cameraperson, captured a school visit from San Juan Elementary school class as they toured the trails on the Wells Petroglyph Preserve. Volunteer recorders Lynn Cravens and Scott Potter, and our own Administrator, Jennifer Goyette, ‘discovered’ a petroglyph on trail six so that our eventual audience can have a glimpse at the steps our recording teams go through to document a petroglyph. Later in the afternoon Ramona visited a class at La Tierra Montessori in Española to film the schoolchildren as they made a historical timeline based on information in our curriculum, Discovering Mesa Prieta. Photographs from this amazing day can be found on our Facebook page. Thanks to our tenacious Education Outreach Coordinator, Esta Gutierrez, for setting up the day!
Our new estimate for the total number of petroglyphs on Mesa Prieta is now 100,000 !
Don Quixote Joins our Sponsor Roster
We are pleased to welcome the Don Quixote Distillery and Winery as a Business Circle sponsor supporting our Pláticas lecture series! DQ offers a diverse array of spirits, wines, ports, extracts and chocolates each handcrafted using the finest ingredients and old world techniques. They are famous for using natural New Mexico ingredients. DQ’s Blue Corn bourbon and Blue Corn Vodka are crafted from organic New Mexico blue corn. Their gin uses native herbs, and the brandies, wines, and ports are made from New Mexico grapes and orchard fruit. Every wine, spirit, extract and chocolate is handcrafted at either their Los Alamos or Santa Fe facilities. DQ uses handmade stills specially designed for our high desert altitude by Los Alamos National Laboratory Ph.Ds. to deliver optimal taste, texture and aroma. Don Quixote’s tasting room is located along U.S 84 at Jaconita – please drop by to try their products and support our newest sponsor, their products make excellent gifts! 
 
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Twitter
Coming Soon!
The May 16 deadline for accepting applications into our Summer Youth Intern Program is fast approaching. This will be the FIFTEENTH year for the program and it just keeps getting better. This year, students will study an expanded curriculum and there will be advanced coursework for returning students. The Summer Youth Intern Program is the recipient of four prestigious awards since its inception. It’s an amazing experience for the youths involved – some of who have gone on to placements at universities across the country – and they come away from the program with new skills and a refreshed sense of community and pride in their cultural history. If you have a teenager at home between 13 – 18 who is twiddling his or her thumbs this summer, and has an interest in archaeology, visit our website for more details on how to apply for this competitive program!
Board Profiles: Sue Johnston
In March, our Board of Directors voted in some new members including Sue Johnston as the MPPP treasurer. Sue first learned about the Mesa Prieta Petroglyph Project from Katherine Wells’ memoir, Life on the Rocks: One Woman’s Adventures in Petroglyph Preservation, and she could hardly wait to visit. After viewing the petroglyphs, she became totally impressed both with the site and the individuals who work so diligently to protect it. Living in California at the time, however, it was only possible for her to visit occasionally and support the Project from afar. Sue moved to New Mexico in 2015 and was happy to become more involved with MPPP.
Previously, Sue was on the executive staff of a non-profit in the San Francisco Bay Area serving as its CFO. Prior to that, she worked with healthcare and technology related start-up companies serving in financial, strategic, and management roles. A fifth generation Oklahoman, Sue graduated from Oklahoma State University and then received her MBA at Duke University. She has volunteered for several years with the alumni association at Duke serving as an Ambassador for Northern California and on the inaugural steering committee for the Northern California Women's Forum.
Sue began visiting New Mexico with her parents when she was a child and has loved the Southwest since then. She is a traveler with special interests in the Southwest and Asia, a hiker and backpacker, a fiber arts enthusiast, and a gardener. Both she and her husband, Alec Kercso, are excited to now be living in Santa Fe and find Mesa Prieta to be a very special place. 
We're Back in the News - AGAIN!
Hot on the heels of an AMAZING, eight-page article in May’s New Mexico Magazine, which has sparked an incredibly huge interest in our organization, Tumbleweeds magazine – especially for Santa Fe Families – will feature an article on our programs for kids written by our very own Judith Chaddick. The summer issue will hit the newsstands on May 18. Pick up a copy for yourselves – and be sure to pass one along to any 4-7 grade teachers you may know. If the response we received from the New Mexico Magazine – an explosion in requests for tours, signups from this newsletter, and thousands of new website hits - is anything to go by, the Tumbleweeds’ article will ensure that our autumn teacher training workshop is packed to the rafters! An if you’re in the dark about the feature article in New Mexico Magazine, it’s still available at local stores across the State!
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What we Found in 2015!
Last year, Candie Borduin’s recap of discoveries on Mesa Prieta filled the Los Luceros projection room, and we couldn’t imagine that this year it could get any better. Boy, were we wrong! 85 excited people swarmed into the building for the 2015 recap, exceeding the Fire Marshall’s capacity recommendation, and making our host, CJ Law, a tad nervous. But it was well worth it as Candie revealed yet another stunning selection of petroglyphs that were found by our teams of recorders! 
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A Genetic View of Colonial New Mexico
Come early on Tuesday, May 31 at 6:30 pm for this month's Pláticas so you can get a seat when Miguel A. Tórrez reveals how DNA testing has enabled the families who settled New Mexico to learn about their family trees – sometimes reaching back to the Oñate arrival in 1598. As we know, common Spanish names like Romero, Martinez, Garcia, and – yes, even Tórrez – proliferate across Northern New Mexico. DNA testing can help confirm or distinguish branches of the same surname, and help reduce paper roadblocks by possibly linking them to surname lineages or family branches that have been confirmed using the paper trail and DNA comparisons. A Project Administrator for the New Mexico Genealogical Society’s DNA Project, Miguel will give a not-to-be-missed lecture (especially if you have a Spanish surname!) discussing his research work into Genealogy.

Mesa Prieta Petroglyph Project

Since 1999 MPPP has recorded over 55,000 petroglyphs on Mesa Prieta. Education of the local community and mentoring of youth is key to our mission.

Please visit the website to read more about the activities and people of MPPP and learn how you can help by volunteering, donating, and letting others know about this amazing cultural heritage site. 
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Copyright © 2016 Mesa Prieta Petroglyph Project, All rights reserved.
 
Our mailing address is:
PO Box 407
Velarde, New Mexico, 87582
USA
505 852 1351
www.mesaprietapetroglyphs.org