Zooarchaeologists seek to answer questions about the human past using animal remains from the archaeological record. These researchers explore what people ate, what environments were like, the movements of animals across landscapes, relationships between people and animals, and more. In this talk Gillian Wong will dive into what it means to be a zooarchaeologist and how animal remains can be used to address several key questions in our understanding of the human past. She will draw specifically from her PhD work that uses the remains of micro-mammals, like rodents and insectivores, from Langmahdhalde, an archaeological site in southwestern Germany, to reconstruct climates and environments during the stone age. What kind of vegetation existed during this time and how cold was it? But more importantly, what implications does all this have for human settlement of the region? About the Presenter Gillian Wong is a PhD student in archaeology at the University of Tuebingen in Germany. Her specialty is zooarchaeology, or animal (faunal) remains in the archaeological record. She is primarily interested in using animal remains to explore how large-scale changes in climate affected prehistoric hunter-gatherers at the local level. Currently, she is the zooarchaeologist for a project in southwestern Germany that is excavating one of the first Magdalenian (~15,000 years before present) sites to be discovered in the region since the 1970s. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from the University of California, Davis and a Master’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Utah. When she’s not doing archaeology, Gillian enjoys hiking with her dog and husband, swimming, and reading. Date: Thursday, May 7, 2020 Time: 6:30 - 8 PM Location: San Diego Archaeological Center Cost: Included with paid museum admission ($2); Members Free

Center Members are invited to join Stan Rodriguez (Kumeyaay – Iipay, Santa Ysabel) at the La Posta Indian Reservation for a traditional Agave Roast. Friday, May 6, 10 AM to 1 PM: Watch how the pit oven is prepared and agave hearts are made ready for roasting. Saturday, May 7, 1 to 5 PM: Enjoy Bird Singing and a pit roasting demonstration as well as taste and learn about the many uses of the agave plant. Other native food provided by Grey Wolf Monitoring. Thank you to La Posta Band of Mission Indians, Stan Rodriguez, Ed Mercado (Campo Kumeyaay Nation), Grey Wolf Monitoring, and Brian Williams of ASM Affiliates for making this event possible. This event is open to SDAC members. Not a member or need to renew? Purchase Membership Advance registration is required. You may attend one or both days and will receive directions prior to the event. Date: Friday, May 6, 2022 & Saturday, May 7, 2022 Time: 10 AM to 1 PM (Fri) & 1 PM to 5 PM (Sat) Location: La Posta Indian Reservation Cost: Free

SDAC Members, join us for an open house, behind-the-scenes tour, and reception at the Imperial Valley Desert Museum. Members are invited to go behind the scenes with IVDM Staff to learn about their exhibits, curation and collection spaces encompassing 10 million years of regional and local history! Following morning tours, SDAC Members are welcome to join IVDM Executive Director Kristin O'Lear and SDAC Executive Director Stephanie Sandoval for wine and hors d'oeurves. Under IVDM's awning overlooking the beautiful Yuha Desert, they will discuss their organizations' mission, current work, and future projects! Please note: This event is open to current SDAC members only. If your membership has lapsed, you will be asked to renew in order to attend the event. Date: Saturday, October 14, 2023 Times: Museum Open House - 10 AM to 2 PM Behind-the-Scenes Tour - 10:30 AM & 11:30 AM Reception with Museum Directors - 12:30 PM Location: Imperial Valley Desert Museum 11 Frontage Road, Ocotillo, CA 92259 Cost: Free About the Imperial Valley Desert Museum The Imperial Valley Desert Museum is a new facility in the heart of the Yuha Desert housing Indigenous and historic artifacts found within the Imperial Valley and surrounding region. Opening a new museum in the twenty-first century, we do not want to be seen as an exhibit within four walls, but to engage and interact outside of the limitations of the "box" – both metaphorically and physically.

SDAC Members are invited to visit Balboa Park’s Fleet Science Center for a free screening of their Deep Sky IMAX documentary on the James Webb Telescope and its discoveries. Join us afterwards for a luncheon to meet other members, discuss the telescope incredible images, and wonder at recent advances in the sciences. Date: Saturday, January 27, 2024 Time: 11 AM to 1 PM (Film Screening: 11 AM; Lunch: 12 PM) Location: Fleet Science Center Cost: Free About the Fleet Science Center The Fleet Science Center is on a mission to realize a San Diego where everyone is connected by the power of science to create a better future. They are a community-focused countywide organization that collaborates with educators, scientific organizations, community leaders and champions of a-ha moments.

Seniors 65+ can enjoy free admission to the Center on Wednesdays. Discover the science of archaeology through our interactive Archaeology 101 exhibit, explore the cultural periods of San Diego, and uncover the Lives and Lifestyles on Block 112: The Untold Story of San Diego’s Working Class.

Join us on select Thursday mornings and afternoons for archaeology-themed story time at the Center. Stay afterwards to explore the museum with family-friendly activities like our Archaeology Quest and Field Lab. Kids 12 & under: Free; Adults: $5 (includes museum admission)

Join us on select Thursday mornings and afternoons for archaeology-themed story time at the Center. Stay afterwards to explore the museum with family-friendly activities like our Archaeology Quest and Field Lab. Kids 12 & under: Free; Adults: $5 (includes museum admission)

Enjoy a free day of activities for the whole family and get a taste of all the fun we’ll be having at our upcoming summer camp! Camp Leader Adam will kick things off with an interactive “What is Archaeology?” presentation and Education Specialist Hayden will teach kids how to make clay pottery. Kids can explore the museum on an Archaeology Quest, and families are invited to bring picnics to enjoy in the museum’s native plant garden along with lemonade and cookies. Please note: Activities will start promptly at 10 AM and 12 PM.

Sage smudging has become a viral trend. What's the truth behind the smoke? Documentary film screening followed by Q&A with Heidi Harper Lucero. Screenings at 5:30 and 7:30 PM on Saturday, June 1, 2024 at Blue Fire Brewing. Try Blue Fire's "White Sage" brew to support ASM Public Archaeology workshops! This event is hosted by ASM Affilates, the California Native Plant Society, and Blue Fire Brewing. Contact msherman@asmaffiliates.com for more information.

Free admission for kids on select Saturdays! Join us for family-friendly activities in our classroom, where you can create your own art with an archaeologist, become a junior archaeologist with our miniature excavation units, and curl up with a book on our cozy reading rug. Families can also explore the museum on an Archaeology Quest and check out our Excavation Station and Field Lab. Kids 12 & under: Free; Adults: $5 (includes museum admission)

Join us every 2nd Saturday of the month for two screenings of our Living Room Lectures by archaeologists, experts, and authors. Lecture screenings start at 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM and are included with museum admission. No reservations needed. Seating is first come, first served. 10:30 AM – More Than Just Food. More Than Just Faunal Remains. Ethnozoology of the Kumeyaay People by Richard Carrico For the Kumeyaay people of San Diego County, animals, birds, insects, and other creatures hold a special place in the cosmos and played a variety of important roles. Their embodiment is not always easily visualized because some creatures, large and small, exist in worlds not always seen by most humans, and rarely acknowledged by archaeologists. For many of the native people, there was a time when animals were actually human. In the mythic, ancient time what we now know as humans, or more correctly as mortals, did not exist. The world was inhabited by animals and by animals who were humans but not mortals—these were the Early People and some creatures could embody traits of what came to be known as the mortal humans and animals. Only later in time did the separation grow between animals and humans, and at that time the humans became mortal. This presentation will provide an analysis and discussion of the role and place of non-human creatures within the world and cosmos of the Kumeyaay people of San Diego County. 12:30 PM – Communing with Earth and Ancestors: Ancient Maya Cave Rituals by Jon Spenard The ancient Maya are perhaps best known for their jungle-covered cities with large plazas and grand temples standing taller than the forests encasing them. These built places are often depicted as the settings of elaborate state rituals where elites would perform their ceremonial duties in front of the masses. Yet important rituals were not performed only in cities. Archaeological research over the last few decades has come to reveal that caves and cave-like spaces were among the most potent and important places for ritual performances by the ancient Maya. They were the places where the ancestors originally emerged from and where they returned to after their passing. They were also portals to where powerful Earth forces, particularly the rain deity, could be ritually accessed and negotiated with. In this talk, Dr. Jon Spenard will discuss his ongoing cave ritual research in Belize with a particular focus on understanding the relationship between cave rituals and the ancient Maya collapse.