Holmes Group Archaeological Project
Holmes Group Archaeological Project
Holmes Group Archaeological Project
Holmes Group Archaeological Project
Holmes Group Archaeological Project
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Holmes Group Archaeological Project
The Holmes Group Project is your chance to help preserve an endangered archaeological site. Join us! Share the excitement of protecting this phenomenal piece of America’s Heritage! Without your support, the ancient village might be lost forever!
The Archaeological Conservancy learned of this extraordinary endangered Chaco outlier in Northern New Mexico over 35 years ago. We have been working ever since to preserve this unique archaeological site. Now is the time to save this outlier! We are The Archaeological Conservancy, a four-star nonprofit, the only national non-profit organization dedicated to acquiring and preserving America’s most important archaeological sites.
The amazing Holmes Group archaeological site was first recorded in 1875, and again in 1935. In the 1960s and 1970s, the then owners leased the site to looters, heartbreakingly, but not an uncommon practice at the time. Luckily there was no mechanized looting, so damage was limited. Local Archaeologists recognized the significance of the Holmes Group and were eager to protect it from further looting by working with the Archaeological Conservancy. Unfortunately, in 1981 the original negotiations stalled. Nonetheless, the protection of this site remained a priority. Excitingly, in early 2016, we finally entered into an agreement to be able to purchase the Holmes Group site. We need your help to make this happen!
The Conservancy is thrilled for the long awaited chance to save this remarkable Chaco site. The Holmes Group is one of the largest and most complex of all the Chaco-period occupation sites. Despite the early looting, the features recorded in 1875 are still easily identifiable, and the research potential is enormous. Artifacts from Chaco sites are highly sought after on the black market, making on-going cultural heritage destruction in this region a very real threat. Without protection, the site will continue to be in danger of being looted and irreplaceable cultural material will be destroyed. The site is also in the midst of a region of ongoing oil and gas development, and under constant threat of new development. By permanently preserving this endangered site, you can help make sure it is here for future generations to study and enjoy.
This crowdfunding is an essential part of saving this site and giving the Holmes Group site a future life. We need to raise $25,000 to make this vital project happen. Every donation gets us one step closer to making this a reality. With a gift of $45 you will be protecting 60 square meters of this amazing Chacoan outlier site. If we exceed our goal, those funds will be used to acquire additional portions of the site. When saved this site will mark the 501st archaeological site protected and preserved by the Archaeological Conservancy, thanks to all our wonderful donors.
You can make this incredible preservation project successful with your dollars. Please Donate Now!
Why save archaeological sites?
When ancestral Native American villages are damaged and destroyed by looters or leveled for shopping centers, it lessens us as Americans. Precious ties that link all of us to these storied places are also destroyed forever.
Over the past few decades, the knowledge and methods of modern archaeologists have advanced tremendously. Today researchers use technologies such as electron scanning microscopes, LiDAR, pollen analysis, and trace-element analysis to glean information from the archaeological record. Few of these technologies existed 50 years ago. As technology continues to improve, it’s important that we keep raw data in the ground, in preserved sites, where future archaeologists with even more advanced knowledge and technologies will have access to it.