2025 Southwest Symposium
Historical Trajectories in Northwest Mexico and the U.S. Southwest
Nuevo Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico – January 16-19, 2025
Hosts: Michael Searcy and Jose Luis Punzo
For most archaeologists, our research involves inserting ourselves somewhere along the timelines of people in the past. At any point we choose to begin our research, we must consider the historically contingent circumstances that came before a particular point in time that contributed to the conditions that exist at that moment. For example, widespread agricultural domestication likely required years of trial and error, the testing of various propagation techniques, experimentation, and even unintentional accidents that led to the eventual development of well-established farming practices. Tracing historical trajectories requires a focus on the entanglement of humans and nonhuman things, their environmental settings, and how they developed over time. The theme of this conference emphasizes the varied historical trajectories that led to moments of transformation which may include the development of novel technologies, new religious traditions, changes in political or social organization, and/or the development of artistic forms.
Program at a Glance
Thursday, January 16
7-9pm – Registration and icebreaker in Hotel Hacienda Event Salon – *Tacos will be served*
Friday, January 17
9:00 am – Inauguration of Southwest Symposium with local dignitaries
9:30-12:00 pm – Session: Casas Grandes Then and Now: Historical Trajectories in Chihuahua, Mexico (Samuel J. Jensen and Jaron T. Davidson)
11:30am-2pm – Lunch provided as part of your registration fees
2-4 pm – Session: Trajectories of Change and Transformation in the Northern US Southwest (Benjamin A. Bellorado and Kellam Throgmorton)
4-6 pm – Poster Session
Saturday, January 18
8:30-11:30 am – Miradas desde el Sur: Interacciones del Norte/occidente de México y el Suroeste de los EUA (Jose Luis Punzo y Eduardo Gamboa)
11:30 am-1pm – Rest/Descanso
1-2 pm: Plenary Speaker: Dr. Paul E. Minnis
2-5 pm: Celebración del Southwest Symposium en México – A truly Mexican fiesta celebrating the conference with traditional northern Mexican food, wine, mariachi music, and dancing. *Food will be provided free as part of your registration fees. And make sure to bring your drink tickets for this meal.*
Sunday, January 19
10-11am – Guided tours of Paquimé (tours will start every 20 minutes. Because this event will take place on a Sunday, Mexico offers free entrance to their museum and the archaeological park. Take your time exploring the impressive UNESCO World Heritage site of Paquimé!
Final Program Now Available!
**Schedule Update: Due to the bus schedule, we will be starting 30 minutes later on Friday morning, January 17th, at 9 am.**
Conference location: We had a last-minute change in venue, so we will now be meeting at the Universidad Tecnológica de Paquimé, which is in the old town Casas Grandes, about 10 kilometers (15 minutes) away from the Hotel Hacienda. If you are driving there in your own vehicle, just Google the name of the school, you can easily find directions. There is ample parking in front of the school, and if the parking lot is full, you can park on the street. We will be meeting in the library in the far northwest corner of the campus, just behind the large gymnasium that is currently under construction. Wi-Fi will be available at the event, and we will distribute the login information at the conference.
Transportation to and from the conference at the Universidad Tecnológica de Paquimé: If you plan to travel to and from the conference in the transportation we are providing, please meet at 8 am in the lobby of the conference hotel on both Friday and Saturday morning. There will be two large buses to transport you to the conference. Please be on time, or you will need to find a different way to get there (i.e., taxi).
On Sunday morning, January 19th, we will also have transportation to the Paquimé archaeological park and Museo de las Culturas del Norte from the hotel. Please sign up for this transportation at the registration table as soon as possible so we can get a head count. The bus(es) will leave at 8:40 am, so make sure to be at the front of the hotel by 8:30 am. The buses will return from Paquimé at 12 pm.
Food during the Conference:
Breakfast: If you are staying at the Hotel Hacienda, breakfast is provided free with your room, but you will need to go to the front desk each morning to get a voucher for your meal. The restaurant is located just behind the lobby of the hotel. Other local favorites include Constatino’s (wonderful diner atmosphere with great Mexican breakfast and some of the best pancakes in town) and Sal and Pimienta (tradicional Mexican breakfast items).
Lunch: Because of the change in conference venue, there are no restaurants nearby the university, so we will be providing lunch both days of the conference. These will be to-go lunch packets made by one of our favorite local restaurants, Neveria San Antonio. We will have vegetarian options, and each lunch comes with an entrée (tortas or tacos), chips, and a drink. For those that want to grab some of your favorite fast food, you can eat at the American staples KFC, Wendy’s, or Little Ceasars, all located in Nuevo Casas Grandes.
Dinner: There are many dinner options in Nuevo Casas Grandes. The closest restaurants to the hotel are the hotel restaurant, La Hacienda, and Pompeii, which is next door to the south of the hotel. Both are great options close by. For those who want to try some of the local food of Chihuahua, we would suggest Taqueria Rosas (best carne al pastor in town), Dinnos Diversiones (great Chinese and traditional Mexican food), La Sierra (traditional northern Mexican food and pizza), and Las Palmas (great steakhouse).
Snacks: We will also have bottled water, coffee, snacks, and other things to munch on at the conference, but if you want some extra goodies or a late night snack, there is an OXXO (similar to 7-Eleven) right across the street from the Hotel Hacienda.