Crow Canyon Archeological Center offers unique educational travel seminars that give travelers the opportunity to learn hands-on. Each tour features guest scholars, a small group of like-minded travelers, and opportunities to access private tribal land that is usually denied to general public. Travelers can expect to discuss ideas while learning and support indigenous cultures, while traveling with a group that truly shows respect.
Crow Canyon has several U.S. destinations, one Central American destination, and a European destination currently in the works. Learn about the unique opportunities of each tour:
The Neolithic Revolution
Where: Durango, CO - Bluff, UT
When: May 17-23, 2015
What: Learn about the Neolithic revolution, transitioning from hunting/gathering to agriculture, as you explore the Four Corners area and hike to see rock art panels, kivas, and caves shelters. Sites include Canyon of the Ancients National Monument and Montezuma Creek.
Trading Posts of the Southwest
Where: Gallup, NM & surrounding area
When: June 7-13, 2015
What: See the history of trading posts and their traders from the mid-1800s to the present and the impact trading had on indigenous peoples of what is now northern New Mexico and Arizona. Learn about the development of the American Indian art trade and the future of it. Meet some prestigious artists, including weavers, jewelers, sculptors, and painters. Sites include trading posts and artists located across Gallup, Farmington, Keams Canyon, and other locations.
Utah’s Range Creek and San Rafael Swell
Where: Grand Junction, CO, Price, UT, Vernal, UT
When: June 14-21, 2015
What: Journey the Range Creek area of Utah canyon country and learn about the Fremont people who inhabited the Colorado Plateau area around A.D. 500 to 1300. View rockart and hike the ancient homelands in Black Dragon Canyon, Dinosaur National Monument, and Nine Mile Canyon, and enjoy a scenic charter flight and museum destinations.
Summer Solstice
Where: Durango, CO, Cortez, CO, Bluff, UT
When: June 16-22, 2015
What: Tour Chimney Rock National Monument, Hovenweep National Monument, Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Park, and more while you discover the significance of astronomical events in Pueblo culture. Observe rock art depictions, visit observatories, and study celestial alignments. Travelers have the amazing opportunity to experience the summer solstice while at Hovenweep National Monument, and see first-hand the alignments with the towers.
Colorful Northern New Mexico
Where: Sante Fe - Albuquerque, NM
When: August 7-13, 2015
What: See the vastly colorful landscapes of northern New Mexico, which greatly influenced the important art and traditions of the Pueblo people. Visit Coronado Historic Site, Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, Mesa Prieta (with thousands of well-preserved rock art images), Ghost Ranch, Puye Cliff Dwellings, Poeh Center, Chimayo, and Santa Clara Pueblo. Travelers get to experience dancing and festivities at Santa Clara on August 12, as the people of Santa Clara Pueblo celebrate their patron saint.
Hopi Migrations
Where: Flagstaff, AZ, Homolovi State Park
When: September 13-19, 2015
What: Tour ancient trade routes and sacred ritual sites of the Hopi people. Hopi scholars and archeologists explain the significance of the migrations, Hopi clan identity, and how the ancient sites helped shape the past and present culture today. Highlights include: lodging two nights at historic Santa Fe Railroad Co La Posada, learning from Hopi leaders explain stories that surround private rock art panels, and the Tutuveni Panel with over 5,000 petroglyphs of clan symbols, the largest such site in the Southwest.
The Ancient Pueblo World
Where: Durango, CO, San Juan, NM
When: September 20-25, 2015
What: This trip caters to visitors who are new to the Four Corners region. Visit iconic ancestral Pueblo sites, like Mesa Verde, Chaco Canyon, and Aztec Ruins, as well as a few lesser-known remote sites, such as Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Park, and Canyons of the Ancients. Travelers also have the opportunity to visit Crow Canyon’s own excavation project, which has been featured on the PBS series, Time Team America.
Chaco Meridian Revisited
Where: Durango, CO - Chaco Culture National Historical Park
When: September 27-October 2, 2015
What: Travelers engage with scholars about the Chaco world and the most fascinating topics in Southwestern archeology. Visitors will have discussions about Chaco, Aztec Ruins, and Casas Grandes, and implications of their similarities, including being located on the 108th meridian. Highlights of the trip include: camping two nights at Chaco Canyon, and learning from Stephen H. Lekson, author of The Chaco Meridian, and Hopi scholar Phillip Tuwaletstiwa.
Pueblo-Maya Connections
Where: Guatemalan Highlands
When: December 5-13, 2015
What: Explore historical similarities between Pueblo and Mesoamerican culture on route through Guatemala’s highlands, and discuss similarities of the two cultures post-Spanish colonization. Some sites include, Utatlan and Iximche, Antigua, Lake Atitlan, Panajachel, and Chichicastenango to observe the most colorful markets in the country and a fire ceremony performed by Maya Day Keepers.
2016 Travel Seminars
Where: Iceland
When: COMING SOON IN 2016!
What: Crow Canyon’s 2016 program preview will be posted April 17th, 2015. It will include an exploration of Iceland’s Viking age.
For more detailed information, visit CrowCanyon.org.
