From the Director | January 2009

On February 19, 1909, legislation was signed that created the Museum of New Mexico. It was a carefully crafted success for Dr. Edgar Lee Hewett and his intellectual and political allies in Santa Fe and the Territorial Legislature. But no one involved in that effort could have anticipated the long-term consequences. Today, the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs embraces the largest state-run museum system in the nation. The parts are too numerous to list, but the subjects are as varied as agriculture, space exploration, natural history, ancient and modern cultural history, and all aspects of the arts and cultural preservation.

We will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding this year, beginning with the Friends of Archaeology lecture series in January and February. Archaeology was the reason for Hewett's promotion of the Museum of New Mexico. He had already secured the creation of the School for American Archaeology (now the School for Advanced Research) in 1907 as an institution for conducting archaeological research. Now he needed a museum to house the collections and provide a means of giving the public access to the unfolding story of the archaeological past. The Palace of the Governors was the focal point of the museum, since it already hosted the collections and exhibits of the New Mexico Historical Society. As the seat of the new museum, the Palace also benefited from needed financial support to maintain it as the premier monument to the Spanish Colonial history of the state.

The FOA lecture series explores Edgar Lee Hewett's rich archaeological legacy. Dr. Mike Stevenson, Museum of New Mexico regent and member of the New Mexico Historical Society, reviews the complex mix of institutions, personalities, and intrigues associated with the founding of the museum. Dr. James Snead, professor at George Mason University and scholar of Rio Grande prehistory, presents Hewett's contributions to archaeology in the first decade of the twentieth century, both leading up to and following the founding of the museum. I take a look at Hewett's archaeological ventures and influence outside of New Mexico as he sought to define an Americanist archaeology and develop public support for this fledgling discipline. Dr. Wolky Toll, OAS project director, looks specifically at Hewett's work in Chaco Canyon as rival, archaeologist, professor, and public interpreter. Finally, Dr. Tim Maxwell, OAS director emeritus, reviews the development of the Laboratory of Anthropology from a rival institution and complement to Hewett's empire, to a vital engine of archaeology within the Museum of New Mexico, to the genesis of the OAS.

We also invite everyone to visit the State Capitol Building Rotunda on Thursday, February 19, for Culture Day, from 9:00 until 4:00. This celebration of the many divisions of the Department of Cultural Affairs will include a special noon-hour commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Museum of New Mexico. The Governor's Gallery exhibition on the fourth floor of the Capitol building highlights the history of the museum. This exhibition is open now and will be open throughout the legislative session. Portions of this exhibit will travel throughout the state during 2009. OAS's Culture Day contribution will be elements of our education outreach program with Chuck Hannaford and OAS staff members.

The Museum of New Mexico is truly a remarkable institution, and we are proud that archaeology has been part of its mission from the beginning.

—Eric Blinman