About Us

Matt Barbour

Matt Barbour

Matt Barbour
Co-interim Director of the Office of Archaeological Studies
(505) 257-8094
matthew.barbour@dca.nm.gov

Matthew J. Barbour holds BA (2002) and MA (2010) degrees in Anthropology from the University of New Mexico and has worked for the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs since 2002. Much of this time has been spent with the Office of Archaeological Studies, where he directed several large-scale archaeological excavation and survey projects throughout New Mexico, mostly in and around the cities of Deming and Santa Fe. In 2013, Mr. Barbour transferred to New Mexico Historic Sites. He served as the Manager of Jemez Historic Site (Giusewa Pueblo/San Jose de los Jemez Mission) in Jemez Springs, before being awarded the position of Regional Manager over both Coronado (Kuaua Pueblo) and Jemez Historic Sites in 2016. In 2022, Mr. Barbour was promoted to Deputy Director at the New Mexico Historic Sites Division. He is also currently serving in the role of Co-Interim Director of the Office of Archaeological Studies along with his colleague, State Archaeologist Michelle Ensey.

Throughout his twenty-year career, Mr. Barbour has published over 200 nonfiction articles and monographs on the archaeology and history of the American Southwest. In 2012, and again in 2014, Mr. Barbour was awarded the City of Santa Fe Heritage Preservation Award for Excellence in Archaeology. In 2018, under Mr. Barbour’s management, Coronado Historic Site received an Award of Merit from the American Association for State and Local History. Then in 2019, Jemez Historic Site received the Archaeology Heritage Preservation from New Mexico Historic Preservation Division.