HAVE YOU EVER VISITED THE EL PASO MUSEUM OF ARCHAEOLOGY? The El Paso Museum of Archaeology lies just west of Highway 54 and houses exhibits that span 14,000 years of West Texas history. The museum tells the story of the original Native American inhabitants of the El Paso area, the greater Southwest and northern Mexico. Half of the building represents a traditional native dwelling in the form of a full-sized diorama, including a pueblo that visitors can walk through. The other half displays artifacts such as jewelry and pottery in traditional glass cases. Exhibits reveal Native American life from the Paleoindian hunters of the Ice Age to their modern descendants. Visitors are free to roam on their own but volunteer docents makes themselves available for questions. During the summer, the museum offers an Archaeology Day Camp for children. Kids learn about local history and the importance of gaining knowledge of the past. Provided with traditional archaeology tools, campers dig on site for fossils. Outside the museum, visitors can hike a nature trail that displays the true splendor of El Paso. Many native plants and wildlife line the path. Special events, such as storytelling by starlight, and different exhibits occur throughout the year so be sure to check the museum’s schedule online at elpasotexas.gov/arch_museum/. The museum may not be large, but volunteers and contributors have packed it with interesting artifacts. SOURCES: Text adapted from vagabondminivan/tag/museum-of-archaeology/; and texasmountaintrail.blogspot/2010/07/el-paso-museum-of-archaeology.html Hat tip to Barbara Given-Behne for the idea for this post.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Dec 2014 18:02:46 +0000
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