Our December meeting and luncheon featured member Claire Yashar who presented an account of her journey to Exploring Cappadocia, Turkey to a receptive audience.
Your fellow CAS members are anxious to hear about your ventures into the world of archaeology. Extensive prepping is unnecessary. A few slides will suffice. Make it a show and tell project with a brief Q & A opportunity. For a member’s 2019 presentation Bob Stelton will document A Mule Safari to El Mirador in Guatemala.
His presentation captures the excitement and spirit that confronted such travel only a few years ago.
Friday, January 4, 2019
Mesoamerican/ancient trade routes
Members of the CAS are fortunate to have Mike Ruggeri as their guide to the past at the January 27th CAS Meeting, His knowledge and understanding of the past seems to be inexhaustible.To enjoy a sampling of Mike you can open Mike Ruggeri’s Website: Ancient Americas.
Officers and Board 2019
Happy New Year
Members and friends. Please keep in mind that the January Meeting celebrates you on Members Day. “You get to throw the rascals out” because first and foremost it’s Election Day for the CAS. Then you get to execute the meeting as you please, or you can sit back and enjoy an armchair journeying into the past.The present CAS leadership has prepared an Officer and Director Ballot slate for member approval. It will be presented to the members at the beginning of the January meeting. Included on the slate are directors whose term has expired.
The CAS Board of Directors consists or 12 members and is divided into 3 groups. Each group stands for reelection every third year. Tasks confronting Directors are essentially policy decisions.
The official election slate is printed elsewhere in this edition of the Codex. The annual date attached to each name indicates office year expiration.
Raymond Young 2019
□ Vice President
Lucy Kennedy 2019
□ Secretary & Newsletter Editor
Robert Stelton 2019
□ Treasurer
Michael Ruggeri 2023
□ Director
Judith Greene 2023
□ Director
Peter Greene 2023
□ Director
Jeanne Jesernik 2023
□ Director
Jacqueline Leipold 2023
□ Director
Doreen Stelton 2023
□ Director
Ann Wilson-Dooley 2023
====================================
Director Sally Campbell 2021
Director Edith Yma Sumc Young 2021
Director David Zucker 2021
Director Delano Busczynski 2022
Director Lynn Miller 2022
Director Jeanne Zasadil 2022
Director Mary Ann Bloom 2022
Effective January 31, 2019
Discovering a new world with the Aztecs and Mike Ruggeri
The recent arrival of a so-called caravan of thousands of self-identified immigrants (with a threat of future caravans) has identified an area on the U. S. /Mexican frontier that has been a region of settlement and trade for centuries.
The northwest corner of Mexico includes that nation’s largest state, Chihuahua and its principal city, Ciudad Chihuahua.
Within the state is the important archaeological site of Casas Grandes (AKA Paquime). There are as well several communities of Americans who have settled in Chihuahua but maintain their US Citizenship.
The state of Sonora, west of Chihuahua, was a gateway to San Diego for several centuries.
Archaeological exploration has found definitive evidence in the American southwest of Mexican contact between the pre-American cultures and ancient Mexican cultures, e.g. chocolate and Macaw remains.
In ancient times within the social order of the Aztecs (and possibly other cultures) there arose a group of traveling entrepreneurs who have been identified as pochteca. In the fragmented history of the pochteca that has come down to us by way of archaeology, history and literature, we meet face to face with traveling adventurers wearing the masque of Marco Polo or even Jonathan Swift’s Lemuel Gulliver!
Archaeological exploration spanning the farthest reaches of the New World reveal a diversity of trade goods.
Within the range of the Aztecs the pochteca must have contributed to the diversity of ancient life.
Readers may have made first-contact with the Aztec and a pochteca, by name Chicóme-Xochitl Tliléctic Mixtli (translates to Seven-Flower Dark Cloud), via Gary Jennings’s mammoth novel Aztec.
Mike Ruggeri, Professor of Mesoamerican Studies, will speak at our January lecture on the importance of long distance trade networks between Mesoamerica and the Ancient Southwest.
As of late, what once was of signal importance e.g. economic history such as the Hanseatic League, has given way to trivia and nonsense. Perhaps Mike can turn our attention to how much trading impacts have influenced all cultures. He will help answer questions on these aspects of the history of the ancient trade routes;
1) When and how did this ancient trade networks expand into the Ancient Southwest from Mesoamerica?
2) Where did items of trade reach the Ancient Southwest and how far did Mesoamerican trade items reach into ancient North America.
3) What were the trade items that reached the Ancient Southwest from Mesoamerica, and what did the Mesoamericans receive in return.
4) How did trader items reach their destinations across vast desert territories into Ancient North America?
These are only a few of the sparkling facets of a compelling history that places before us the story of the pochteca and the routes they took to reach into the Ancient Southwest.
You don’t want to miss this meeting. Bring a friends and join the fun at our post-meeting casual dinner at the Prairie Moon.
For more open: http://mikeruggerisaztlanworld.tumblr.com
The northwest corner of Mexico includes that nation’s largest state, Chihuahua and its principal city, Ciudad Chihuahua.
 |
| Diorama of Paquime archaeological site |
Within the state is the important archaeological site of Casas Grandes (AKA Paquime). There are as well several communities of Americans who have settled in Chihuahua but maintain their US Citizenship.
The state of Sonora, west of Chihuahua, was a gateway to San Diego for several centuries.
Archaeological exploration has found definitive evidence in the American southwest of Mexican contact between the pre-American cultures and ancient Mexican cultures, e.g. chocolate and Macaw remains.
 |
| Pochteca |
Archaeological exploration spanning the farthest reaches of the New World reveal a diversity of trade goods.
Within the range of the Aztecs the pochteca must have contributed to the diversity of ancient life.
Readers may have made first-contact with the Aztec and a pochteca, by name Chicóme-Xochitl Tliléctic Mixtli (translates to Seven-Flower Dark Cloud), via Gary Jennings’s mammoth novel Aztec.
 |
| Trading control over much of northern Europe was a monopoly of the Hanseatic League that spanned the 13th and 15th centuries. |
As of late, what once was of signal importance e.g. economic history such as the Hanseatic League, has given way to trivia and nonsense. Perhaps Mike can turn our attention to how much trading impacts have influenced all cultures. He will help answer questions on these aspects of the history of the ancient trade routes;
1) When and how did this ancient trade networks expand into the Ancient Southwest from Mesoamerica?
2) Where did items of trade reach the Ancient Southwest and how far did Mesoamerican trade items reach into ancient North America.
3) What were the trade items that reached the Ancient Southwest from Mesoamerica, and what did the Mesoamericans receive in return.
4) How did trader items reach their destinations across vast desert territories into Ancient North America?
These are only a few of the sparkling facets of a compelling history that places before us the story of the pochteca and the routes they took to reach into the Ancient Southwest.
You don’t want to miss this meeting. Bring a friends and join the fun at our post-meeting casual dinner at the Prairie Moon.
For more open: http://mikeruggerisaztlanworld.tumblr.com
 |
A pochteca as displayed on the Florentine Codex.
|
the palimpsest
I have just received my copy of News & Notes , the Oriental Institute Members’ Magazine.
One of the benefits of membership in the Oriental Institute is a subscription the receiving News & Notes, its Quarterly journal. The magazine features supporting information that regularly expands on special museum exhibits and often alerts visitors to special events.
Throughout the year there are a series of Members’ Lecture Series that are free and open to the public. Please see calendar for details of lectures featured in February and March 2019.
On February 6, 2019 Brian Rose, University of Pennsylvania, speaks about his fieldwork over the course of the last twenty-five years, and his strategies for presenting findings to both the public and the scholarly community. Brian places his own work in historiographic perspective with a focus on how regional, national, and global developments have shaped research agendas.
Issue 240 of the magazine is a concise introduction to Nubia.
> Bob Stelton, editor
One of the benefits of membership in the Oriental Institute is a subscription the receiving News & Notes, its Quarterly journal. The magazine features supporting information that regularly expands on special museum exhibits and often alerts visitors to special events.
Throughout the year there are a series of Members’ Lecture Series that are free and open to the public. Please see calendar for details of lectures featured in February and March 2019.
On February 6, 2019 Brian Rose, University of Pennsylvania, speaks about his fieldwork over the course of the last twenty-five years, and his strategies for presenting findings to both the public and the scholarly community. Brian places his own work in historiographic perspective with a focus on how regional, national, and global developments have shaped research agendas.
Issue 240 of the magazine is a concise introduction to Nubia.
> Bob Stelton, editor
Wednesday, January 2, 2019
Mesoamerican Ancient Southwestern Trade
Speaker of the Month: Michael Ruggeri
The recent arrival near our borders of the “caravan” has put a spotlight on an area on the U. S./Mexican frontier that has been a region of settlement and trade for centuries. The northwest corner of Mexico includes that nation’s largest state, Chihuahua, and its principal city, Ciudad Chihuahua. Within the state is the important archaeological site of Casas Grandes (a/k/a Paquime). There are as well several communities of Americans who have settled in Chihuahua but maintain their U.S. citizenship.
The state of Sonora, west of Chihuahua, was a gateway to San Diego for several centuries. Archeological exploration has found definitive evidence in the American southwest of Mexican contact between the pre-American cultures and ancient Mexican cultures, e.g., chocolate and Macaw remains. In ancient times within the social order of the Aztecs (and possibly other cultures) there arose a group of traveling entrepreneurs who have been identified as Pochteca. In the fragmented history of the Pochteca that has come down to us by way of archaeology, history and literature, we meet face to face with traveling adventurers. Archaeological exploration spanning the farthest reaches of the New World reveal a diversity of trade goods. Within the range of the Aztecs, the Pochteca must have contributed to the diversity of ancient life. Readers may have made first contact with the Aztec and a Pochteca named Chicóme-Xochitl Tliléctic Mixtli (translates to Seven-Flower Dark Cloud) via Gary Jennings’ mammoth novel Aztec.
Speaker Michael Ruggeri, MA taught at the City Colleges of Chicago for 33 years. He is History Professor Emeritus from Harold Washington College, where he taught the first course on Mesoamerican history in Chicago. Other areas of expertise: modern Mexico history and U.S. history from 1865. He will present our January lecture on the long distance trade network between Mesoamerica and the Ancient Southwest, addressing:
1) When and how did this ancient trade network expand into the Ancient Southwest from Mesoamerica?
2) Where did items of trade reach the Ancient Southwest and how far did Mesoamerican trade items reach into ancient North America?
3) What were the trade items that reached the Ancient Southwest from Mesoamerica, and what did the Mesoamericans receive in return?
4) How did trader items reach their destinations across vast desert territories into Ancient North America?
Meetings are open to the public and free of charge.
Social period starts at 3:00pm.
Lectures begin at 3:30pm. Join us!
Evanston Public Library
1703 Orrington, Evanston
All CAS meetings are free and open to the public.
CALL: 630-972-9090
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