Jonathan Haas-Curator of North American Archaeology and his colleague, Winifred Creamer, Adjunct Associate Curator in the Department, have been working on the evolution of cultural systems in the American southwest. They are looking at the effects of European contact and colonialism on the Pueblo peoples of northern New Mexico in the 16th and 17th centuries AD. The initial focus of the project is on changes in the size and distribution of the population of the region during the time just before and after the arrival of the Spaniards in 1540. As part of this research effort, Haas has begun a long term project to inventory, catalog and analyze the Paul Martin collections here at the Museum. By examining the archaeological and ethnohistorical records of the area we are gaining new insights into the effects of Old World disease and regional warfare on the Pueblo peoples.
