Archaeology Day is coming back to the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Visitor Center on Saturday, Nov. 7, with a full day of free, family-friendly programming built around the desert's Indigenous heritage. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Visitor Center and the nearby Begole Archaeology Research Center, open to all ages at no cost.
The gathering is presented by the Colorado Desert Archaeology Society in partnership with California State Parks and the Anza-Borrego Foundation, according to Go to Borrego Springs. As the San Diego Union-Tribune reports, a ceremony led by a Cahuilla elder opens the day at 9:15 a.m., setting the tone for an event centered on the cultural heritage of Native Americans who have lived in the desert for thousands of years. This year's theme, per the Go to Borrego Springs listing, is “Here Together: Celebrating the Desert's Cultural Heritage.”
Basket Weaving, Pottery and Bird Songs Fill the Visitor Center
Throughout the day, local artists will demonstrate juncus basket weaving, pottery making and rock art painting, while performances from Cahuilla and Kumeyaay Birdsingers and Payómkawichum storytelling round out the cultural programming, the Union-Tribune reports. The Colorado Desert Archaeology Society, which hosts the event according to the San Diego Archaeological Center, says its all-volunteer mission is to help park staff document, preserve and protect the district's prehistoric and historic cultural resources. The Colorado Desert District, which includes Anza-Borrego, identifies the Kumeyaay, Cahuilla, Cupeño and Payómkawichum/Luiseño as the original peoples of the region.
A San Diego-based nonprofit called ‘Ataaxum Pomkwaan,’ which means “for the people,” will host Payómkawichum games and provide healing-centered resources at the event, according to the Union-Tribune. Visitors can also expect presentations on Cahuilla land loss and on the Butterfield Stage Wagon crossing, giving the day a historical arc that stretches from the desert's earliest inhabitants through the region's 19th-century stagecoach era.
Library Tours and a Basketweaver's Demonstration
Traditional Kumeyaay basketweaver Eva Salazar gave a demonstration at a past Archaeology Day at the Visitor Center, the Union-Tribune reports. Salazar has woven coiled baskets since she was seven years old and now teaches her skills to other Kumeyaay tribal members, exhibiting her work in museums, according to her profile with the Alliance for California Traditional Arts.
The Begole Archaeological Research Library is generally open to the public during the annual event, with tours starting at 9:45 a.m. and running hourly throughout the day, per the Union-Tribune's reporting. The library sits alongside the Begole Research Center, which the Go to Borrego Springs preview also lists among the day's guided-tour offerings.
Guided Field Trips Require Advance Sign-Up
Beyond the Visitor Center grounds, organizers are offering guided field trips that require pre-registration, according to the Union-Tribune. A trip to an ancient Kumeyaay village runs from 1 to 4 p.m. on Nov. 7 and costs $10 for adults, with children under 12 paying $5. A separate trip to pictograph and morteros cultural sites in Blair Valley departs at 8 a.m. on Nov. 8, lasting about six hours round-trip from the Borrego library, and costs $20 for adults and $10 for children under 12.
Archaeology Day's cultural and educational programming fits into a broader picture of the park's archaeological record. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park contains more than 4,400 recorded archaeological sites, including villages, camps, hunting sites and rock art locations, according to a California State Parks description of the park. The Visitor Center is located at 200 Palm Canyon Drive, with attendance free and open to visitors of all ages.
