Community and occupational stability at Ancestral Pueblo field houses in the Sandia Foothills
In April, the Society for American Archaeology held its first in person conference since 2019... read more
When you can't come to the Museum in person, Maxwell@Home offers brief glimpses into our collections, educational resources, ongoing research, online exhibitions, and Maxwell Museum history. "Ask the Maxwell" invites you to ask us questions about the Museum, anthropology, museum careers, etc. Please email us at maxwell@unm.edu with your "Ask the Maxwell" question.
Posted on: Monday, April 24, 2023
Cuneiform "messenger" tablet. King Šū-Sîn of Ur (Ur III dynasty), obverse (MMA 67.134.3)
This tablet dates to the reign of King Šū-Sîn of Ur of the Ur III dynasty, who ruled Mesopotamia around 2000 BCE. It is a messenger text, an administrative tablet that records the provisions provided to couriers who carried messages between cities on behalf of state administrators, and describes the quantites of "good quality" beer, onion, oil, and other foodstuffs provided to individual... read more
Ancestral Pueblo Field House (UNM 1)
Posted on: Wednesday, July 13, 2022
Community and occupational stability at Ancestral Pueblo field houses in the Sandia Foothills
In April, the Society for American Archaeology held its first in person conference since 2019... read more
Honeysuckle vine basket by Larry Croslin (MMA 85.36.2)
Posted on: Monday, July 11, 2022
This small basket was made by Cherokee artist Larry Croslin at a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) funded workshop held at the Maxwell Museum in September 1985. Croslin, who teaches basketry at the Taos Art School, is a member of the Cherokee... read more
Reindeer fur slippers (MMA 90.3.1)
Posted on: Monday, May 23, 2022
These slippers were made by a Sámi woman in Alaska in 1933. The story of how she came to be in Alaska is embedded in the history of 19th century colonial expansion.
In 1891, while touring Inuit villages of western Alaska, US Government... read more
Posted on: Monday, May 2, 2022
These adult mukluks (Yupik, kamiks in Inuit) were made by an unknown Native Alaskan in the 1960s or 70s.
The soft leather soles of these mukluks wrap around the bottom of the wearer’s foot and are attached to the seal fur sides with... read more
Ts'aa' ceremonial basket, made by Burna Little (MMA 83.43.1)
Posted on: Monday, April 4, 2022
This Ts’aa’ (ceremonial basket) was made by Burna Little of Navajo Mountain around 1983. The coiled basket is made of natural and dyed sumac wrapped around a three-rod sumac core. Its edge consists of a distinctive herringbone braid rim that... read more