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Maxwell@Home

Maxwell@Home

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.

Latest Post

Object Monday: Cuneiform Tablet Messenger Text

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

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Previous Posts

Ancestral Pueblo Field House (UNM 1)

Research Wednesday: Ancestral Pueblo field houses

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)

Honeysuckle vine basket by Larry Croslin (MMA 85.36.2)

Object Monday: Larry Croslin Basket

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)

Reindeer fur slippers (MMA 90.3.1)

Object Monday: Sámi reindeer fur slippers

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

Mukluks (MMA 87.37.8)

Object Monday: Alaskan Mukluks

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

Burna Little basket (MMA 83.43.1)

Ts'aa' ceremonial basket, made by Burna Little (MMA 83.43.1)

Object Monday: Ceremonial basket by Burna Little

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