Presenting the Past: The Preservation and Display of Archaeological Sites in the American Southwest

This presentation will examine the development of the approaches of archaeological site preservation and display as practiced especially in the American Southwest during the first half of the twentieth century.  Current practices of ruins documentation, conservation, and interpretation in the region all derive from the precedents established in the early years of the development of both American archaeology and historic preservation, the latter informed by the federal government and especially the National Park Service.  A critical review of past preservation of these sites would help illuminate contemporary issues and approaches, especially as they relate to the relationship between heritage and its display. Display is the interface that mediates and thus transforms historic and cultural objects and sites into heritage.  As such, it affects much of what we know and experience.  By virtue of their remote and fragmented nature, archaeological sites are constructed, first through burial and then through excavation and conservation.   Much of what we see at these sites was never meant to be displayed, let alone seen.  The values attached to such sites both influence and are influenced by conservation concerns such as authenticity, information- and age-value, and now stakeholder involvement.