The University of Arizona
 

About Arizona State Museum

Did You Know?

ASM is renowned for its excellence in preserving, interpreting and presenting the material culture of our region. The people of the state of Arizona have many reasons to be proud of this unique treasure. Here are some we’d like to share with you.

Arizona State Museum…

  • is the oldest and largest anthropology museum in the Southwest, established in 1893.
  • is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution.
  • is the state’s official archaeological repository and is the largest/busiest non-federal intake facility in the country.
  • administers Arizona’s Antiquities Act and assists state & federal agencies in enforcing related legislation and repatriation; issues permits for archaeological and paleontological projects across the state.
  • is the University of Arizona’s anthropology museum and is one of the oldest research units on the campus.
  • houses the only museum conservation laboratory in the state.
  • hosts researchers from around the world who use the collections to expand the frontiers of knowledge in archaeology, ethnology, and history.

Collections

Arizona State Museum’s expansive collections are among the most notable resources in the world for research and study of Native peoples of the American Southwest and northern Mexico.

Arizona State Museum…

  • holds the world’s largest whole-vessel collection of Southwest Indian pottery (20,000 specimens); conservation of which is an official project of Save America’s Treasures, a White House preservation initiative.
  • houses over 150,000 catalogued archaeological and ethnographic artifacts, a quarter of a million photographic negatives and original prints, and 70,000 volumes including many rare and hard-to-find titles.
  • curates the artifacts used by pioneering archaeologists to define the Mogollon and Hohokam cultures, as well as the Salado phenomenon.
  • holds one of the nation’s top Navajo textile collections that includes some of the earliest and most rare examples of this type of weaving, including one of the largest Navajo rugs ever woven.
  • holds one of the largest collections of Casas Grandes pottery in any museum outside of Mexico.
  • holds one of the largest collections of Seri material in the U.S.
  • has more than 500 outstanding examples of Mexican folk masks from the renowned Cordry Collection.
  • holds the archives, papers and original field notes and drawings of SW anthropology giants such as Emil Haury, Grenville Goodwin, Edward Spicer, Clara Lee Tanner, and others.
  • has more than 3,500 comparative vertebrate skeletons in the Stanley J. Olsen Laboratory of Zooarchaeology.

Research

Arizona State Museum was built on a cornerstone of research over a century ago. ASM scholars continue to be leaders in the field of Southwest anthropology. Research at ASM cuts across numerous fields and involves many disciplines.

Arizona State Museum…

  • conducts ongoing excavations on Hohokam life at a major settlement north of Tucson.
  • continues more than 20 years of excavation of ancestral Hopi villages at Homolovi Ruins State Park.
  • conducts research on ancient cliff dwellings in central Arizona.
  • collaborates in research, study, and teaching with the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia in Mexico.
  • conducts research into the intriguing “trincheras” or terraced hilltop sites found in Arizona and Mexico.
  • has compiled thousands of computerized records and documentary materials on the colonial history of the Greater Southwest and northern Mexico.
  • supervises an interdisciplinary initiative exploring how climate changes affect ranchers in the Southwest.
  • studies the history of environmental change in the borderland regions of Arizona and New Mexico.
  • has compiled a documentary history of the Hopi during the Spanish and Mexican periods (1540–1848).
  • is compiling a documentary history of O’odham people.
  • conducts research on the prehistoric and historic use of animals by southwestern peoples and is creating an interactive mapping database of Arizona archaeological faunal remains to benefit wildlife management practices.

Public Programs

Arizona State Museum presents a full calendar of exciting programs and events that bring to life the story of 13,000 years of human occupation in the Southwest. Enriching museum programs reach out to students of all ages and all levels of interest.

Arizona State Museum…

  • facilitates an internship program that places university students in positions throughout the museum and at the National Park Service’s Western Archaeological Conservation Center.
  • offers a full calendar of public events each year for learners of all ages.
  • brings more than 200 of the finest Native American artists in the region to the annual Southwest Indian Art Fair.
  • interprets museum research through exhibits and hands-on programs.
  • trains university students and volunteers to conduct museum tours.
  • has a volunteer program that matches individual interests and skills with available positions; ASM volunteers work in every museum department and contribute more than 7,000 hours of service annually.
  • has a unique education-based store—Native Goods—that focuses on authentic arts and crafts in the cultural spirit and traditions of the Southwest.
  • offers membership with a host of exciting benefits.

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