Honoring and Embodying the Mandate of Community-Accountable Archaeology: Perspectives from the Indo-Hispano/a Southwest

Abstract

The lack of diversity in the archaeological community is worsened by the sense of exclusivity created at the meeting of archaeological practice and descendant communities. The authors’ work, carried out in partnership with Indo-Hispano/a communities in New Mexico, attempts to counteract this steep gradient of inclusion through the incorporation, professionalization, and leadership of our research collaborators. Our work confronts historical paradigms denying the significance of late colonial and Mexican period community-making in the Southwest, bringing to light the problematic nature of prior historical silences for their propagation of essentialist notions of indigeneity. The dehistoricization of the Indo-Hispano/a political, social, and economic present can be combated by archaeologies that emphasize community priorities for the direction of research. Central to such commitments is an archaeological praxis which not only fully recognizes the political nature of the work, but translates that potential through a cooperative program of action and inclusion.