Archeoastronomy in the Southwest
with Martha Yates
December 11, 2025 4 PM CT
This is the story of the exploration and intimate connection to the cosmos of the Ancestral Puebloans, whose astronomers were keen observers of the earth’s relationship to the cosmos: solstices, equinoxes, and lunar standstills. The presentation includes visuals of ancient astronomical rock art and the observatories at Mesa Verde, Chaco Canyon, and Chimney Rock National Monument. Dr. Yates will also discuss how pueblo ceremonial dances strengthen community balance by harmonizing with the celestial cycles and those of the earth. The presentation includes time for questions and discussion.
Martha Yates served as a District Archeologist in the Santa Fe National Forest, Santa Fe, New Mexico, for many years and has taught at UCLA, the University of California Santa Barbara, and the University of Vermont. She guides archaeological trips through the southwest for national and local organizations, which include the Sierra Club, Santa Fe Community College, Ghost Ranch, and the Universities of New Mexico and Utah. In 2023, she led a DRC road trip to Chaco Canyon, Aztec Ruins, and Chimney Rock. Her Ph.D. is from UCLA in Greek Classics, where she studied Bronze age and Minoan archaeology. Yates has won archaeology awards, a Distinguished Scholars Award from the University of California Santa Barbara, and awards for her poetry. She is a writer with a number of publications to her credit. As a professional photographer, she worked for the New York City Planning Commission Press Office and the Mayor’s Press Office with photos in The New York Times and on WNEW-TV News. In 2008, she was appointed by the Secretary of the Interior and the White House to the Resources Advisory Council, an advisory council to the Bureau of Land Management.