Archaeology Café: “Road Signs and Walking Shoes: Sandals and Sandal Imagery as Part and Parcel of the Chaco Road System” with Benjamin A. Bellorado
Tuesday, March 3, 2026 | Doors 5:30 p.m. | Talk 6:00 p.m.
Location: Archaeology Southwest Headquarters, 300 N Ash Alley, Tucson, AZ
Attend in person or online via Zoom Webinar

Join Benjamin A. Bellorado, Assistant Curator of Archaeology at the Arizona State Museum, as he explores the connections between movement, identity, and expression within the Chacoan world. For more than a century, archaeologists have studied the vast network of Chaco roads, yet their exact purpose remains debated. Bellorado presents new evidence suggesting these routes were not only for transport or trade, but also served as performance spaces where travelers enacted shared cultural identities. Drawing on rock art, woven sandal imagery, and ancient footwear, he reveals how walking these paths embodied both physical and symbolic journeys through the Chaco landscape.

Recordings of each Archaeology Café are posted online following the event.