Have an interest in anthropology and want to learn about Sonoran Desert anthropology? Join other Armchair Anthropologists in our series of talks by actual anthropologists! First up: The Ancient Oasis 5,000 Years of Agriculture and Irrigation in Tucson First up on 9/22 is Archeologist Dr. Jonathan Mabry, who will discuss Tucson’s 5,000 year old history of agriculture along el Rio Santa Cruz in his talk, The Ancient Oasis. Jonathan will show slides of his discoveries of the earliest known irrigation canals in the U.S., coming off the Santa Cruz, and more. He’ll also cover social organizations of Tucson’s prehistoric irrigation communities, water rights and development schemes of the late 1800’s, and how the Santa Cruz became the dry deep channel it is today.

We’ll also discuss turning points in Tucson’s multicultural food history and the future of water and farming in the Santa Cruz watershed. Come enjoy some cocktails and learn more about this place we love.

BIO: Jonathan Mabry, PhD has more than four decades of archaeological fieldwork experience in the deserts of the Middle East and Southwest U.S./Northwest Mexico, and has published numerous articles and books about his findings. Excavations he led established that Tucson has the longest history of continuous habitation and agriculture in the USA. He was an early leader in the local and heritage foods movements in southern Arizona, and was the lead author of the application that obtained Tucson’s designation as the first UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in the U.S. He currently serves as the liaison to UNESCO for Tucson and is the Executive Director of the non-profit organization managing the designation. He is also a research associate at the University of Arizona Desert Laboratory and continues to conduct archaeological fieldwork in Sonora, Mexico.