As I stand on
Tempe Butte looking out over the Valley of the Sun, the city disappears… it is replaced by a whole different view of colors, patterns and most importantly, people. I’m here to record the petroglyphs but I’m finding that it’s really far beyond that. My home is in Phoenix, my house is about three miles away as the crow flies, even closer to the
S'edav Va'aki Museum where I am a member of the Phoenix Chapter at the
Arizona Archeological Society.
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| Scott Wood giving a presentation on the archeology of Perry Mesa |
Phoenix Chapter, Saturday March 7th, 2026
March Meeting:
J. Scott Wood will discuss his observations about
Perry Mesa. Scott received his MA in archaeology from Arizona State University. He worked at Pueblo Grande Museum and at the ASU Office of Cultural Resource Management. He is retired from the Forest Service and is widely considered an expert on the
Tonto National Forest, particularly because of his knowledge of ceramics. He has authored and co-authored dozens of publications and articles and his book,
Checklist of Pottery Types for the Tonto National Forest is referenced all over the world.
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Phoenix Chapter, Saturday February 4th, 2026
Our speaker will be
Felipe Molina. Mr. Molina is a life-long resident of
Yoem Pueblo (Marana) and member of the
Pascua Yaqui Tribe. He is an oral historian, a teacher of Yaqui language and culture, an experienced and accomplished deer singer and practitioner of other parts of the pahko, and an author and mentor to young Yaquis. A sought-after ceremonial leader, he has performed at many public gatherings internationally. Molina will continue to work with a group of apprentices, teaching and learning traditional Yoeme foodways and cultural expressions. See attached links:
https://arizonaartslive.com/story/felipe-s-molina/
https://www.ipl.org/div/natam/bin/browse.pl/A382
Mr. Molina will present information about his Yaqui (Yoeme) history and culture, which is an extremely interesting aspect of the history of both Sonora and Arizona.
The following Saturday (2/14/26) AAS will sponsor a field trip to southern Arizona where we will visit some of the important Yaqui sites. The field trip is open to all AAS members (limited to 20 participants) with Phoenix chapter members receiving an early notice of the event.
When my parents lived in Tucson I visited most of the sites we will visit on the field trip. Even though I’ve been there before I will be the first person to sign up. For those of you who would like to learn more about the history of Mexico, Sonora and the Yaqui I can recommend these books:
Cycles of conquest : the impact of Spain, Mexico, and the United States on the Indians of the Southwest, 1533-1960 (by Edward H. Spicer)
Studies of the Yaqui Indians of Sonora, Mexico (by W. C. Holden, et al)
The Yaquis and the Empire: Violence, Spanish Imperial Power, and Native Resilience in Colonial Mexico (by Raphael Brewster Folsom)
Yaqui myths and legends (by Ruth Warner Giddings)
I meet Tim Askelson and Sam Baar, two members of the Society. Sam and I talked about the classes he teaches, Tim spoke about photography and the Petroglyph, the newsletter of the society.
I want to know more about the indigenous people and their way of life in the area where I live.
I’m well on my way. As a young man, my parents used to go to the Catholic Church in Guadalupe so my interest in the Yaqui runs deep. Mom and Dad lived in a nice home in Arcadia. Devout Catholics, my father a Heart Surgeon. He attended the humble church in Guadalupe. As he parked his Porsche in the church lot, it was out of place but he always talked of being home and feeling that way. He told stories of getting on a Yaqui bus and ending up on the border of Mexico, crossing without papers completely trusting his friends, the parishioners, his stories about them were told to me while we were in Yugoslavia on religious pursuit, but that was a long time ago…
I sat there listening to Mr. Molina, the memories came pouring back.
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