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Join us for 3-days and 2-nights rafting the Rio Chama with Santa Clara Pueblo artist Roxanne Swentzell to learn and appreciate the significance to her Tewa people of water and the land it flows through. Join Roxanne on the river to share stories and reflect as we listen to the voices within the landscape. Roxanne, is a renowned Tewa clay sculptor but also teaches permaculture from a Native American perspective and is Author, The Pueblo Food Experience Cookbook: Whole Food of Our Ancestors. We follow the Rio Chama for a 33-mile mellow rafting adventure from Tierra Amarilla while floating through stunningly colorful sandstone and limestone walls and hidden canyons.  Our trip ends near Christ in the Desert Monastery. Marvel at pectacular red, yellow, and purple cliffs captured by artists Georgia O’Keeffe and Ansel Adams.

ROXANNE SWENTZELL is renowned for her figurative expressions in clay and bronze. Her character studies mirror her own life and struggles within a multi-cultural family upbringing yet deeply rooted in indigenous history but exposed to Western thought. Her Santa Clara Pueblo community practices traditions which have contributed to continuance over many centuries yet is surrounded by outside cultural influences which have had major impacts on the lives of its native inhabitants. She is known as an indigenous seed saver and she helped pioneer a change in diet for those wanting to go back to pre-European foods and native sources of diet to strengthen the health of her family and community. Her sculpture reflects the impacts of outside dominant society on tribal mothers, youth, and children with humor, sensitivity, and respect for the Earth which is the mother of us all. Found in public and private collections her art has received many awards.

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Join us for 3-days and 2-nights rafting the Rio Chama led by Geologist/Volcanologist Dr. Kirt Kempter exploring rocks of the Mesozoic Era as we descend into geologic time.  Our trip begins just below El Vado reservoir, where sandstone deposits from the coastal plains of the Cretaceous Sea border the river.  As we float down river we drop into older layers of the Colorado Plateau, giving us intimate views of Jurassic and Triassic deposits.  Geologic formations you will recognize from the Ghost Ranch area include the Morrison, Todilto, Entrada, and Chinle.  Short side hikes will allow us to appreciate these rock layers in person, including some fossil tracks of the famous Jurassic predator, Allosaurus!  We will follow the Rio Chama for a 33-mile mellow rafting adventure from Tierra Amarilla and float through stunningly colorful sandstone and limestone walls and hidden canyons. The trip ends near Christ in the Desert Monastery. Appreciate the spectacular red, yellow, and purple multi-hued cliffs captured by artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe and Ansel Adams.

DR KIRT KEMPTER is a Fulbright Fellow and holds his doctorate from University of Texas-Austin. He is a popular world-traveling vulcanologist and independent field geologist. He is much in demand as a study leader for organizations such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Journeys and Southwest Seminars. He worked for the New Mexico STATEMAP program studying the geologic history of Northern New Mexico and was an instructor for the NASA astronaut-training program. Kirt is the author of numerous maps/articles on geology of the Southwest.

The Trip

We will follow the Rio Chama for a 33-mile mellow whitewater rafting adventure from Tierra Amarilla and float through stunningly colorful sandstone and limestone walls and hidden canyons. The trip ends near Christ in the Desert Monastery and includes a visit to a nearby grid garden. We will view the spectacular red, yellow, and purple multi-hued cliffs captured by artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe and Ansel Adams. For more information about this trip, please contact Southwest Seminars.

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Learn about the history of the Early Paleo and Folsom people traveling the Chama River Valley thousands of years ago and their high-quality chert for stone tools was found on the prominent Pedernal Peak. Learn about nomadic residents living 3,000 years heavily used the region as evidenced by obsidian spear points and ancient living sites. After the depopulation of Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde, new people entered the area and created communities along the river and its tributaries. By the mid-1300’s they built some of the largest prehistoric pueblos in the ancient southwest by using a rock and gravel mulch grid gardens. Learn about the settlement by Spanish colonists, Native hostilities and the floods of the raging Chama River and the dams that finally tamed the river. Visit a grid garden on the last day of the trip.

Narration

Dr. Maxwell will share knowledge of the native peoples, history, and the agricultural field systems of the Rio Chama. He is Director Emeritus, New Mexico Office of Archaeological Studies and conducted extensive mapping of Chama River cultural sites and the agricultural field systems of the Rio Chama.

The Trip

We will follow the Rio Chama for a 33-mile mellow whitewater rafting adventure from Tierra Amarilla and float through stunningly colorful sandstone and limestone walls and hidden canyons. The trip ends near Christ in the Desert Monastery and includes a visit to a nearby grid garden. We will view the spectacular red, yellow, and purple multi-hued cliffs captured by artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe and Ansel Adams. For more information about this trip, please contact Southwest Seminars.