Rethinking Hewett: The Politics of Preservation in the American Southwest

Rethinking Hewitt is series of talks co-presented by the New Mexico History Museum and the School for Advanced Research.

Edgar Lee Hewett is well known for his role in establishing the legal framework for archaeological preservation in the United States in the early 20th century. Less recognized, however, is the competitive environment within the Southwest itself regarding this endeavor. Virginia McClurg, leader of the Colorado Cliff Dwellers Association, had her own ideas about the value of preservation and was a forceful advocate on behalf of her organization. The relationship between Hewett and McClurg reflected politics, gender relations, and institutional rivalries—a dynamic that still shapes the preservation movement today.

James E. Snead is Professor of Anthropology and Curator at California State University, Northridge. Raised in Santa Fe, he has conducted archaeology in the region since the 1990s. Snead is the author of Ruins and Rivals (2001) and Relic Hunters: Archaeology and the Public in 19th Century America (2018). His current research focuses on the role of women in Southwestern archaeology in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Photo credit: Hewett, E. L. (n.d.). Edgar L. Hewett at Salinas Pueblo National Monument, New Mexico (PAAC.056.0334) [Photographs, photographic prints]. New Mexico History Museum. Retrieved December 10, 2025, from https://archives.newmexicoculture.org/edgar-l-hewett-salinas-pueblo-national-monument-new-mexico

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