Winter for Eight Months and Hell for Four: Risk and Vulnerability on the Spanish Colonial Frontier –

Name: Winter for Eight Months and Hell for Four: Risk and Vulnerability on the Spanish Colonial Frontier –
Start: 2026-01-14T19:00:00-07:00
Location: 2001 Colorado Blvd, Denver, CO, United States, Colorado 80205

Schedule

Wed, 14 Jan, 2026 at 07:00 pm

UTC-07:00

Location

2001 Colorado Blvd, Denver, CO, United States, Colorado 80205 | Denver, CO

How do people living in a novel environment manage risk and vulnerability? Join Dr. Emmy Dawson, Acting Curator of Archaeology, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, as she examines risk and vulnerability of Spanish colonists in the US Southwest (1598-1821 CE).
This talk focuses on New Mexico during the Little Ice Age, which was a period of cooler temperature and drought. Colonists faced both climatic and environmental risks and social and political vulnerabilities including the 1680 Pueblo Revolt and the rise of Comanche raiding. Using plant remains and historical records, Dr. Dawson explores a variety of risk management strategies employed by the colonists, including irrigation and foraging wild plants.
Join us for an evening that blends history, science, and human ingenuity. Discover what these struggles teach us about risk management—and why some survival strategies are more successful than others.