Racetracks in Arizona – it's not what you think

<p>The talk is titled “Recent Advances in Central Arizona Racetrack Research,” but it doesn’t involve horses.</p><separator></separator><p>Instead, during the free lecture at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 21, at Arizona State University’s Deer Valley Rock Art Center, Will G. Russell will talk about linear ground features that were built in central Arizona in the mid-13th century.</p><separator></separator><p>Russell, a doctoral student in ASU’s archaeology program, notes that over time, scores more of these ground features were built, but the vast majority were placed atop Perry Mesa.</p><separator></separator><p>Russell has argued that these features were ceremonial racetracks used for social integration during an instance of ethnogenesis (the emergence of a distinct, recognizable, ethnic identity). Although ceremonial racing was likely important throughout the Southwest, the collection of tracks on Perry Mesa was unprecedented.</p><separator></separator><p>Ongoing research has shed new light on the spatial distribution, temporal trajectory, and social significance of these enigmatic features. Russell’s talk will cover new discoveries, approaches, and volunteer opportunities.</p><separator></separator><p>Russell also is a doctoral research fellow with the National Science Foundation and Ford Foundation. His dissertation research examines prehistoric religious development in central Arizona by looking at the genesis and transformation of a ritual racetrack network.</p><separator></separator><p>Deer Valley Rock Art Center is located at 3711 W. Deer Valley Road, two blocks west of 35th Avenue.</p><separator></separator><p>The Deer Valley Rock Art Center has the largest concentration of Native American petroglyphs in the Phoenix Valley. Visitors hike a 1/4-mile trail to view more than 1,500 petroglyphs made between 500 and 7,000 years ago. The museum aims to promote preservation, connection and respect for the site and is a destination for families to learn about archaeology in their own backyard.</p><separator></separator><p>The Center is managed by one of the top archaeology programs in the country – the School of Human Evolution &amp; Social Change, an academic unit of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences – at ASU. DVRAC is a Phoenix Point of Pride.</p><separator></separator><p>For more information, contact Kim Arth at (623) 582-8007 or <a href="mailto:kimberly.arth@asu.edu">kimberly.arth@asu.edu</a>.</p&gt;