This summer, three of Arizona State Museum’s curators are off on explorations far from home. Associate Curator of Ethnohistory Michael Brescia is taking in the beauty of Southern Spain to learn about historic traditions related to water rights. Associate Curator of Conservation Teresa Moreno is part of an international team in Arcadia, Greece, discovering mythical revelations while excavating at Mt. Lykaion. Assistant Curator of Bioarchaeology James Watson is examining 8,000 thousands years of dental records and learning about dietary habits of indigenous peoples in Chile while on a Fulbright.

In Madrid, Dr. Brescia is examining 15th-16th century documents related to the role of common lands and water rights in the founding of towns. He hopes to learn how the “founding fathers” of Spanish municipalities thought about access to natural resources and how that access expressed notions of justice and the common good. Dr. Brescia wonders how this is reflected in the greater Southwest where Spaniards introduced their legal culture and irrigation practices. He will also research in Selville at the General Archive of the Indies, a massive repository of documents related to the Spanish colonial enterprise in the Americas.

What I can’t wait to hear about is Dr. Brescia’s visit to Valencia. For a least a thousands years, outside the doors of the Cathedral, a Water Court is held each Thursday at 10:00 a.m. Farmers from the countryside come to argue their side of a water dispute and the three-judge panel listens and makes decisions on the spot. Dr. Brescia will eavesdrop on the proceedings and share with us his grasp of the legal principals informing the judges’ decisions. He explained to me, “In northern New Mexico, the mayordomo, or ditch supervisor, also has to deal with disputes and make decisions. I’m anticipating that the principles and customs that shape decisions made in Valencia are similar to those that shape decisions in New Mexico. The intellectual fun, of course, is to tease out differences and similarities while respecting the different contexts from which such decision-making has emerged.”

This summer Ms. Moreno is seeped in Greek mythology at Mt. Lykaion, which is acclaimed for being the birthplace of Zeus. The project website states, “The sanctuary of Zeus on Mt. Lykaion stands out for its great fame, mysterious rituals and wide-ranging significance.” Except for a 1996 survey conducted by the University of Pennsylvania Museum, this is the first systematic excavation in 100 years. Much information is available about this mythic place and the multiyear international project at the Mt. Lykaion Excavation and Survey Project. For up-to-date thoughts, visit the project’s blog. If she is successful at scooting by herds of goats, escaping Zeus’s playful antics, and climbing down from the lofty mount of the gods, Ms. Moreno will be back at ASM in August and will share her field season adventure firsthand with us.

Dr. Watson has been teaching Chilean students who are putting up with his Mexican Spanish flavored with a Gringo accent. His research has him looking at thousands of ancient teeth. He remarked, “The sample is incredible and comprises local groups that extend from the earliest inhabitants in the region (Chinchorro, circa 7,000 B.C.) to the Inka. I am effectively collecting oral health data on 8,500 years of human adaptation to the driest desert in the world. The similarities and comparisons to be made with my research in the Sonoran Desert are remarkable.” An up-dated report on what indigenous people of Chile have eaten and how their teeth reveal their diet is promised. Meanwhile, remember to brush and floss!

Feel free to comment with questions and I will pass them on to our travelers. They have each promised updates on their research and the cultures they are visiting. Dr. Brescia might even share some of the wonderful food traditions of Spain he is enjoying! Tapas, yum!