The Legacy of La Jara: Jicarilla Apache Perspectives and Heritage Management

Abstract

The La Jara archaeological site (LA 14318) on the Jicarilla Apache Reservation in northern New Mexico was excavated in the 1970s with the intention of developing a heritage tourism destination. However, the development of the site as a tourist destination was never completed, leaving the site and its excavated collections in a prolonged state of uncertainty. This thesis looks at how various perspectives of heritage, including those articulated by Jicarilla Apache cultural advisors and those embedded within Western archaeological practice, have shaped the history and management of the La Jara site and its associated collections. In combining ethnographic and oral history interviews with the organization and analysis of the La Jara records and collections, this project aims to fill the gaps in the administrative record and to address issues that the Jicarilla Apache Nation Tribal Historic Preservation Office has experienced in dealing with the legacy collections from the La Jara site.