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Next Speaker Lecture on February 2, 2026

John Taylor-Montoya
OAS Director
High Altitude Hunter Gatherers

 

Dr. John Taylor-Montoya is a native New Mexican born and raised in Albuquerque whose family has deep roots in New Mexico. Dr. Taylor-Montoya received the Bachelor of Science degree in Anthropology from the University of New Mexico in 2000, earned the Master of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Oklahoma in 2003, and earned the Doctorate degree in Anthropology from Southern Methodist University in 2011. His dissertation was a quantitative analysis of changes in prehistoric stone tool technology over time in which he examined over 2,000 artifacts from hundreds of sites throughout the Plains and Southwest U.S. His research was funded by a National Science Foundation grant. He began practicing archaeology in New Mexico in 1999 as a crew member on projects in the central and northern Rio Grande area. His career in public archaeology began in 2001 as a Staff Archaeologist in the Oklahoma State Archaeologists office which launched his career in Public Archaeology. From 2012 to 2024, he has served as a Senior Project Manager and Director for regional offices of private, nationwide Cultural Resource Management firms. Since 2024, he has served as the Executive Director of the Office of Archaeological Studies for the State of New Mexico. Dr. Taylor-Montoya has presented his research at international conferences, published articles in scholarly journals, and authored over 100 technical reports. He currently lives in Taos with his wife, two children, three energetic dogs.
 
Topic:
Early hunter-gatherers in North America are most widely known from evidence at sites that are situated in low-altitude settings across the continent. Nonetheless, the archaeological record in the western montane regions demonstrates that these early hunter-gatherers were well adapted to a wide range of habitats including the diverse high-altitude landscapes of the Southern Rockies. This talk will present an overview of late Pleistocene and early Holocene hunter-gatherer adaptations and evidence from selected sites in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico.

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History of Taos Archaeological Society Project

 An effort is currently underway to build a historical timeline of TAS events and history! We need your help!

The Taos Archaeological Society has operated for 34 years. In that time, many documents have been produced. Unfortunately, TAS does not have a complete record of documents produced and distributed.

 We are in need of documents/publications that date from September 1999 through February 2014. 

 You can help by contributing:

Past bulletins, meeting minutes, financial statements, member lists, and other communications. 

Thank you for your continued support of the Taos Archaeological Society.

Contact admin@Taosarch.org