September 2023

Hello friends!

Did you know few non-profits make it to the ripe old age of 25? Mainly because they can't raise enough money to operate. Not Shumla!

Our community of supporters have come through every single year to sustain us and we are so grateful.

This year for our 25th Anniversary our fundraising goal is $250,000. We hope you will continue the tradition of offering your support.

Through your gifts, we will be able to fund our efforts in 2024, as we:

Complete the Hearthstone Project and reveal the breath-taking results to you and the world.
Preserve sites with the Shumla Method of rock art documentation.
Educate the Shumla Scholars, our interns, and student volunteers.
Collaborate with landowners to protect ancient murals across the landscape.
Work toward the longer-term goal of beginning documentation in Northern Mexico.

Thank you for supporting us and the extraordinary ancient library of the Lower Pecos.

We are grateful for you, always!

Jessica Hamlin

Executive Director

Support Shumla with a gift today!

HEARTHSTONE PROGRESS REPORT

Steps aligned with

National Endowment for the Humanities

Three iconic sites digitally preserved, microscopy complete, Harris Matrices created, mural renderings produced.	COMPLETE
Indigenous consultations with the Huichol of San Andres Cohamiata conducted in Mexico.	COMPLETE
Analysis of the data and findings.	IN PROGRESS
On-going conversations with a Huichol Mara'akame here in Texas.	IN PROGRESS
Publication and presentation of results.	PLANNED FOR 2024

Steps aligned with

National Science Foundation

Documentation and sampling for radiocarbon dating at ten sites across the landscape.	IN PROGRESS - Nine complete, one left
Plasma oxidation processing of samples in our Shumla Laboratory.	IN PROGRESS - Eight sites complete, two left
AMS isotope measurement to determine radiocarbon age (RCYBP) and statistical analysis (cal BP, cal BC/AD).	IN PROGRESS - Seven sites complete, three left
Analysis of data and findings.	IN PROGRESS
Publication and presentation of results.	PLANNED FOR 2024

The Hearthstone Project is achieving exactly what we hoped it would.

Not only are we digitally preserving some of the most iconic and endangered sites in the region, but we are revealing their mysteries. The stories are coming to life again, in consultation with indigenous people, in determining their ages and in looking deeply at their artistry.

These discoveries, when published, will set a new foundation of information for our understanding of the ancient history of our continent.

With your help, at the end of 2024, the story of Texas will have an extraordinary new chapter.

COME TREK THIS FALL

Click to Register

OCTOBER LUNCH & LEARN

Gestures of Meaning – An analysis of composition, representation, and process in Pecos River Style Art

Ashley Busby, MFA., Shumla Collaborator

Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Noon – 1 p.m. Central Time

Using sites from the recent Hearthstone Project, this presentation will explore the elements of composition in Lower Pecos murals.

Join us on Zoom for this FREE Lunch & Learn!

Click to Register

WE KNOW YOU'RE WITH US

We can honestly say, we never “get used” to the majesty of these ancient sites. We know how lucky we are to be the ones who get to be near them, study them and save them from being lost. Thank you for that gift.