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| Wilson Welcomes Signing of Hibben Center Act |
November 01, 2004 |
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| President Signs Bill for UNM Archeological Center
Albuquerque – Congresswoman Heather Wilson, sponsor of the Hibben Center Act, today welcomed the bill`s signing and said the new law will help UNM preserve the historic Chaco Canyon artifacts.
With Wilson`s support, the House passed the legislation in September and the President signed it into law Saturday, October 30. Under the new law, the National Park Service is authorized to fund the preservation of the Chaco Canyon Collection at the University of New Mexico.
Last week, Wilson toured the site and viewed the artifacts as they are stored inadequately in stacks and boxes at UNM. The new law addresses concerns including the lack of environmental controls, leaking water pipes, and inadequate security and fire protection systems.
This law allows completion of the Hibben Center as a longterm home for the Chaco Collection of more than 1.5 million artifacts.
"These artifacts have tremendous historic significance, and I welcome the signing of this bill into law," Wilson said. "We have more to learn about this ancient culture, and every pot and shard that has been recovered is a piece to a fascinating puzzle. We are preserving and protecting these keys to the past to make sure they are available to researchers and historians."
The plan includes construction of a museum, storage facility and workspace in the Hibben Archeological Research Center on the Albuquerque campus.
For six centuries, massive prehistoric structures lay untouched in a remote area of northwestern New Mexico. Chaco Canyon was the home of many indigenous southwestern people from between A.D. 850 and 1250. The Pueblo peoples of New Mexico, the Hopi of Arizona, and the Navajo consider Chaco Canyon to be part of their ancestral homelands. In recognition of its significance, President Theodore Roosevelt designated Chaco Canyon a national monument in 1907 and Congress changed the park`s designation to a national historic park in 1980. The University of New Mexico has participated in exploring Chaco Canyon`s archeological features since Chaco Canyon National Monument was founded in 1970.
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