Virginia Steen-McIntyre was born in Chicago, Illinois and educated in the public schools there. She received her AB from Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois in 1959 (geology, minors in chemistry and art), her MS from Washington State University (1965, geology, minor in soils), and her PhD from the University of Idaho (1977, geology, minor in ecology). She is a tephrochronologist (volcanic ash specialist) with a secondary interest in archaeological site stratigraphy. She has worked with others in the Valsequillo area, Mexico, since 1966, especially at the Hueyatlaco archaeologic site. She and her husband David live in Colorado.
The purpose of this website is fourfold: introduce the interested layman to the very early archaeologic sites clustered on the north shore of the Valsequillo Reservoir, 100 km east of Mexico City; give the history of The Valsequillo Saga from its beginning to 2009; supply hard data for research scientists, much of them unpublished, that would be difficult to find elsewhere and highlight other ancient sites that have been buried in the literature or ignored.
Much of the data concerns Hueyatlaco, the youngest of four archaeological sites discovered in 1962 by Mexican prehistorian Juan Armenta Camacho and archaeologist Cynthia Irwin-Williams, then a graduate student in anthropology at Harvard. It contains the most complete sedimentary record. El Horno, a topographically lower, older site is also discussed. Both have been dated by our group using U-series methods (on a bone and a tooth fragment respectively) to approximately 250,000 - 300,000 years.
Additionally the Hueyatlaco site has had volcanic ash layers dated by us using magnetic polarity, the zircon fission-track method, the tephra hydration dating method, and more recently its sedimentary layers by diatom stratigraphy. Other researchers have used Ar-Ar methods, magnetic polarity, SHRIMP (Sensitive High Resolution Ion MicroProbe) and the U-Pb isotopic system. All methods agree as to the great age of the sediments exposed at the site.
The word "classic" in the address is intentional. The Valsequillo Saga is ongoing, both for our group and for a new group of scientists, with new excavations, new dates, and new research. I refer to them as The New Valsequillo Project. There is disagreement between the old and the new groups that has not yet been resolved. We hope to work together to do so.
Virginia Steen-McIntyre
September 13, 2009
P.S.- As of January, 2010, the website is "under construction." Charlie Hatchett is my new webmaster, stepping in for volunteer Steve LeMaster who no longer has the free time. Thank you, Steve, for introducing me to the web and guiding me these many years!