Virginia Steen-McIntyre was born in Chicago into a working-class family. She received her AB from Augustana College, Rock Island in 1959 (geology, minors in chemistry and art), the MS from Washington State University (1965, geology, minor in soils), and the 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 threefold: To 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. To give much of the history of The Valsequillo from its beginning to 2004. To supply hard data for research scientists, much of it unpublished, that would be difficult if not impossible to find elsewhere.

Much of the data concerns Hueyatlaco, the youngest of four archaeologic sites discovered in 1964 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 using U-series methods (on a bone and a tooth fragment respectively) to approximately 250,000 - 300,000 years. The Hueyatlaco site in addition has had volcanic ash layers dated by the zircon fission-track method and the tephra hydration dating method, and more recently its sedimentary layers by diatom stratigraphy. All methods agree as to the site's great age.

The word "classic" in the address is intentional. The Valsequillo Saga is ongoing, with new scientists, new excavations, new dates, 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

May 6, 2006