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Kumeyaay native plant presentation by Kumeyaay-Ipai Interpretative Center. Photo by Laurie BrindleEast County News Service
Sept. 10, 2025 (Borrego Springs) -- Get ready for some adventures in artifacts.
California State Parks and the Colorado Desert Archaeology Society are getting set for "Archaeology Day" in November.
Archaeology Day is a family-friendly event that celebrates the rich cultural heritage of the vast Anza-Borrego Desert — and the people who have lived there for thousands of years.
The goal of the annual event is is to help promote, preserve and protect the Park’s history and its abundant cultural resources through public awareness.
Planned for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 8, with one additional event scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 9, the free gathering will be held at the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Visitor Center at 200 Palm Canyon Drive in Borrego Springs as well as the nearby Begole Archaeology Research Center.
The event's opening ceremony will be at 9:15 and performed by a Cahuilla Band of Indians elder. Local Indigenous artist Eva Salazar of the Kumeyaay Nation will have basketry items for sale as well as a Juncas basket weaving demonstration.
Ami Admire, a Payómkawichum storyteller, will share a storytelling event. Payómkawichum, meaning "People of the West," is the original name of the Luiseño people who inhabit the coastal and inland areas of southern California. Payómkawichum games will be presented by 'ataaxum Pomkwaan ("For the People") and both Cahuilla and Kumeyaay Birdsingers and Dancers will perform during the day.
Activities at the daylong event will include hands-on pottery making, rock art painting and guided tours of the archaeology lab.
Educational displays will include showings by the San Diego Archaeological Center, Kumeyaay-Ipai Interpretative Center, Imperial Valley Desert Museum, Barona Museum and Cultural Center, Native American Land Conservancy and the Kumeyaay-Diegueno Land Conservancy.
There will be an in-person guided field trip to an 8 1/2-acre cultural site occupied by the Kumeyaay Nation around 1,100 years ago. An additional in-person guided field trip will be offered on Nov. 9 to petroglyph and morteros sites in Blair Valley. A small fee will be charged for the field trips.
Pre-registration is required and will be handled by Anza-Borrego Foundation on their website. Registration will be available at the beginning of October.
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