Christopher A. Turnbow (BA Anthropology, MA Anthropology)
Currently serving as Senior Archaeologist at OCA, Chris Turnbow has broad professional experience in archaeology and anthropology that spans 32 years in cultural resource management, museums, and historic preservation compliance. His research on Paleoindian, Archaic, Ancestral Puebloan, and Spanish Colonial period occupations has given him a thorough understanding of New Mexico’s rich cultural heritage. Particularly important data recovery investigations for which he served as Principal Investigator or Project Director include NM 90 project of nine sites in southwestern New Mexico (2000); the OLE Transmission Line project through the Jemez Mountains (1997); the Price site (a Spanish contact pueblo; 1998) project in central New Mexico; Casa Crecida (a Spanish Colonial occupation; 1997) project in Bernalillo, and the Seventh Parrot project (Classic Mimbres pueblos; 2002) in the Gila National Forest. A sample of major cultural resource inventories include Nine Limited Use Areas on Fort Bliss (1998), Air Defense Artillery Areas on McGregor Range, Fort Bliss (1997), Ortiz Mine (1996), and the Santa Fe Mainline Gas Expansion (1996).
Chris has previously served as curator and associate director of two major museums, including the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture/Laboratory of Anthropology, a branch of the Museum of New Mexico. In this capacity, he managed New Mexico’s largest archaeological curation facility; designed and constructed exhibitions; and developed educational programs and interpretative publications. He curated the very popular Roads to the Past exhibition on New Mexico’s highway archaeology discoveries and the Van of Enchantment, which included traveling exhibitions dealing with New Mexico archaeology and historic Native peoples.
Chris has consulted with Native groups, prepared NAGPRA action plans; and dealt with NAGPRA repatriation of human remains and associated objects from museum collections and excavation projects in New Mexico. In addition to these duties, he has directed National Park Service and National Science Foundation grants, prepared National Register and National Historic Landmark nominations, worked on compliance and planning for historic preservation offices; carried out ethnohistorical reseach, and served as president of the New Mexico Archaeological Council and as a board member for the Archaeological Society of New Mexico.
