Arizona Museum of Natural History
Encyclopedia
The Arizona Museum of Natural History (originally the Mesa Southwest Museum) is the premier natural history museum in Arizona. It is dedicated to inspire wonder, respect and understanding for the natural and cultural history of the Southwestern United States
. The museum is located in Mesa, Arizona
.
, and a recreation of the Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine
. The Southwest Gallery consists of a native peoples’ gallery, with exhibits about Paleoindian big game
hunters and gatherers, the first inhabitants of North America, and the Desert Cultures that developed later. It also holds a recreation of a Hohokam
village, with pithouses and above-ground structures, outfitted with real artifacts as they might have been from about A.D. 600-1450. Another exhibit is the Ancient Cultures of Mexico. The Origins gallery is designed as a voyage through the timeline of the cosmos and discusses major events in the history of planet Earth.
Among the exhibitions is a hands-on Exploration Station and the Paleo Dig Pit.
Three changing exhibition galleries offer a variety of subjects.
The newest of the changing exhibits is "The Primal Desert Next Door: Land of Black Volcanoes and White Sands," which opened February 26, 2011. Much of the Sonoran Desert
lies south of the Arizona
border in Mexico
. This vast expanse and its diverse wildlife is the focus of this exhibition, which includes wall murals depicting the vast contrasting dark “moon-scape” volcanic fields and bright seas of sand dunes. Visitors can learn about the geology, flora
, and fauna
of this region though photographs and interactive components. The exhibition is based on the book Land of Black Volcanoes and White Sands, The Pinacate and Gran Desierto De Altar Biosphere Reserve, by Larry Marshall and Clark Blake. Interactive features include a dune machine, which replicates the phenomena of sand dunes, a hands-on basin and range topography display, and a mock lava tube
, which children can climb through.
Another changing exhibit is the Return to the Sea of Cortez. Seven decades ago, John Steinbeck
and his friend Ed "Doc" Ricketts
embarked on a scientific expedition that combined science, philosophy, and adventure along the coastline from Monterey Bay
and around Baja California
to the Sea of Cortez. In 2004, a team of scientists duplicated this journey, which they documented in pictures, logs, and journals. Inspirations, musing, photographs, and scientific data from this journey are on display.
Additionally, the museum maintains the Sirrine House, a Queen Anne style
home built in Mesa
in 1896. The museum claims that the home is the only fully restored Victorian-era home museum. The Sirrine House is currently open only for special events.
The Dinosaur Hall features an unnamed coelurosaur nicknamed the "Zuni coelurosaur", a Tyrannosaurus bataar skeleton and a Tyrannosaurus rex skull. Also they feature a Gastornis
. As sauropods they have a Camarasaurus
skeleton and an Apatosaurus
femur. As ceratopsians they have a Psittacosaurus
skeleton, a Zuniceratops
, Protoceratops
, Pentaceratops
and Triceratops
and as iguanodonts they consist solely on a Probactrosaurus
.
Ruin, a large mound in Mesa dating from the Hohokam
Classic Period. This is one of the most important tasks of the anthropology department. The opening of Mesa Grande as a heritage site dedicated to public education concerning the Hohokam and O'odham
people remains a central goal of the museum.
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
. The museum is located in Mesa, Arizona
Mesa, Arizona
According to the 2010 Census, the racial composition of Mesa was as follows:* White: 77.1% * Hispanic or Latino : 26.54%* Black or African American: 3.5%* Two or more races: 3.4%* Native American: 2.4%...
.
History
The Arizona Museum of Natural History was founded as a small museum in Mesa City Hall in 1977 with a small collection of Arizona artifacts, in a building designed by Lescher & Mahoney and built in 1937 with WPA funds, that originally housed Mesa City Hall, municipal courts, city library, police and fire departments. There were expansions to the building in 1983 and 1987, and in 2000 a new wing was added. The main museum complex is currently about 74000 square feet (6,874.8 m²), of which about 46000 square feet (4,273.5 m²) are dedicated to exhibitions containing a collection of about 60,000 objects of natural history, anthropology, history & art, with approximately 10,000 historic photographs. A research facility was also added in 1995. Additionally, the Arizona Museum of Natural History has prominent research curators in the fields of paleontology and archeology/anthropology. Recent annual attendance is about 135,000.Exhibitions
The Museum's exhibitions include a three-story indoor waterfall, a real territorial jailJail
A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie...
, and a recreation of the Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine
Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine
The Lost Dutchman Gold Mine is reportedly a very rich gold mine hidden in the Superstition Mountains, near Apache Junction, east of Phoenix, Arizona in the United States...
. The Southwest Gallery consists of a native peoples’ gallery, with exhibits about Paleoindian big game
Game (food)
Game is any animal hunted for food or not normally domesticated. Game animals are also hunted for sport.The type and range of animals hunted for food varies in different parts of the world. This will be influenced by climate, animal diversity, local taste and locally accepted view about what can or...
hunters and gatherers, the first inhabitants of North America, and the Desert Cultures that developed later. It also holds a recreation of a Hohokam
Hohokam
Hohokam is one of the four major prehistoric archaeological Oasisamerica traditions of what is now the American Southwest. Many local residents put the accent on the first syllable . Variant spellings in current, official usage include Hobokam, Huhugam and Huhukam...
village, with pithouses and above-ground structures, outfitted with real artifacts as they might have been from about A.D. 600-1450. Another exhibit is the Ancient Cultures of Mexico. The Origins gallery is designed as a voyage through the timeline of the cosmos and discusses major events in the history of planet Earth.
Among the exhibitions is a hands-on Exploration Station and the Paleo Dig Pit.
Three changing exhibition galleries offer a variety of subjects.
The newest of the changing exhibits is "The Primal Desert Next Door: Land of Black Volcanoes and White Sands," which opened February 26, 2011. Much of the Sonoran Desert
Sonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest...
lies south of the Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
border in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. This vast expanse and its diverse wildlife is the focus of this exhibition, which includes wall murals depicting the vast contrasting dark “moon-scape” volcanic fields and bright seas of sand dunes. Visitors can learn about the geology, flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
, and fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
of this region though photographs and interactive components. The exhibition is based on the book Land of Black Volcanoes and White Sands, The Pinacate and Gran Desierto De Altar Biosphere Reserve, by Larry Marshall and Clark Blake. Interactive features include a dune machine, which replicates the phenomena of sand dunes, a hands-on basin and range topography display, and a mock lava tube
Lava tube
Lava tubes are natural conduits through which lava travels beneath the surface of a lava flow, expelled by a volcano during an eruption. They can be actively draining lava from a source, or can be extinct, meaning the lava flow has ceased and the rock has cooled and left a long, cave-like...
, which children can climb through.
Another changing exhibit is the Return to the Sea of Cortez. Seven decades ago, John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck
John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr. was an American writer. He is widely known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden and the novella Of Mice and Men...
and his friend Ed "Doc" Ricketts
Ed Ricketts
Edward Flanders Robb Ricketts commonly known as Ed Ricketts, was an American marine biologist, ecologist, and philosopher...
embarked on a scientific expedition that combined science, philosophy, and adventure along the coastline from Monterey Bay
Monterey Bay
Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean, along the central coast of California. The bay is south of San Francisco and San Jose, between the cities of Santa Cruz and Monterey....
and around Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
to the Sea of Cortez. In 2004, a team of scientists duplicated this journey, which they documented in pictures, logs, and journals. Inspirations, musing, photographs, and scientific data from this journey are on display.
Additionally, the museum maintains the Sirrine House, a Queen Anne style
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
home built in Mesa
Mesa, Arizona
According to the 2010 Census, the racial composition of Mesa was as follows:* White: 77.1% * Hispanic or Latino : 26.54%* Black or African American: 3.5%* Two or more races: 3.4%* Native American: 2.4%...
in 1896. The museum claims that the home is the only fully restored Victorian-era home museum. The Sirrine House is currently open only for special events.
Paleontology
The Paleontology Section, which is the study of past life, is the primary emphasis of the Natural History Section of the Arizona Museum of Natural History. The Natural History Section explores, excavates, records, prepares, conserves, and researches the fossil resources in the collection at AzMNH. In addition to working with state, university, and municipal agencies, AzMNH is an official repository for specimens collected from State, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), National Forest, and Fish and Wildlife lands throughout Arizona.The Dinosaur Hall features an unnamed coelurosaur nicknamed the "Zuni coelurosaur", a Tyrannosaurus bataar skeleton and a Tyrannosaurus rex skull. Also they feature a Gastornis
Gastornis
Gastornis is an extinct genus of large flightless bird that lived during the late Paleocene and Eocene epochs of the Cenozoic. It was named in 1855, after Gaston Planté, who had discovered the first fossils in Argile Plastique formation deposits at Meudon near Paris...
. As sauropods they have a Camarasaurus
Camarasaurus
Camarasaurus meaning 'chambered lizard', referring to the hollow chambers in its vertebrae was a genus of quadrupedal, herbivorous dinosaurs. It was the most common of the giant sauropods to be found in North America...
skeleton and an Apatosaurus
Apatosaurus
Apatosaurus , also known by the popular but scientifically deprecated synonym Brontosaurus, is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived from about 154 to 150 million years ago, during the Jurassic Period . It was one of the largest land animals that ever existed, with an average length of and a...
femur. As ceratopsians they have a Psittacosaurus
Psittacosaurus
Psittacosaurus is a genus of psittacosaurid ceratopsian dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Period of what is now Asia, about 130 to 100 million years ago. It is notable for being the most species-rich dinosaur genus...
skeleton, a Zuniceratops
Zuniceratops
Zuniceratops was a ceratopsian dinosaur from the mid Turonian of the Late Cretaceous Period of what is now New Mexico, United States...
, Protoceratops
Protoceratops
Protoceratops is a genus of sheep-sized herbivorous ceratopsian dinosaur, from the Upper Cretaceous Period of what is now Mongolia. It was a member of the Protoceratopsidae, a group of early horned dinosaurs...
, Pentaceratops
Pentaceratops
Pentaceratops is a genus of ceratopsid dinosaur from the late Cretaceous Period of what is now North America. The appearance of Pentaceratops sternbergii in the fossil record marks the end of the Judithian land vertebrate age and the start of the Kirtlandian...
and Triceratops
Triceratops
Triceratops is a genus of herbivorous ceratopsid dinosaur which lived during the late Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period, around 68 to 65 million years ago in what is now North America. It was one of the last dinosaur genera to appear before the great Cretaceous–Paleogene...
and as iguanodonts they consist solely on a Probactrosaurus
Probactrosaurus
Probactrosaurus is an early herbivorous hadrosauroid iguanodont dinosaur. It lived in China during the Early Cretaceous period....
.
Archeology/Anthropology
The Anthropology Section of the Arizona Museum of Natural History conducts research and develops exhibitions on Native American cultures and the archaeology of southern Arizona. Archaeology has been a major focus of the museum since its inception in 1977. The museum sponsors ongoing excavation at the Mesa GrandeMesa Grande
Mesa Grande ruins, in Mesa, Arizona, preserves a group of Hohokam structures constructed during the classical period. The ruins were occupied between AD 1100 and 1400 and were a product of the Hohokam civilization that inhabited the Salt River Valley. There the Hohokam constructed an extensive...
Ruin, a large mound in Mesa dating from the Hohokam
Hohokam
Hohokam is one of the four major prehistoric archaeological Oasisamerica traditions of what is now the American Southwest. Many local residents put the accent on the first syllable . Variant spellings in current, official usage include Hobokam, Huhugam and Huhukam...
Classic Period. This is one of the most important tasks of the anthropology department. The opening of Mesa Grande as a heritage site dedicated to public education concerning the Hohokam and O'odham
O'odham
The O'odham peoples, including the Tohono O'odham or Papago, the Pima or Akimel O'odham, and the Hia C-ed O'odham, are an indigenous Uto-Aztecan peoples of the Sonoran desert in southern and central Arizona and northern Sonora, united by a common heritage language, the O'odham language...
people remains a central goal of the museum.
External links
- Arizona Museum of Natural History - museum website