Preview of my next book:
Collision of Cultures: A Traveler's History of the Early Southwest
I've spent much of the past several years doing research, and have turned up countless fascinating connections and extraordinary characters. Spanish settlement of the Southwest began much earlier than their settlement of Alta California, and because it began with the brutality of the conquistador era, this history provokes much controversy today. To better understand what is a very complex story, we must study its global context and background. We should also reflect on ways that Native and Spanish cultures ultimately blended—as cultures have done since the beginning of human history—to create the Southwest of today, a unique region that is home to dozens of sovereign Indian nations.
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The most deeply interesting aspect of this project for me has been learning much, much more about an ongoing story - WHO WERE THE FIRST AMERICANS? New evidence seems to turn up every month. This is an area where history and science AND - importantly - Native people's origin stories come together to help us understand the very long human history of the Americas. Stay tuned.