Editorials by Forrest Fenn - The secrets of San Lazaro Pueblo

The Secrets of San Lazaro Pueblo, by Forrest Fenn

Reviewed by E. Donald Kaye
Autumn 2004 Issue Southwest Book Views

The author of this somewhat unusual self-published book is a very unusual man. A fighter pilot in his youth, Fenn took opportunities to work as an amateur on archaeological digs in the US and overseas. Later, he was the owner of the Fenn Gallery in Santa Fe, specializing in Indian art. He has exquisite taste in and enormous knowledge of such. This book doesn't directly say so, but he also happens to own San Lazaro Pueblo, which I believe he bought for taxes years ago when, presumably, everyone else was asleep. That is why he has been able to work for years by himself or with a few friends, excavating parts of the pueblo without being thrown in jail.

Fenn has become an avocational archaeologist, but one with enough sense to bring in professionals when appropriate. Because of his digging at San Lazaro, he is scorned by the "preservation world," much of which apparently doesn't believe in the concept of private property, and by many archaeologists who apparently think that God meant only degreed, professional archaeologists to have the right to dig up the past, and that only they can be careful and scientific. Fortunately, there are professionals who are smart enough to face facts and to cooperate with Fenn for the sake of knowledge and for that matter, preservation.

This book is for the most part written by Fenn himself. The writing is simple, even somewhat amateurish, but straightforward, and in a conversational style tells and shows the story of Fenn's work at San Lazaro. The book is chock-full of illustrations, mostly in color.

The last part is a brief dissertation on pottery types found on the site, written by Francis Harlow (one of the universally acknowledged experts on both prehistoric and historic pottery of the Southwest, although his profession was that of nuclear physicist at Los Alamos) and Dwight Lanmon.

The book, published without a paper cover, is almost stream-of-consciousness writing. There are no formal chapters, though there are many subject headings—Perishable Objects, Wooden Effigy, Healer Baskets, Lifestyles, Pukis and Ants as Archaeologists to name a few. There is no index, there are no notes, there are no metric measurements (although as noted in another of Fenn's books, the author did allow the use of 35mm cameras on the site). Without being preachy, Fenn intersperses a lot of education between the descriptions and the illustrations. If the reader actually reads the text and the photo captions, a lot of archaeology and some history will almost accidentally be learned. The myriad illustrations that accompany the text, showing hundreds and hundreds of found objects, are an integral part of the learning.

Fenn starts by writing: "If you love the lore and the lure of ancient places and things, this volume is dedicated to you. May the stories herein keep you forever asking and searching." This book certainly can provide the basis for "asking," as well as offer many answers, and may indeed keep you searching, though it is highly unlikely that you will find the same opportunity for physical searching that the author has found.

One thing this reviewer likes about Fenn is his willingness to pooh-pooh rules accepted by so many modern archaeologists. I well recall going to Chaco Canyon on a trip with a noted, modern archaeologist who along the way pointed out mounds and told us that those mounds covered prehistoric pueblos or smaller settlements and "we don't need to dig them because we already know what is there." Speaking of a wooden figure found at San Lazaro (and he could have included the two plaster masks found, the only examples ever found in the Southwest), Fenn puts his objections like this: "Both conservators told us that we were at least a hundred years too late recovering this beautiful wooden woman, which emphasizes once again the urgency to excavate archaeological sites. The well-worn slogans "Save the past for the future," and "If it doesn't have to be dug, don't dig it," are not intelligent options when important information is being lost as perishable objects lie rotting in the ground. Principle is always a convenient excuse for ignoring logic."

Much as this reviewer admires Fenn for his energy and for his approach to both writing and archaeology, he has some notions that are questionable. In the section titled "Reading the Record" he quotes his hero, Indiana Jones: "Archaeology is about facts; if you want the truth, go next door to the philosophy department." Well, that might be so, but unfortunately many archaeologists are not content with the facts. They design theories based on alleged facts, and their fellow professionals are quick enough to disagree. If you don't think that is the case, look at the ongoing furor concerning Anasazi cannibalism. I have little doubt that proponents for both sides of the argument would kill and eat each other if they could.

San Lazaro, both a prehistoric and historic pueblo, is clearly a fabulous place as are so many other sites. If you have an interest in learning about settlers who came to the general area of Santa Fe even before Canyon Road became famous, or if Southwest archaeology interests you, you probably want this very well done book. It's expensive, but worth the money. If the publisher sells all 2000 copies printed, it might become the Two Horse Land & Cattle Co.