Texas Archeology Month

October is Texas Archeology Month (TAM)!

The 2022 TAM Event/Activity Form is now live! Fill out this form to let us know about any TAM activities or events that you're planning.

Clay pots in front of a checkerboard gridEach year, the Texas Historical Commission (THC) celebrates the spirit of discovering Texas' past. It's an opportunity for Texans to understand the depth and richness of our heritage. TAM events are held all across the state and online throughout the month of October. Most are family-friendly and include events such as Archeology Days with hands-on activities and demonstrations, take-home activity kits, museum tours and special exhibits, lectures and presentations, history walks, and more.

Topics and events of interest during TAM:

  • Proper archeological practices
  • Historic shipwrecks and military sites
  • Historic and prehistoric archeological sites

Pinch Pot Activity Kits

We offer the popular Pinch Pot Activity Kits that we are distributing across the state of Texas. The kits come with clay, tools for decorating, and a handout with links to online resources. Many of our partners include primary schools, homeschool groups, and local archeology/history societies. Email TAM Coordinator Maggie Moore to order kits for your group or to distribute at your TAM event.

Already got your kits? First, start by watching the video below to learn how to make a pinch pot. The video was produced by Becky Shelton, one of the THC’s regional archeological reviewers.

Next, you’ll want to create designs in the wet clay with the tools provided. The THC's Historic Sites Division created a handout on Caddo Ceramic Traditions. In addition, check out these links from our partners at Texas Beyond History for more inspiration for your designs: Pottery Galleries, Amazing Clay, and Created in Clay pages have beautiful examples of Caddo pottery designs you can try out. Older students may even want to try their hand at Making Cordmarked Pottery.

Finally, learn more about Texas pottery traditions and the peoples that developed them!

  • Visit the Kids World of the Caddo exhibit to learn about the Caddo people who lived in East Texas and made beautiful pottery.
  • Present-day Caddo Nation tribal members have revived their ceramic tradition, with amazing examples from some of the most prominent Caddo artists found here.
  • The Created in Clay exhibit provides lots of detailed information on the Caddo ceramics found at archeological sites.
  • The Coastal Pottery page describes ceramics made along the Texas Coast by ancestors of the historic Karankawa tribes.
Hosting a TAM Event/Activity?

Free Materials for TAM Event Hosts

The THC provides a variety of materials that are of no charge to TAM event hosts, available via TAM materials order form and can be requested via email or telephone directly from the Archeology Division. Our series of brochures are available for downloading.


Wreck of the San Esteban


La Belle


San Felipe de Austin

Support for Your TAM Event

Are you interested in hosting a special TAM event in your community? Successful TAM events frequently involve partnerships. If you need to know where to find partners with archeological expertise in your part of the state, contact the TAM Coordinator.

The Council of Texas Archeologists (CTA), the nonprofit organization that serves the professional archeological community in Texas, offers mini-grants to support TAM events. Visit their website for information and instructions.

 

More About Texas Archeology Month

Fast
Facts

2014

70 separate Texas Archeology Month events held in 40 communities in 38 counties.

More Fast Facts

Photo Gallery

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