Rethinking Hewett: Through the Eyes of Indigenous Archaeologists Today

Rethinking Hewitt is series of talks co-presented by the New Mexico History Museum and the School for Advanced Research.

In this talk, Joseph “Woody” Aguilar (San Ildefonso Pueblo) reexamines the legacy of Edgar Lee Hewett—the influential founder of the Museum of New Mexico and the School of American Archaeology—through the perspectives of contemporary Indigenous archaeologists. Aguilar explores the complexities of Hewett’s relationships with Native communities and his shaping of the Southwest’s cultural narrative. While acknowledging Hewett’s contributions to preservation and scholarship, Aguilar also highlights the limitations and biases of his era, inviting reflection on how modern archaeological ethics and Indigenous voices continue to reinterpret and reclaim this shared history.

Joseph Aguilar is an enrolled member of San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico, and serves as an archaeologist with Bering Straits Native Corporation and Deputy Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for San Ildefonso. He earned his Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania.

Photo credit: Hewett, E. L. (n.d.). Frederick Webb Hodge with Native American men, likely from San Ildefonso Pueblo, working at an excavation site at El Rito de los Frijoles, New Mexico (PAAC.056.0476) [Photographs, photographic prints]. New Mexico History Museum. Retrieved December 10, 2025, from https://archives.newmexicoculture.org/frederick-webb-hodge-native-american-men-likely-san-ildefonso-pueblo-working-excavation-site-el