Definition: The Taos Conference is the name given to a 1988 committee meeting of the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) where the Save the Past for the Future project was initiated. Held in Taos, New Mexico, the meeting concluded that looting and vandalism were taking a terrific toll on archaeological sites, and that SAA money should be spent on law enforcement and educating the public. Outgrowths of the Taos Conference were the Public Education Committee of the SAA, and the quarterly publication of Archaeology and Public Education.
Sources
Save the Past for the Future on the SAA website has a detailed history of the Taos Conference.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology.
