As the major repository for anthropological and archaeological research materials for New Mexico and the greater Southwest, the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture is charged with preservation, conservation, and curation of invaluable collections which are a central part of the cultural heritage of the region and its indigenous communities. The Museum has extensive holding of various types, these include:
Center for New Mexico Archaeology
The Center for New Mexico Archaeology (CNMA) will be a central facility for archaeological research, curation, and education in the state of New Mexico.
Archives
The museum's archives contain institutional and ethnographic records including 8,000 historic and contemporary images; manuscript archives documenting early Laboratory of Anthropology staff projects; and papers and correspondence relating to the history of anthropology in the Southwest.
Object Collection
The museum's more than 75,000 exhibition quality objects include some of the first artifacts collected from Southwest Native American communities by the Museum of New Mexico at the beginning of the 20th century, as well as materials acquired by the Laboratory of Anthropology from its inception in 1931.
Archaeological Research Collections
The Research Collections constitute the museum's largest collection, and are an important part of New Mexico's cultural heritage. Representing the largest assemblage of archaeological materials in New Mexico, the Repository contains about 5 - 10 million artifacts.
Collections Policies & Procedures
The policy descriptions and forms available on this web site are provided for researchers and other individuals interested in using the MIAC collections for research or submitting artifacts and records to the ARC.
Laboratory of Anthropology Library
The Laboratory of Anthropology (LOA) Library is a non-circulating special collections library focused on the Indigenous peoples, archaeology, and anthropology of the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The Library’s collection reflects the history of the Laboratory of Anthropology, which was founded as a private, locally based anthropological research center dedicated to the collection, study, and preservation of the Indigenous cultures of the Southwest.