Ancient Landscapes of South Texas: Hiding in Plain Sight Documentary Screening and Panel Discussion

Film Synopsis: Ancient Landscapes of South Texas: Hiding in Plain Sight documentary film explores the 50-million-years geologic history of the Rio Grande Valley, featuring ancient beaches, salt lakes, a cataclysmic volcanic eruption, Pleistocene megafauna, and the impacts of a large river. It also examines how prehistoric people benefited from these resources, and how it is being reshaped by its human occupants.

Ancient Landscapes of South Texas: Hiding in Plain Sight documentary film was produced by the UTRGV CHAPS program.

The Community Historical Archaeology Project with Schools (CHAPS) Program at UTRGV is a consortium of anthropologists and archaeologists, biologists, historians, geologists, and geoarchaeologists who embrace a locally focused, place-based STEAM research approach to tell the story of a largely unknown region of the United States and make it accessible to K–17 educators, the public, and scholars with bilingual maps, books, exhibits, films, traveling trunks, and scholarly publications. The team that developed, produced and directed this film includes Executive Producer Juan Gonzalez, Producers Russell Skowronek, Christopher Miller, and Roseann Bacha-Garza and Director Gerardo “Bull” Sanchez. The efforts of the CHAPS Program have been recognized locally, nationally, and internationally.

The UTRGV CHAPS program will also have a special exhibit on site that coincides with the documentary film.

This event will also feature a sneak peek at the River Pierce Foundation collaboration with artist Juan Licerio. Licerio is developing an AR (Augmented Reality) project that will depict Native American cultural objects and history related to San Ygnacio.