Celebrating Local Hero Marty Costos: 23 Years of Preserving Cortez's Ancient Heritage

National Volunteer Week highlights individuals like Marty Costos, who has found fulfillment in her post-retirement volunteer work at Canyons of the Ancients National Monument (CANM) in Cortez, Colorado. After retiring from a 40-year teaching career, Marty has spent 23 years volunteering at CANM, taking on various roles, with a particular interest in curation. She handles artifacts that are over a thousand years old, gaining insights into the ancient inhabitants of the area.

Marty particularly enjoys curating ancient artifacts, which connects her to the history and lives of the region's former inhabitants. Her responsibilities include repackaging artifacts, reassembling pottery, and making conservation-grade mounts. Completing these projects gives her great satisfaction as she helps preserve important elements of ancient culture.

During her time at CANM, Marty has deepened her understanding of the area's history and archaeology, knowledge she did not acquire during her teaching career. Working with archaeologists has broadened her perspective on the complexities of ancient societies and corrected some common misconceptions about Native American history.

Marty has observed changes in pottery designs that suggest improvements in cooking methods and has found items like baby-sized yucca sandals, indicating the care ancient peoples had for their families. These discoveries highlight the resourcefulness and resilience of these communities.

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