Linda and I are now back in Chicago, and setting out to study what we found this Spring at El Palmillo. Of course, I also have been attending to the other responsibilities that come with being a Curator and Department Chair at a major natural history museum such as The Field, which is my best excuse for why it has taken me some time to write this short dispatch, the last one in this series.

This year there was a bit of extra excitement since coming home gave us the chance to see the front page news story that Hugh Dellios wrote on June 23 in the Chicago Tribune. The story, which appeared the day before we left Mitla, focused on our El Palmillo research and the tomb that we discovered this field season. Although I suppose that in such circumstances one can always find something that is not just right, overall we were pleased with the way the story came out, and also that three of Linda's images were included with the newspaper piece. I feel especially fortunate that Hugh did not hold it against me when we took him to El Palmillo several weeks ago; I lost the trail at one point and he ended up brushing against the stinging nettle (mala mujer). As we have mentioned before, this benign appearing but rather toxic plant grows pervasively on site. The skin wounds that ensued stayed with Hugh during the entire time he was preparing the Tribune article, and apparently did not disappear until the last few days!

The drive back went smoothly for us with the exception of the hour and thirty minutes that it took to traverse Mexico City at 7 AM on a workday morning. The multiple lanes of merging traffic entering the city from the south was a bit overwhelming, especially after months in Oaxaca, where rarely did we venture forth on anything larger than two-lane highway. Nevertheless, remembering that in these situations it is always wise to let even the rudest driver cut you off, we passed through the metropolis safe and sound, and the rest of the drive in Mexico passed quickly and uneventfully with relatively few vehicles and near-perfect weather.

Once in the states, Linda and I spent a day and a half with family in Iowa and then proceeded to Chicago, where we were met with piles of mail that we are still now sorting through. Of course, it is always rewarding to see old friends, to sleep in one's own bed, and to take a shower without worrying that you might run out of propane for the hot water heater. All and all, we believe it was a most successful and enjoyable season, one that I was pleased to share with you. We certainly learned partial and preliminary answers to some of the questions that we laid out in the early Spring, and we very much look forward to going back to El Palmillo again next year. We also have a great deal of analytical studies to accomplish before we go back.

I hope that you found something of interest in our communications and will continue to follow the Museum's science through expeditions@fieldmuseum. Perhaps, our paths will cross at the museum sometime in the future. Thank you for your interest and attention!