Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology

Christopher Raven died at Lagomarsino Canyon, east of Reno, on March 12, 1994, just five months past his fiftieth birthday. We were nearly the same age and had been good friends and professional associates for more than half our lives. He was an arresting figure: darkly handsome, unusually articulate, knowledgeable in music, art, literature, and film. He loved women, deserts, hot springs, travel, good food, good talk and good writing. Originally trained as a Mesoamericanist, he later made significant contributions to the archaeology of California and the Great Basin. Here I record some of what I know of his life and work.