Archaeological Anthropology Commons^™

The Life-Giving Stone: Ethnoarchaeology Of Maya Metates, Michael T. Searcy

Faculty Publications

Descendants of the ancient civilizations of southern Mexico and Central America are one of the greatest sources of information of Maya life. today the modern Maya live and work in the rural villages and towns spread out over this vast region. Many Maya communities continue to thrive culturally, while others, due to colonialism and civil war, have lost many of their traditions and customs. But even those groups ravaged by the strains of globalization ad the industrial revolution have retained some thread of cultural patrimony that ties them to their prehistoric ancestors. This is manifest in many different forms of …

Puebloan Sites In The Hidden Hills, James R. Allison

Faculty Publications

In 2006 and 2007, the Brigham Young University Archaeological Field School worked in the Hidden Hills area of the Shivwits Plateau, in the western part of the Arizona Strip. The field school mapped, surface collected, and tested a number of Puebloan habitation sites dating from about A.D. 800 to the late 1200s. Architecture includes surface room blocks, stand-alone circular structures, and pit structures, including one deep masonry-lined pit structure that may be a kiva. Ceramic analysis shows that the Hidden Hills residents participated in ceramic exchange networks encompassing other parts of the Arizona Strip as well as more distant places.

The End Of Farming In The “Northern Periphery” Of The Southwest, James R. Allison

Faculty Publications

Prehispanic farmers belonging to the Virgin and Fremont traditions once occupied most of Utah and adjacent parts of Arizona and Nevada. Through much of the twentieth century, these areas were called the "Northern Periphery'' of the Southwest, but in recent decades, both Fremont and Virgin have often been left out of syntheses of southwestern archaeology-even though they clearly had strong connections to the Southwest and represented, respectively, the northernmost and westernmost extensions of maize-based horticulture in western North America. This exclusion results from a combination of factors, the most important of which are geography and the territorial behavior of some …

Cultural And Contextual Differentiation Of Mesoamerican Iconography In The Southwest/Northwest, Michael T. Searcy

Faculty Publications

Ample research has documented the long-term interaction between Mesoamerica and the U.S. Southwest/Northwest Mexico (SW/NW). Nelson (2006:345) has used the phrase "Mesoamerican interaction markers" as a way to describe evidence of this contact in the SW/NW. He further defines these as "a variety of archaeological patterns that are reminiscent of Mesoamerican counterparts" including "objects, practices, and styles." Some of the interaction markers that have been studied at length are trade goods such as copper bells, macaws, shell, and iron pyrite mirrors (Bayman 2002; Bradley 1993; Ericson and Baugh 1993; Kelley 1966, 1995; Mathien 1993; McGuire 1993b; Nelson 2000; Riley 2005). …

Shinarump Red Ware And Other Red Ware Pottery North And West Of The Colorado River, James R. Allison

Faculty Publications

In November 2007, the Museum of Northern Arizona (MNA) hosted a conference to discuss, clarify, and where necessary revise the standard typology used for prehistoric Puebloan pottery found in northwestern Arizona, southwestern Utah, and southeastern Nevada. The multi-state nature of the area covered makes precise geographical description awkward, but the conference was titled Prehistoric Puebloan Pottery North and West of the Colorado River. Margaret Lyneis and Kelley Hays-Gilpin organized the conference, and they have provided a general discussion of the conference and its conclusions in an earlier edition of Pottery Southwest (Lyneis and Hays-Gilpin 2008). Participants continue to work on …

Ceramic Variability And Cultural Diversity In The Northern San Juan Region, Janet Hagopian, James R. Allison

Faculty Publications

The Northern San Juan region during the Pueblo I period has been subdivided into eastern and western groups based on differences in site structure and organization. Ceramic assemblages from across the Northern San Juan region also vary significantly. This poster uses both stylistic and technological traits to examine ceramic variability between Animas- La Plata sites and contemporary sites from the surrounding Northern San Juan region. The ceramics suggest at least three regionalized traditions, implying a greater degree of cultural diversity than previously suspected.

Abajo Red-On-Orange And Early Pueblo I Cultural Diversity In The Northern San Juan Region, James R. Allison

Faculty Publications

During the early Pueblo I period, between A.D. 750 and 800, the first aggregated villages formed in what are now southeastern Utah and southwestern Colorado. At the same time, a new ceramic type, Abajo Red-on-orange, appeared and became the predominant decorated ceramic type at some early villages. Both the technology and the highly variable designs of Abajo Red-on-orange were unprecedented in local ceramics, suggesting the involvement of immigrant potters, a period of unusual innovation, or both. This paper documents the technology, distribution, and designs of Abajo Red-on-orange and what they suggest about early Pueblo I cultural diversity.

Laptops In The Sand: Using Rugged Computers In The Field, Michael T. Searcy, Scott Ure

Faculty Publications

Computers have been used in the archaeology for decades to perform various tasks including statistical modeling, database management, geospatial analysis and other processes ranging from the relatively simple to the incredibly complex. Traditionally, computers are used in relatively “clean” environments such as indoor offices or laboratories. However, when subjected to harsh outdoor conditions with extreme temperatures, precipitation, dust, and debris, failure in some degree, ranging from the irritating to the catastrophic, is highly likely and often quite predictable. Sandy and dusty regions, as well as wet and humid areas, are particularly hostile to the delicate and environmentally sensitive processors, circuit …

Early Pueblo I Ceramic Variability And Cultural Diversity, Janet Hagopian, James R. Allison

Faculty Publications

Early Pueblo I ceramics are predominately undecorated gray utility ware with much smaller amounts of painted white ware and red ware. Although many archaeologists have emphasized the lack of variability in Pueblo I ceramic assemblages, close examination of Animas-La Plata Project assemblages reveals significant variation in clays, temper materials, and vessel shape and size. At a larger scale, at least three distinct early Pueblo I ceramic traditions can be defined across the northern San Juan region. This paper examines ceramic variability among Animas-La Plata sites and relates it to cultural diversity within the project area and in the broader region.

The End Of Farming In The Northern Periphery Of The Southwest, James R. Allison

Faculty Publications

The area once called the northern periphery of the Southwest was occupied for approximately 1,000 years by prehistoric farmers identified by archaeologists as Fremont and Virgin Anasazi, although hunter-gatherers occupied the area at European contact. Although the timing is similar, possible relationships between the end of farming in the northern periphery and the Four Corners abandonments have not often been considered. This paper reviews the cultural context and timing of, as well as explanations for, the end of the Fremont and Virgin Anasazi sequences, and explores the linkages with the better documented abandonments in the Four Corners region.

Mano And Metate Manufacturing Techniques Of The Maya: An Ethnoarchaeological Approach To Understanding Standardization And Measurements, Michael T. Searcy

Faculty Publications

Prehistorically, maize was the bulk of the Mayan diet, which made grinding stones an indispensable tool. Basalt quarries located in Highland Guatemala are still exploited by metateros who produce manos and metates today. This paper reports the recent research among metateros of two quarries in Guatemala and how they can be use to build new analogies that aid in the interpretation of prehistoric production economies of metates. It specifically investigates how systems of measurement are linked to standardization.

Moving From A Grinding Halt: Expanding The Interpretation Of Ground Stone Through Ethnoarchaeology, Michael T. Searcy, Jaime Holthusen

Faculty Publications

Some of the most ubiquitous artifacts found at archaeological sites across Mesoamerica are manos and metates. Yet these important household implements continue to be underrepresented in the archaeological literature. This paper highlights recent ethnographic research on groundstone produced and used by four Mayan communities in Guatemala. We demonstrate how the size of grinding surfaces can be indicative of function, and how modern taboos can be examined to explore notions of gender. Groundstone from the site of La Quemada, Mexico is then analyzed in light of such inferences to evaluate the consistency of archaeological patterning with ethnographic observations.

Petrographic Analysis Of Sherd Samples From The Hot Spring Lake And Airport Sites, Salt Lake City, Utah, Sergio F. Castro-Reino, James R. Allison

Faculty Publications

Prehistoric sherds from two sites near the Salt Lake City airport were analyzed petrographically and compared to a small reference set of sands from the Salt Lake Valley. No Fremont wares are tempered with sand from the Salt Lake area. Some Late Prehistoric wares are tempered with coarse, angular, alluvial sand temper of mineralic composition from metagranite sources 10-12 kilometers away. Volcanic-tempered Late Prehistoric sherds may originate in the Traverse Mountains--provenance cannot be established without further sampling, but the closest sources are at least 30 kilometers away. In all cases sources appear to be non-local to the studied sites.

Exchanging Identities, James R. Allison

Faculty Publications

In many societies, economic activities are an important means through which individuals create their social identity. This is particularly evident in, for example, some Melanesian societies where successful participation in exchange systems is an important determinant of an individual‘s social status. These processes are difficult to see in the ethnographic or prehistoric Southwest, where status differences are understated, but some principles apply cross-culturally. This paper focuses on ethnographic examples showing how differential participation in institutionalized, inter-community exchange systems affects the negotiation of identity within communities. Examples from the prehistoric Puebloan Southwest are then examined in light of the ethnographic insights.

Book Review Of Silence On The Mountain (Daniel Wilkinson), Michael T. Searcy

Faculty Publications

Recién terminada una guerra civil de 36 años, Guatemala abriga los secretos de la coerción y del genocidio que el mundo tiene que saber. Con la firma del acuerdo de paz entre las fuerzas revolucionarias y los militares en diciembre de 1996, el gobierno acordó formar una comisión de la verdad, conocida como la Comisión para la Clarificación Histórica. Con la esperanza de traer la justicia y acabar con el terror que la gente había experimentado, la comisión recogió los testimonios de millares de personas que habían sido aterrorizados por los militares y la guerrilla. Las historias acababan con un …

Craft Specialization And Exchange Among The Virgin Anasazi, James R. Allison

Faculty Publications

A large proportion of the culinary ceramics found on 11th century Anasazi sites in the Moapa Valley of Nevada were manufactured more that fifty miles to the east, in northwestern Arizona. This paper uses analyses of ceramics from sites in southeastern Nevada, northwestern Arizona, and southwestern Utah to more precisely define the regional distribution of these ceramics and to assess their degree of standardization in form and technology. Questions relating to the development of community specialization and interaction in egalitarian societies are--examined in light of these analyses.

Using Anasazi Redwares To Reconstruct Prehistoric Trade Networks, James R. Allison

Faculty Publications

Anasazi redware ceramics were widely traded from relatively small areas which specialized in their production. They form one stylistic sequence, but exhibit technological variation due to differences in resource availability. This variation allows most redwares to be traced to specific manufacturing areas, a crucial step in the reconstruction of trade networks and alliances. However, because few archaeologists have worked with the redware production areas, the current typology is misleading and the redwares are often mistyped. As a result, patterns of distribution and the behaviors that created them are obscured.

An Archaeological Survey Of North Cottonwood Canyon, San Juan County, Southeastern Utah, Larry D. Davis

Theses and Dissertations

The results of an archaeological survey of North Cottonwood Canyon, San Juan County, southeastern Utah, are herein reported.

The purpose and background leading up to the survey are followed by a physical description of the canyon and a description of the 36 archaeological sites recorded. The cultural material collected and/or observed at the sites, including architecture, ceramics, and other miscellaneous artifacts, is described and discussed. This is followed by a distributional analysis between sites. This includes altitude, slope, water resources, and vegetation. Cultural materials in North Cottonwood Canyon are then compared with materials from related areas, including Montezuma Canyon, Beef …

Archaeological Excavations At The Chauncey Webb Site (127-4) Nauvoo, Illinois, 1970, Richard L. Hansen

Theses and Dissertations

The results of archaeological excavation and laboratory analysis of artifacts from the Chauncey G. Webb House Site, Nauvoo, Illinois, are herein reported. The purpose of the report and the history of archaeological investigations at the site are explained. Next is given a brief history of the city of Nauvoo, Chauncey G. Webb and the site using historical records and the pre-Mormon, Mormon, and post-Mormon periods are discussed. This is followed by a description of the site before excavation. The method of excavation is then described, The results of the field work are given in the form of a description and …

An Archaeological Survey Of Goshen Valley, Utah County, Central Utah, Leland Gilsen

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a field report on the archaeological sites surveyed by the author in Goshen Valley, Utah County, Utah. The survey has the threefold objectives of: (1) surveying and recording of sites in Goshen Valley; (2) providing information on the material culture of the ancient inhabitants of the valley; and (3) discovering whether there was a dividing line during the Fremont occupation between the Provo and Sevier regions as outlined by Jones (1961), Green (1964), and Ambler (1966).

To this end, seventy-four sites are described along with the related material culture with an analysis of the material culture in …