NMAC Fall Conference

PAPERS FOR NMAC FALL CONFERENCE

>>>Subject to change before or during the conference.<<<

Saturday, November 12: All Day

Pre-Ceramic Hunters, Foragers, and Early Farmers in New Mexico

Hibben Center, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Co-sponsored by the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, UNM

Subject to change before or during the conference.

Preliminary Event: Thursday, November 10, 2011

7:00–9:00 P.M. Public Presentation: “Early Farming and the Fate of Archaic Hunter-Gatherers in the
Albuquerque Basin.”

Jim Railey discusses the coexistence of mobile hunter-gatherers and early farmers during the Late
Archaic period. Free event. Hibben 105, UNM main campus.

Saturday, November 14, 2011

8:00–9:00 A.M. On-site registration; continental breakfast (Hibben Atrium)

8:00–9:00 A.M. NMAC Business Meeting (Hibben 105)

PowerPoint Presentations (Hibben 105)

9:00–9:05 A.M. Opening Remarks

9:05–9:25 A.M. A Report of the Comprehensive Analysis of Paleoindian Cultural Materials Excavated from
the Sites that Comprise Blackwater Draw Locality 1, the Clovis Site (George T. Crawford, Blackwater Draw
National Landmark)

9:25–9:45 A.M. Late Paleoindian Projectile Point Typology: A Consideration of the Firstview and Cody
Complexes in Eastern New Mexico and Beyond (Cheryl Fogle, University of New Mexico)

9:45–10:05 A.M. The End of the Beginning: Late Paleoindian Parallel-Obliquely Flaked Points in New Mexico
(Bruce Huckell, University of New Mexico)

10:05–10:25 A.M. The Water Canyon Paleoindian Site: Paleoenvironmental Inferences for the
Pleistocene-Holocene Transition (Robert Dello-Russo, Museum of New Mexico, Office of Archaeological
Studies)

10:25–10:45 A.M. BREAK

10:45–11:05 A.M. Pre-Ceramic Occupation of the Southern Chuska Valley, Northwest New Mexico
(Timothy M. Kearns)

11:05–11:25 A.M. Archaic Foraging Technology in the Northern Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico (Bradley J.
Vierra, Statistical Research Inc.)

11:25–11:45 A.M. Early Agricultural Settlements in the Big Burro Mountains of Southwestern New Mexico
(Christopher A. Turnbow, New Mexico Gas Company)

11:45 A.M.–Noon QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION

Noon–1:40 P.M. LUNCH

1:40–2:00 P.M. Central Rio Grande and Rio Puerco Spear and Atlatl Technologies as Exhibited at LA 46316
(Ron Fields, University of New Mexico)

2:00–2:20 P.M. 3,000 Years of Archaic Architecture–A Short History (Matt Schamder, Albuquerque City
Archaeologist)

2:20–2:40 P.M. BREAK

2:40–3:00 P.M. Late Archaic and Early Farming Along the Rio Grande in the Albuquerque Area: Recent
Discoveries Along Interstate 25 (Cherie K. Walth and Jim A. Railey, SWCA-Albuquerque)

3:00–3:20 P.M. Interpreting Site Function and Settlement Context from Lithic-Assemblage Variability: A
Study of Four Late Pre-Ceramic Assemblages from New Mexico (Jim A. Railey, SWCA-Albuquerque)

3:20–3:45 P.M. ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION

Poster Presentations (Hibben Atrium, All Day Saturday, Nov. 12)

Early Farming and the Fate of Archaic Hunter-Gatherers in the Albuquerque Basin (Jim A. Railey,
SWCA-Albuquerque)

Early Intensive Farming in the Hondo Valley, Southern New Mexico (Jim A. Railey, SWCA-Albuquerque)

Pre-Ceramic Sites at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico (David W. Kayser and Sam Denman,
Carlsbad Caverns National Park)

Sandy Rise: A New Look at Basketmaker II in the Western San Juan Basin (Jim A. Railey,
SWCA-Albuquerque)

The Archaic Occupation at Four Sites in Southwestern New Mexico (Timothy M. Kearns)

ABSTRACTS: POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS

A Report of the Comprehensive Analysis of Paleoindian Cultural Materials Excavated from the Sites that
Comprise Blackwater Draw Locality 1, the Clovis Site

George T. Crawford, Blackwater Draw National Landmark

To date, there has been only one comprehensive attempt to describe eight decades of research at the
Clovis site. No publication documents the extensive work, massive destruction by mining, cultural
materials, unique cultural features, and extensive faunal record preserved at the Locality. A complete
evaluation of the material and documentary collections of the Clovis Site was undertaken beginning in
2009. Much of the data from the collection is, as yet, unpublished while a small portion has been analyzed
and republished in various forms since discovery. A fairly complete lithic analysis was, for the first time,
undertaken for the entire collection representing the many cultural sites that make up the Blackwater
Draw Locality 1. Supplemental to this, many osseous tools were recorded and analyzed and hint at a
major component of a tool kit we know very little about. Current analysis of the materials and the context
in which they were deposited imply a number of diverse activities on the landscape surrounding the
central lake feature. As there are no lithic raw materials in the neighborhood of the Locality, the sources of
the materials used for tools serve as a map of travels across and beyond the Llano Estacado. This brief
paper does not attempt to explain everything learned from this analysis but serves to illuminate data that
has lain in relative obscurity for many years.

Late Paleoindian Projectile Point Typology: A Consideration of the Firstview and Cody
Complexes in Eastern New Mexico and Beyond

Cheryl Fogle, University of New Mexico

The Cody complex of the Late Paleoindian period includes Eden and Scottsbluff projectile points that are
widely distributed across the North American Great Plains. Later Wheat defined two more projectile point
types—Firstview and Kersey—which, together with the existing San Jon type, they were assigned to the
Firstview Complex. Wheat’s Firstview Complex was described as the Central and Southern Plains
equivalent of the Cody Complex on the Northern Plains. The geographic division of Cody and Firstview is
not accepted by all researchers; Bradley argued that the Firstview and Kersey types are technologically
identical to the Eden and Scottsbluff types. I addressed this typological problem by analyzing projectile
points from 12 sites (four Firstview and eight Cody) in New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. The four sites
that Wheat included in the Firstview Complex are: Blackwater Draw (LA 3224) and San Jon (LA 6437), in
New Mexico, and Olsen-Chubbuck (5CH3) and Jurgens (5WL53) in Colorado. Statistical procedures such
as t-test and ANOVA showed that metric variables were not significant at the ninety-five percent
confidence level, and analysis of qualitative attributes yield similar results. Since technological attributes
of projectile point assemblages from the Southern Plains match those of Cody Complex assemblages on
the Northern Plains, the Firstview Complex, including the Firstview and Kersey types, has no utility in late
Paleoindian systematics.

The End of the Beginning: Late Paleoindian Parallel-Obliquely Flaked Points in New Mexico

Bruce B. Huckell, University of New Mexico

Traditionally the Cody Complex has been viewed as the last of the Paleoindian cultural complexes in New
Mexico. However, an on-going inventory demonstrates that projectile points very similar to the Jimmy
Allen/Frederick type are present from locales across the state. Results of the study to date are presented,
beginning with the geographic/environmental distribution of these distinctive parallel-obliquely flaked
points. Examination of flake scar patterning reveals shared technological consistencies in manufacture
among all of the documented specimens. Provenance studies suggest some patterning in lithic material
source use and movement within central New Mexico, suggesting complementary exploitation of a range
of biotic communities. Although still in progress, this research demonstrates a widespread, post-Cody
Complex Paleoindian occupation in New Mexico.

The Water Canyon Paleoindian Site: Paleoenvironmental Inferences
for the Pleistocene-Holocene Transition

Robert Dello-Russo, Museum of New Mexico, Office of Archaeological Studies

Archaeological testing at the Water Canyon site (LA 134764) has revealed the presence of a buried wet
meadow deposit that existed for six thousand years over the Late Pleistocene - Early Holocene transition.
As an archive of paleoenvironmental proxy data and chronometric data, the wet meadow deposit enables
us to glimpse the vegetational community of the Paleoindian era and, by extension, the dramatic change
in climate that ensued at that time.

Pre-Ceramic Occupation of the Southern Chuska Valley, Northwest New Mexico

Timothy M. Kearns

Archaeological investigations have demonstrated an intensive occupation of the southern Chuska Valley,
a subregion of the San Juan Basin in northwest New Mexico, during the Basketmaker III through Pueblo III
era. The same investigations have documented a less robust record of pre-ceramic occupation in the
valley. The early settlement was ephemeral and sporadic and the archaeological record is obscured by
deeply buried site settings. This presentation reviews the current status of the archaeological evidence
for Paleoindian and Archaic groups in the study area and the subsequent colonization by early
Basketmaker II agriculturalists.

Early Agricultural Settlements in the Big Burro Mountains of Southwestern New Mexico

Christopher A. Turnbow, New Mexico Gas Company

Despite a growing body of data on Archaic period food production in the American Southwest, the
transition from foraging to farming in southwestern New Mexico was not well known until a 1998 highway
archaeology project in Grant and Hidalgo counties. Sponsored by the New Mexico State Department of
Transportation, excavations along New Mexico 90 revealed the remains of three substantial Late
Archaic/Early Agricultural period settlements dating from 810 BC to AD 120. Supported by a mixed
farming, foraging, and hunting economy, these small residential occupations reflect reduced mobility;
considerable labor investment in the construction of large storage pits, structures, and mortuary facilities;
and evidence of broad trade networks in shell and obsidian.

Archaic Foraging Technology in the Northern Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico

Bradley J. Vierra, Statistical Research Inc.

This paper will take a preliminary look at the possible relationship between changes in climate, resource
structure, foraging strategies and projectile point technology in the Northern Rio Grande valley. Changes
in Early and Middle Archaic point typology and technology may be associated with the expansion of
piñon-juniper woodlands in the region and a shift from hunting large game in open settings to more
medium to small-size game in wooded settings. The projectile point technology was characterized by
durability, low point diversity and low tool replacement rates. In contrast, the Late Archaic point
technology was characterized by penetration efficiency, high tool replacement rates and high point
diversity. Annual movements became more restricted and oriented to a lowland-upland seasonal pattern.

Central Rio Grande and Rio Puerco Spear and Atlatl Technologies as Exhibited at LA 46316

Ronald C.D. Fields, University of New Mexico

In 1949, an archaeological sample of one atlatl handle, 500 atlatl dart fore-shafts and nearly 480 dart
main-shaft was recovered from LA 46316 by the University of New Mexico's Archaeological Field School.
Additionally, over one hundred and ten projectile points and numerous rabbit sticks and other perishables
were also recovered. Sigfred Sandberg's analysis (1950) per level revealed that both arrow and dart
technology were contemporaneous throughout the deposits but existed in different frequencies. This is a
preliminary assessment of dart technology represented at LA 46316. This presentation will show the
manufacturing techniques of darts, the paleo-ethnobotanicals used, the decorative crests on both dart
main-shafts and fore-shafts, feather lengths employed, the different types of darts used, and reveal the
28 projectile points/or projectile point fragments that are still in their original hafts. The author will also
reveal the data potential that exists and the importance of dating the materials to answer the research
question - how late did spear and atlatl technology persist in the American Southwest.

3,000 Years of Archaic Architecture–A Short History

Matt Schamder, Albuquerque City Archaeologist

Archaeological investigations in northern Rio Rancho have uncovered very important mid-Archaic to late
Archaic sites which include a substantial number of structures or dwellings. Results of four data recovery
projects encompassing 2,865 acres and 41 sites investigated from 1990 through 2009 will be highlighted.
These projects identified 31 Archaic period structures dating from 2970 BC to AD 235. Six other structures
from the same time span were also excavated in the Santa Fe area. The architectural details of these
structures will be discussed from an evolutionary perspective, as will settlement systems and long term
land-use patterns. It will be shown that relatively little change occurred with respect to architecture, and
that land-use patterns begin to reveal some intensity of site occupation (midden formation) in some
areas during the late Archaic. These results form a strong background of relative cultural stability against
which to compare rapid scales of change in architecture and technology that occurred in the ensuing
several centuries.

Late Archaic and Early Farming Along the Rio Grande in the Albuquerque Area:
Recent Discoveries Along Interstate 25

Cherie K. Walth and Jim A. Railey, SWCA-Albuquerque

In 2008, SWCA excavated six sites along Interstate 25, within Sandia Pueblo lands. The sites are
positioned atop the upland bluff edges immediately above the Rio Grande floodplain. Three of the
excavated sites contained the remains of Late Archaic occupations. These include a small Armijo-phase
component at LA 123288, with the two other sites (LA 123289 and LA 123291) containing the remains of
En Medio-phase pit structures, with an especially intensive occupation at LA 123291. Both sites yielded
both wild plants and maize, with LA 123291 producing evidence of intensive, maize-based farming, and
micro-floral remains from ground-stone milling tools suggesting that both maize and aquatic roots were
processed with these implements. These data contribute to a growing body of evidence of late
pre-ceramic, farming-based communities within the river valleys of the Albuquerque Basin. In addition,
faunal evidence from LA 123291 (both skeletal remains and protein residues) indicates reliance on both
rabbits and larger game, and suggests that big-game hunting was probably staged and carried out
directly from this site, an inference supported by lithic-artifact data.

Interpreting Site Function and Settlement Context from Lithic-Assemblage Variability: A Study of Four
Late Pre-Ceramic Assemblages from New Mexico

Jim A. Railey, SWCA-Albuquerque

There is a long tradition of interpreting archaeological site function, mobility, and various aspects of
settlement patterning from lithic assemblages. This paper builds on this tradition by examining evidence
from four late pre-ceramic sites in New Mexico. These include two Basketmaker II farming-based hamlets
in northern New Mexico, a logistical lithic-procurement and biface-production camp in the Enchanted Hills
area of Rio Rancho, and a camp probably occupied by residentially mobile hunter-gatherers in far
southeastern New Mexico. Late pre-ceramic remains at all four sites occur as stratigraphically sealed,
single components, and all four were excavated using 1/8-inch mesh. Lithic-assemblage variability from
these four sites is examined in conjunction with lithic raw-material availability, subsistence evidence, and
numbers and kinds of features including house structures (or lack thereof). The results hold several
important implications for certain theoretical models pertaining to lithic technology and mobility patterns.

ABSTRACTS: POSTER PRESENTATIONS

Early Farming and the Fate of Archaic Hunter-Gatherers in the Albuquerque Basin

Jim A. Railey, SWCA-Albuquerque

Maize-based farming was well established in the Albuquerque Basin by the 1st millennium B.C., but only
within the river valleys that carve the basin floor. On the West Mesa, no pre-ceramic maize has yet been
discovered, despite many more site excavations, and the collection and processing of many more
flotation samples, than in the surrounding river valleys. These findings suggest the possibility that some
of the late pre-ceramic remains on the West Mesa were left by mobile hunter-gatherers who co-existed
with mixed farming-hunting-gathering groups concentrated along the basin's rivers. Still, following a peak
in the early Late Archaic period, radiocarbon dates suggest occupation and use of the West Mesa declined
in the 1st millennium B.C., as climatic instability and increased reliance on farming took hold. A major
drought in the 3rd century A.D. may have dealt to the final blow to Archaic hunter-gatherers in the
Albuquerque Basin.

Early Intensive Farming in the Hondo Valley, Southern New Mexico

Jim A. Railey, SWCA-Albuquerque

Along US 70 in the Hondo Valley, excavations were carried out at several Late Archaic and
Formative-period habitation sites. The results provide new evidence of intensive early farming in the
Sierra Blanca region, as indicated by high maize ubiquity and numerous large, bell-shaped storage pits.
Although it was previously known that intensive farming was present in the region by A.D. 500, the US 70
findings push this pattern back to at least 100 BC, and possibly earlier. Also, the 91 radiocarbon dates
obtained for this project indicate that ceramics did not arrive in the area until about A.D. 540–550.

Pre-Ceramic Sites at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico

David W. Kayser and Sam Denman, Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Six of eleven archeological sites at Carlsbad Caverns National Park containing ring midden earth ovens or
linear fire cracked rock features were found to be associated with Middle and/or Late Archaic period-style
projectile points. Nine of these sites also contained brownware ceramics and or ceramic period points
suggesting multiple periods of use and reuse.

Sandy Rise: A New Look at Basketmaker II in the Western San Juan Basin

Jim A. Railey, SWCA-Albuquerque

Large-scale excavations at the Sandy Rise site, along US 491 in northwestern New Mexico, uncovered the
remains of a Basketmaker II (Late Archaic) pit-house hamlet, dating ca. 400-200 B.C. The Basketmaker II
component was buried by up to 1 m of eolian sand, within a stabilized dune. The protected, stratigraphic
context and narrow time horizon of this component provided a rare opportunity to investigate the layout
and structure of a Basketmaker II settlement in this part of the state. The site contained seven pit houses,
the largest of which was 5 m in diameter, and flotation samples suggested the occupants were engaged in
intensive maize farming.

The Archaic Occupation at Four Sites in Southwestern New Mexico

Timothy M. Kearns

The identification of the Archaic period occupation of southwest New Mexico is largely based on the
Cochise culture to the west and the Archaic Chihuahua tradition to the east. Western Cultural Resource
Management, Inc. (WCRM) recently excavated four sites within the area where these two cultural areas
overlap in Doña Ana and Luna Counties. Data from the four sites are summarized and combined with data
from other projects in the area to address the cultural affiliation, temporal sequence, settlement, and
subsistence aspects of the Archaic occupation in this region of the American Southwest.