Gregson Schachner

Understanding Abandonments in the North American Southwest

The North American Southwest is renowned for its rich archaeological record. Thousands of prehistoric houses and ceremonial centers remain partially standing or form mounds that mark prehistoric villages that were once actively occupied and remain important to the descendants. The visibility of archaeological remains has sparked interest in questions of abandonment among archaeologists and the lay public. We explore reasons for this interest, how it is manifest in archaeological research, and how perception of that research influences popular views of the past and of native people. Our focus is on explanations for the causes of site and regional abandonment as well as on explications of the processes by which abandonments occur. Essential to our perspective is the view that abandonment is a process that involves decisions to move, which may be promoted by dire circumstances, but which are most often settlement strategies. The process of moving requires economic, social, and political decisions about the places from which people move and to which they move.

CORPORATE GROUP FORMATION AND DIFFERENTIATION IN EARLY PUEBLOAN VILLAGES OF THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST

The development of corporate groups and social differentiation has long been studied by scholars interested in the historic development of Puebloan societies in the American Southwest. Recent discussions of these issues have suggested that corporate group organization and differentiation were formalized during the transition from pithouse to pueblo architecture from A.D. 700 to 1000. In this article, I examine the history and process of the pithouse-to-pueblo transition in the northern San Juan region from A.D. 700 to 900. Unlike in most parts of the ancient Southwest, the architectural transition in this area was accompanied by a significant settlement change resulting in the founding of large, permanent villages housing hundreds of residents. I present an analysis of architectural differences within McPhee Village, one of the largest of these settlements, that documents variability in corporate group organization and socioeconomic power near the end of this transitional period. This study contributes to a growing body of archaeological literature that highlights the importance of internal social dynamics and corporate strategies within early village societies.

THERMALLY MODIFIED ROCK: THE EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF "FIRE-CRACKED" BYPRODUCTS OF HOT ROCK COOKING

Despite its ubiquity in residential middens at many North American archaeological sites, thermally modified rock (TMR) is among the least studied elements of the archaeological record. TMR assemblages, however, may provide key insights into routine cooking practices, patterns of refuse disposal, and midden formation processes. This article outlines the results of experimental research aimed at understanding the conditions by which TMR assemblages were created in residential settlements in the Pacific Northwest. We present baseline data addressing the thermal properties of the hearth, the rate and circumstances of cobble fracturing, the extent to which different kinds of cobbles break when exposed to heat for varying durations, and the effectiveness of hot cobbles at achieving cooking temperatures.

RUDD CREEK PUEBLO: A LATE TULAROSA PHASE VILLAGE IN EAST CENTRAL ARIZONA

Abstract Rudd Creek Pueblo is a late Tularosa phase (A.D. 1225-1300) village located in the Upper Little Colorado region south of Springerville, Arizona. In 1996, Arizona State University, in cooperation with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, conducted archaeological fieldwork at Rudd Creek. This paper summarizes the results of that field season, which included the clearing of disturbed fill from a number of looted rooms, as well as limited test excavations in two great kivas, undisturbed rooms, and extramural areas. Comparison of the archaeology of Rudd Creek Pueblo with other Tularosa phase settlements in the Mogollon highlands along the Arizona-New Mexico border highlights key dimensions of variability in thirteenth century settlement in this area. Our investigations suggest that future research focusing on Tularosa phase settlements has the potential to contribute greatly to current debates in Southwest archaeology concerning migration, exchange, and population aggregation. Abstract Rudd Creek es un pueblo de la fase tarde Tularosa (A.D. 1225-1300) situada en la región del alto Río Little Colorado al sur de Springville, Arizona. En 1996, la Universidad Estatal de Arizona, en conjunto con el Departamento de Caza y Pesca de Arizona, realizó un trabajo de campo arqueológico. Este ensayo es un resumen de la temporada de trabajo de investigación en el campo, que incluyó el desmonte de terreno abandalizado en varios cuartos saqueados, y también excavaciones limitadas de prueba en dos grandes kivas, cuartos no perturbados y áreas extramurales. Comparación en la arqueología de Rudd Creek con otros poblados de la fase Tularosa en los altos mogollones a lo largo de la frontera entre Arizona y Nuevo México hace notar dimensiones claves en la variabilidad en los poblados en esta área durante el decimotercero siglo. Nuestras investigaciones sugieren que trabajo futuro con enfoque en los poblados de la fase Tularosa tiene la gran potencia de contribuir a los debates prevalecientes en la arqueología del sudoeste de los Estados Unidos al respecto con la migración, intercambios y agregación de población.

Migration and Ethnicity in Middle-Range Societies: A View from the Southwest

In this brief volume Tammy Stone provides further discussion of one of the classic cases of migration in Southwestern archaeology, the “Kayenta enclave” at Point of Pines, and encourages scholars t...