Hugh C. Cutler

Pre-historic Cucurbits from the Valley of Oaxaca'

About 180 specimens of cucurbits were recovered from the Guila Naquitz Cave in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico, from strata dated at 8750-7840 B.C. to 1500 A.D. by Carbon- 14 analyses. 4 Almost 60% of the cucurbit specimens were of wild species of Cucurbita. A single seed may be that of the perennial squash or fig- leaf gourd, C. ficifolia Bouch é. All other cultivated squash material was C. pepo L., the summer squash. Cucurbita pepo prefers cool, dry environmental conditions. This suggests that farmers utilized the cave on a seasonal basis, because cultivars of C. pepo mature later and store better than those of C. moschata Poir. or C. mixta Pang., which would normally be the species expected to be cultivated at this latitude. Specimens of bottle gourd, Lagenaria siceraria (Mol.) Standl., were comparatively rare and comprised only 10% of the total. The scarcity of bottle gourd remains suggests that these gourds were not important for containers and household, use even in preceramic levels, or that they simply did not break many of their vessels during the limited time they occupied the cave. A second possibility is that agriculture was carried out at higher and cooler elevations, which C. pepo prefers but which are unfavorable for Lagenaria. A few Apodanthera seeds were found at all levels.

The Fortified Hill Site Near Gila Bend, Arizona

ABSTRACTExcavations arc reported of an unusual site, located on top of a volcanic escarpment, on the Gila Bend Indian Reservation. The rooms and walls were reconstructed during excavation. All components, with the exception of probable ceremonial units, were composed of rubble core masonry. Three building phases were delineated. Rooms were grouped in social units of two or three houses.Two burial zones of primary cremations were found. Mining areas were evident under the edge of the site and on a neighboring escarpment. Tests indicate that minerals were mined for ceramic temper or obsidian.The cultural assemblage is a manifestation of the Tanque Verde phase (ca. A.D. 1200–1300) as known from the Tucson Basin.It is proposed that the village was settled by migrants to the area after it was abandoned by the Hohokam proper. Site location, on a cultural frontier, makes it possible but not certain that the defensible quality of the hill was of prime concern.