The Archaeology of Aztec North - Dr. Michelle I. Turner · 2019. 11. 15. · The Archaeology of...

The Archaeology of Aztec North!MichelleTurner*,MaxwellForton*,JoshuaJones,RandallMcGuire*,LubnaOmar*,SamuelStansel**,KellamThrogmorton*,RuthVanDyke**BinghamtonUniversity,**ColoradoCollege

Introduc)on

InJune2016,BinghamtonUniversityconductedlimitedtestexcavaMonsattheAztecNorthgreathouseatAztecRuinsNaMonalMonument.AztecNorthiscarefullyposiMonedaspartofaconstructedlandscapethatincludesAztecWest,AztecEast,tri-wallstructures,andaroadsegment.SurfaceceramicsindicateAztecNorthwasbuiltearlierthanAztecWest,inthelate1000stoearly1100s(Stein&McKenna1988;Turner2015).

Aztec Cultural Landcape, Lekson 2015: 62, fig. 3.2, after Stein & McKenna 1988.

AztecNorthhasthemassivesizeandD-shapedoutlineofaChacoangreathouse,butthelackofvisiblesandstoneandstandingmasonryledarchaeologiststobelievethatthegreathousewasbuiltofcobble-reinforcedadoberatherthanmasonry.Asthenearestsandstonesourceis3milesaway,VanDyke(2008)hasarguedthestructurerepresentsanexpedientefforttobuildagreathousewithasmalllaborforce.Onceplasteredinwhitelikeothergreathouses,AztecNorthwouldhavelookedthepartwithoutrequiringasmucheffort.BrownandPaddock(2011)alsoarguedthatAztecNorthwasanearlyefforttoimitateaChacoangreathouse,butforthemthebuilderswereveryspecificallylocalsemulaMngaChacoangreathouseinadobe,thelocalarchitecture.TheyarguedthatAztecNorthwasconstructedbeforeChacoansarrivedtobuildAztecWest.Lekson(2015),bycontrast,hascontendedthatthebuildersofAztecNorthwerepracMcingtheiradobeconstrucMonskillsinadvanceofheadingsouthtoPaquimé.

Construc)onBasedonsurfacematerials,weexpectedtoencountercobbleandadobewalls,withlidletonosandstone.Instead,wefoundthatatleastsomeofthewallsofthegreathousehadcoursedsandstonemasonryveneers.Thisgreenish,localsandstonewasafriablematerialthatdidnotweatherwell,andmaynothavebeenpreservedonthesurface.Behindthemasonryveneerswerecrumblycoresmadeofhandfulsofadobereinforcedwithrivercobbles.Althoughthebuildersofthesewallswereclearlyawareoftheideaofcoreandveneer,theuseofadobecoresisextremelyunusualandisnotaChacoanconstrucMontechnique.

Da)ngAlthoughwedidnotfindanywoodbeamsthatcouldbeusedfortree-ringdaMng,wedidcollectalargequanMtyofsamplesforradiocarbondaMng.Thesesamplesincludepiecesofwoodandcorncobembeddedinadoberoofingmaterial—sodaMngtheorganicmaderwilldatetheconstrucMonitself.Wearecurrentlyworkingonobtainingfundstohaveoursamplesrun.

Rela)onshipwithChacoandOtherRegionsThearchitecturalconstrucMonofAztecNorthsuggestsacomplexrelaMonshipbetweenAztecNorthandChacoCanyon.Asnotedabove,thecobblefooters,largerooms,andcoursedsandstoneveneerssuggestChacoanconstrucMonknowledge,buttheadobeandadobe-cobblecoresarealocal,non-Chacoanbuildingtechnique.VanDyke(2008)hasarguedthattheAztecculturallandscapeasawholewasmeanttoemulatedowntownChacoCanyon,withAztecNorthstandinginforPuebloAlto,butwasthisformalspaMalrelaMonshipplannedbythebuildersfromtheoutset,orwasAztecNorthincorporatedlaterasawaytoincludealocalbuildinginaChacoanscheme?Thearchitecturalevidenceremainsambiguousonthisscore,althoughabsolutedatesmayhelp.Ceramicandlithicanalyses(underway)willimproveourunderstandingofinteracMonwithChacoandotherregions.AsurprisinglylargequanMtyofobsidiansuggestsconnecMonsbetweenAztecNorthandtheJemezarea.

SubsistenceAnalysisofbotanical&faunalremainsareunderwayandarealreadyprovidinginformaMonaboutsubsistence.BecausetherewasnolocalpopulaMonintheimmediateareabeforetheconstrucMonofAztecNorth,wewillbecomparingthefaunalassemblageatthissitetootherplaceswherewildresourcedepleMonwasmoreofaproblem.Wecanalreadyreportthatpeoplehereatefish.Nearasmallcharcoalfeatureinoneofthegreathouserooms,wefoundthesefishvertebrae.FishareextremelyrareforAncientPueblosites,butsinceAztecRuinsisrightontheAnimasRiverthisfindingisperhapsnotsosurprising. ConclusionOurtestexcavaMonhasconfirmedsomeassumpMonsaboutAztecNorthandfilledinafewdetailsinitsstory,butourworkalsoraisesnewquesMons.Inthecomingmonths,wewillconMnueanalyzingourdataandarMfactstolearnasmuchaspossibleaboutthislidleknownsite,andwewillworkwiththearchaeologistsatAztecRuinsNaMonalMonumenttoturnthatdataintoinformaMonthattheycanthensharewiththepublic.

Fish vertebrae

Masonry veneer and adobe core

Chacoan cobble foundation >>

<< Wood in a chunk of adobe

Our core crew, with Stephen Matt and Lori Reed of Aztec Ruins National Monument

Study Unit 2 – test trench across the looted room

Ceramic and lithic artifacts from Aztec North

ThewallsalsoraiseanothersetofquesMons.WefoundevidenceofsubstanMalremodelingalongthegreathouse’snorthwall,withsomeperiodofMmeelapsingbetweentwobuildingepisodes.ButourtesMng(includingourworkintheverydeflatedtrashmiddens)revealedapaucityoftrashatthesite,whichsuggeststhatpeopledidnotinhabitorusethegreathouseveryintensively.WhyremodelastructurethatwasnotinacMveuse?DidAztecNorthprimarilyserveasymbolicrolewithintheAztecculturallandscape?

HowtoexplainthesecontradicMons?OnepossibilityisthatChacoanbuildersestablishedthefoundaMonsbutlejtheconstrucMontolocalswithalimitedworkforceorlimitedresources.Anotheristhatcobblefooterswerenot,infact,Chacoanknowledge.

WeproposedsubsurfaceinvesMgaMonstoassessthesecompeMngideas.OurresearchquesMonsfocusedonidenMfyingtheconstrucMon,daMng,anduseofthegreathouse,sothatwemightbederunderstanditsrelaMonshiptothelargerAzteclandscapeandtoChaco.AjertribalconsultaMon,theNaMonalParkServicegrantedusapermittoconductlimitedexcavaMonofthegreathouse.Weexcavated18squaremetersdistributedamongfourtestunits:atrenchperpendiculartothenorthwall,atrenchacrossapurportedlylootedroom,andtwotestunitsindeflatedmiddenareas.Herewepresentpreliminaryfindingsforeachofourresearchissuesbasedonourwork.

Site map with approximate locations of our study units >>

However,thesizeoftheroomsweuncoveredisonaparwithChacoangreathouses.Moreover,thewallsofthegreathouseareanchoredinwhatlooklikeChacoanfootertrenches,withlargerivercobblessetinhardmortarunderthefloorlevels.These“low-visibility”ChacoanfeaturesresemblefootersatAztecWest,indicaMngthedirectinvolvementofbuilderswithChacoanknowledgeatNorthRuin.

ContactInformaMon:MichelleTurnermturner4@binghamton.eduhdp:www.michelle-turner.netDr.RuthVanDyke:rvandyke@binghamton.eduhdp://bingweb.binghamton.edu/~rvandyke/Home.html

AcknowledgmentsFundingforthisprojectwasprovidedbygrantstoMichelleTurnerfromtheArizonaArchaeologicalandHistoricalSociety,theWesternNaMonalParksAssociaMon,theExplorersClubExploraMonFund–MamontScholarsProgram,andtheLewisandClarkFundforExploraMonandFieldResearch.WeappreciatethesupportofNaMonalParkServicepersonnelLarryTurk,AronAdams,LoriReed,StephenMad,JefferyWharton,andVernHensler.WeparMcularlywishtothanktheprofessionalvolunteerswhodonatedtheirMmeandlabor:GaryBrown,DonnaBrown,ShannaDiederichs,DonnaGlowacki,BlytheMorrison,andChuckRiggs.Wealsoappreciatethethoughtulinsights,suggesMons,andconversaMonsofferedbyacastofprofessionalvisitorstoonumeroustolist!Ofcourse,wetakeresponsibilityforanyerrorsormisconcepMonshere.

ReferencesCitedBrown,GaryM.andCherylI.Paddock(2011)ChacoanandVernacularArchitectureatAztecRuins:Puvng

ChacoinitsPlace.Kiva77(2):203-224.Lekson,StephenH.(2015)TheChacoMeridian:OneThousandYearsofPoli8calandReligiousPowerinthe

AncientSouthwest.2nded.Rowman&Lidlefield,Lanham,Maryland.Stein,JohnR.andPeterJ.McKenna(1988)AnArchaeologicalReconnaissanceofaLateBonitoPhase

Occupa8onNearAztecRuinsNa8onalMonument,NewMexico.NaMonalParkService,SantaFe.Turner,MichelleI.(2015)CeramicsofAztecNorthandtheTerraceCommunity,AztecRuinsNaMonal

Monument.UnpublishedMAThesis,BinghamtonUniversity.VanDyke,RuthM.(2008)SacredLandscapes:TheChaco-TotahConnecMon.InChaco'sNorthernProdigies:

Salmon,Aztec,andtheAscendancyoftheMiddleSanJuanRegionAIerAD1100,editedbyPaulF.Reed,pp.334-348.UniversityofUtahPress,SaltLakeCity.