The Archaeological Geography of Small Architectural Sites of the Mogollon Plateau Region of East-Central Arizona
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The Archaeological Geography of Small Architectural Sites of the Mogollon Plateau Region of East-Central Arizona Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation Authors Mehalic, David Steven Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 23/09/2021 10:51:00 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/265814 THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SMALL ARCHITECTURAL SITES OF THE MOGOLLON PLATEAU REGION OF EAST-CENTRAL ARIZONA by DAVID S. MEHALIC _____________________ A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the SCHOOL OF ANTHROPOLOGY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2012 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Dissertation Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by David S. Mehalic entitled The Archaeological Geography of Small Architectural Sites of the Mogollon Plateau Region of East-Central Arizona and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy _______________________________________________________________________ Date: 11/26/2012 Barbara J. Mills _______________________________________________________________________ Date: 11/26/2012 J. Jefferson Reid _______________________________________________________________________ Date: 11/26/2012 Suzanne K. Fish _______________________________________________________________________ Date: 11/26/2012 Gary Christopherson Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate’s submission of the final copies of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement. ________________________________________________ Date: 11/26/2012 Dissertation Director: Barbara J. Mills 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at the University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his or her judgment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. SIGNED: David S. Mehalic 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Barbara Mills has been a direct, insightful, and supportive adviser throughout my time in graduate school. I am extremely grateful for all her guidance, helping me grow from an inquisitive field school student to a more responsible researcher and cultural resources professional. I am also honored to have worked with Jeff Reid, Suzanne Fish, and Gary Christopherson, as well as Jeff Dean and Phil Guertin. Linda Martin, Bruce Donaldson, Heather Provencio, Pete Taylor, Jeremy Haines, and many other individuals from the Apache-Sitgreaves, Coconino, and other National Forests exposed me to the Forest Service and shared their knowledge of the region and its archaeology. I am thankful for the encouragement and opportunities they offered. Time spent in the Mogollon Rim and surrounding country surveying and exploring was a true pleasure. Looking back, it’s hard to remember a bad day in the field. William Gillespie and Mary Farrell, my mentors on the Coronado National Forest, as well as colleagues Chris Schrager and Kathy Makansi, expanded my vision of archaeology and cultural resources management, providing many opportunities for personal growth and as an archaeologist, while also encouraging me to continue pursuing my student research and interests in other areas. Their patience is most appreciated, and their mentorship has been remarkable. It has been an honor to help preserve and study the cultural heritage of the American Southwest. Many fellow students at the University of Arizona ensured an enjoyable and stimulating graduate school experience, helping dismiss many of the stereotypes we learn to fear before entering a competitive program. The consistently collegial atmosphere afforded by the School of Anthropology, the Arizona State Museum, and the other departments I experienced was remarkable. My dad, Charles “Chuck” Mehalic, encouraged me to keep on pursuing archaeology and supported me in many ways through my lengthy student career, despite the recognition of a well-schooled engineer that it may not be the most practical pursuit (although I know he was glad someone is taking care of it). I regret that I didn’t take care of business while you were still around to see it. I have always felt nothing but support from all of my family and feel very fortunate, especially for my grandmothers. Mary Mehalic assured I never forgot that I needed to see my degree through to the end, and Mary Rapp instilled a love of natural history. Like her, I have also grown accustomed to stopping the car for eye-catching stones and suspect some sort of genetic or otherwise cosmic relationship is at play. Finally, my most sincere thanks and appreciation to Daniela Magalhães Klokler, the best thing to ever happen to me. I especially appreciate all of the encouragement during difficult times when things didn’t always seem possible, as well as the valuable help in the field and during the lengthy writing process. 5 DEDICATION For my dad… 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ……………………….……………………………………….. 8 LIST OF TABLES ………………………….…………………………………….... 12 ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………….…... 13 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION TO THE SMALL SITES “PROBLEM” AND GIS SOLUTIONS………………………………….……….……………………… 14 Research Goals……..………………………….………………………………… 20 Organization of the Dissertation……………….………………………………… 22 CHAPTER 2.ARCHAEOLOGICAL GEOGRAPHY AND GIS FOR LANDSCAPE STUDIES…….…………………………….………………………. 26 Archaeological Geography…………………………….………………………… 27 Landscape Archaeology……………..…………………………………………… 30 Archaeological GIS: Presence, Probability and Prediction….…………………… 40 Reconciling Deductive and Inductive Approaches to Predictive Modeling…...… 46 Operationalizing Archaeological GIS for Small Site Studies……………………. 52 CHAPTER 3. THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SETTING..………………………….. 56 Early Studies in Culture History………………………………………………. 57 Processual and Behavioral Approaches and the Rise of Cultural Resources Management………………………………………………………………… 62 Ongoing Management, Rodeo-Chediski, Healthy Forests, and Managing Future Forest Uses……………………………………..…………………… 75 Ethnographic Insights and Historical Land Use of the Mogollon Plateau……. 77 Comparing and Deconstructing Site Typologies……………………………… 88 Summary of Expectations………………..………………………………………. 91 Environmental Determinism…………………………………………………... 91 Agricultural Suitability………………………………………………………. 92 Migrant Communities and Seasonal Uses of Common Pool Resources……… 94 Distance Decay Model – Proximity to Large Sites…………………………… 96 Competition and Conflict – A Tragedy of the Commons?................................. 97 Summary………………………………………………………………………. 98 CHAPTER 4. IDENTIFYING SMALL SITES WITHIN THE MODERN LANDSCAPE………………….…………………………………………………… 99 Archaeological Site and Survey Data………………..…………………………... 111 Archaeological Site Databases………………………………………………… 112 Comparing Site Databases…………………………………………………….. 123 Archaeological Survey Database……………………………………………… 126 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS - Continued CHAPTER 5.SITUATING SMALL SITES WITHIN THE ENVIRONMENT….. 133 DEM and Derived Terrain Characteristics………………………………………. 134 Derived Terrain and Hydrological Surfaces………………………………….. 143 Derived Hydrography………………………………………………………… 146 Terrestrial Ecosystems Survey……………………………...…………………… 151 Site Location Probability Models…………….…………………………………. 160 Models for Assessing Agricultural Suitability……………………..……………. 170 Results………………………………………………………………………… 188 Discussion..……………………………………………………………………... 190 Summary………………………………………….…………………………… 193 CHAPTER 6. SITUATING SMALL SITES WITHIN THE SYSTEMIC LANDSCAPES OF THE MOGOLLON PLATEAU……………….……………… 194 Community Organization and Small Architectural Sites……………………...…. 195 Social Conflict and Culture Change in the Mogollon Plateau Region…………... 201 A Tragedy of the Commons?…...…..……………………………………………. 211 Common Pool Resources, Sustainability, and Culture Change…...………….….. 215 Issues of Scale and Site Function……………………………………………... 221 Discussion and Summary………...……………………….……………………… 233 CHAPTER 7. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH………………………………………………………………………... 240 Ethnic Identity and Landscape Significance………………….………………….. 241 Implementing Predictive Models for CRM on Public Lands……………………. 246 Management Recommendations…………………………………………………. 251 Research Questions for Future Investigations at Small Sites…………………. 256 REFERENCES …………………………………………………………………….. 261 8 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1. An alignment of several cobbles and small boulders of limestone on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, near Red Hill………… 15 Figure 1.2. Some examples of small site