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300 N Ash Alley, Tucson AZ, 85701 • (520) 882-6946 • [email protected] • www.archaeologysouthwest.org Archaeolog!j 50uthwest

Volume 17, Number) Center For Desert Archaeolog~ 5ummer 200)

f reservation Archaeolog~ in the San f edro Valle~ William H. Doelle) Center for Desert Archaeolog!:J Jeffer!:J j. Clark) Center for Desert Archaeolog!:J

R ALLCOUR.TS, KIVAS, CLOVIS FOINTS, AND U FR.E.SIDIOS are just a few of the traces of the past found in the San Pedro Valley east of Tucson. The human heritage of this beautiful valley has a richness and a diver­ sity that has motivated the Center's preservation archaeol­ ogy efforts for more than a decade. Preservation archaeology integrates research, public outreach, and stewardship of the nonrenewable archaeo­ logical record. This issue of Archaeology Southwest high­ lights our blend of these elements into a long-term pro­ gram in a single valley. Productive research has been ac­ complished using information gathered with low-impact methods: reassessing previous excavations, surface surveys site mapping, and limited new test excavations. This is the first publication of the Center's San Pedro Preservation Project. We initiated this project in 1996, af­ ter our 1990-1995 volunteer survey of the 120 km from Winkelman to Benson made it clear that the archaeology in the valley, while diminished by vandalism and develop­ ment, still had remarkable potential for research and pres­ ervation. We focused on the large sites from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries with our mapping and testing program. The Bajada site, one of the last-occupied settlements in the northern Funding for the San Pedro Preservation Project came San Pedro valley, is located on the toe of this gently sloping bajada. from a private foundation, with further assistance from The Center's work salvaged key architectural information from this the Salus Mundi and Amerind foundations and invalu- badly vandalized site. The site, now owned by the Nature Conser­ able volunteer labor by Center members. Another crucial vancy, is patrolled regularly by Arizona site stewards. element was a grant from the National Science Founda­ conservation easement by Harold and Mignon Elliott that tion that funded a related study of the wash sands of the preserves three sites in valley. Determining the natural distribution of sands in perpetuity, and in July This issue was made possible by the area has allowed us to identifY places of manufacture 2003, we purchased a 95- a generous gift from the for many types of pottery. acre parcel with a signifi­ Southwestern Foundation for Preservation archaeology is more than research. Val­ cant fourteenth-century Education and Historical ley residents have participated in the Center's work site on it. Preservation ar­ Preservation. through volunteer opportunities, lectures at local commu­ chaeology in this valley is

nity centers, open-house events at specific sites, and nu­ well underway, though ArChaeolog:; 50uthwest merous personal contacts. These outreach efforts are pay­ there is still much to ac­ is a Quarterl!:J ing of£ In 2002, we accepted the generous donation of a complish in the future. f' ublication ot the Center tor Desert Archaeolog!:J A 5riet Histor~ ot Lower San Fedro Archaeolog~ Jeffer!J j. Clark, Center for Desert Archaeolog!J

ESPITE IMPR.ESSIVE R.U INS and its proximity to the Amerind Foundation. Fulton brought in Carr Tuthill, DTucson, the lower San Pedro Valley has seen only a University of Arizona student, to serve as field director, limited archaeological work. In the early 1880s, Adolph report writer, and curator. In 1940, Tuthill conducted large­ Bandelier was the first professional archaeologist to ex­ scale excavations at Tres Alamos, the principal settlement plore ruins along the river, near the upper and lower briefly visiting the site of San Pedro boundary dur­ Tres Alamos. In 1908, Jesse ing the pre-Classic and Walter Fewkes provided the Classic periods. In late first detailed information 1947, Tuthill left the Am­ on sites in the lower San erind Foundation and was Pedro, drawing sketch replaced by another Uni­ maps of several of the larger versity of Arizona student, platform mound ruins, in­ Charles Di Peso. cluding Lost Mound, During Di Peso's long Leaverton Mesa, and High tenure, the Amerind Foun­ Mesa. In 1929, Carl Sauer dation became one of the and Donald Brand visited premier research institu­ several sites in the southern tions in the Southwest. In portion of the lower San 1948 and 1949, as part of Pedro, among them Red­ his Master's thesis research, ington and Bayless ruins. Di Peso excavated Baboco­ William Duffen, a student mari Village in the upper of Byron Cummings at the San Pedro Valley. Di Peso's University of Arizona, con­ next series of excavations ducted the first formal ex­ focused on establishing cavations in the lower val­ links between the Classic General setting of the San Pedro valley and some of the major sites at ley at these two sites in the period and the early Span­ which early excavations were conducted. 1: Alder Wash; 2: Second 1930s as part of his Master's Canyon compound; 3: Davis Ranch; 4: Reeve Ruin; 5: Tres Alamos; 6: ish period inhabitants of thesis. Babocomari Village; and 7: Big Ditch. southeastern Arizona. In In the northern lower 1950 and 1951, Di Peso in- valley, avocational archaeologist Alice Hubbard Carpenter vestigated the short-lived Spanish presidio of Santa Cruz was the primary investigator and steward of the cultural de Terrenate and Santa Cruz de Gaybanipitea, a Sobaipuri resources for over 50 years. Shortly after she moved to village that was also the site of a Spanish visita (see pages Oracle in 1924, until close to the time of her death in 1982, 14-16). Finally, Di Peso excavated a room at Jose Solas Ruin Carpenter was active in the field, advocating site preserva­ near Cascabel, which he misidentified as San Salvador de tion, removing artifacts from threatened sites, participat­ Baicatcan, a major Sobaipuri settlement mentioned in early ing in field schools, and aiding professional archaeolo­ Spanish documents. gists. She also rescued the largest copper bell found to date In 1956, Di Peso focused on the lower San Pedro Val­ in the Southwest- which was mistakenly thought to be a ley in search of migrants from the Pueblo an world. Reeve copper toilet float by its finder. Carpenter and her friends Ruin, roughly 5 km south of Redington, provided the per­ investigated nearly all the large sites along the northern fect candidate for such an enclave (see pages 7-10) with its lower San Pedro, naming many of them. defensible location, room block layout, and gypsum-block In 1931, seven years after Carpenter's arrival, William masonry. Di Peso's investigation of Reeve Ruin was fol­ Shirley Fulton established his summer residence on the lowed shortly by a related excavation by Rex Gerald at the Double F Ranch near Dragoon, Arizona, and began inves­ Davis Ranch site, another suspected enclave across the San tigating a pithouse settlement on his property. In 1936, he Pedro River, opposite Reeve Ruin. This site yielded a large built a small museum and, the following year, established rectangular kiva, the only example of this type of Pueblo an

Fage 2 Archaeology Southwest Volume 17, Number :7 ceremonial ar­ £)ring 35 sites and intensively excavating one that was threat­ chitecture dis­ ened by construction of a natural-gas pipeline. Mead's field covered in the school constitutes, by far, the largest project conducted in valley to date a bajada setting within the lower valley. (see photo on In 1974, upon the advice of Carpenter, Mead moved page 10). Reeve the CAC field school to the Aravaipa confluence, about 3 Ruin and Davis km from campus. He began excavating Big Ditch, a large Ranch proved to pre-Classic ballcourt village. The Big Ditch excavations be the Amerind' s continued from 1975 through 1977 under the supervi­ last forays into sion of Director Bruce Masse and Assistant Director Linda the San Pedro. Gregonis. late 1977, Mike Bartlett became the third and Charles Di Peso in the early 1950s. In These excava- final CAC field school director. Bartlett moved up the ter­ tions were soon overshadowed by Di Peso's most ambi­ race from Big Ditch and investigated several early Classic tious project at Casas Grandes in northern Mexico. period rooms to the north of the Ash Terrace platform In the late 1960s, the Arizona Department of Trans­ mound. portation planned to construct a state highway between Interest in San Pedro archaeology waned in the late San Manuel and Benson. The sites in the northern half of 1970s and early 1980s. Carpenter and Di Peso both passed the project area were excavated, but the construction away in 1982. Bradley last worked in the area in 1979 at project was canceled after about 5 km of pavement had Bayless Ruin, the CAC's last field season took place in 1979, been laid. In late 1969 and early 1970, Laurens (Larry) and Franklin moved on after publishing the Second Can­ Hammack, the state's highway salvage archaeologist, and yon report in 1980. his assistant director, Hayward Franklin, excavated Sec­ The Center's interest in the area- beginning in the ond Canyon Ruin, a late Classic compound with underly­ late 1980s and continuing to the present day- ushered in ing pithouses representing several occupations. The com­ a new era oflower San Pedro archaeology, one that consid­ pound was probably built by the last pithouse occupants, ers past and present work and integrates research, educa­ suggesting continuity across this architectural transition. tion, and preservation goals. In late 1970 and early 1971, with Bruce Bradley as assistant di­ rector, Hammack investigated three pithouse sites near Alder Wash as part of the Peppersauce Wash Project. Alder Wash Ruin, the most informative of the three in­ vestigated sites, yielded valuable in­ formation on both the late pre­ Classic and Protohistoric inhabit­ ants. An early Spanish period Sobaipuri occupation was discov­ ered during the course of the exca­ vations. One of the structures con­ tained European trade beads. Throughout the 1970s, Cen­ tral Arizona College (CAC) con­ ducted a series of field schools in the lower San Pedro in collabora­ tion with the University ofArizona. In the early 1970s, with Dudley Mead directing, the CAC field school surveyed about 5 km 2 be­ tween the upper reaches of Bonito Canyon and Smelter Wash, about Second Canyon Ruin. Extensive horizontal stripping in 1969 and 1970 exposed a complex sequence of 5 km west of San Manuel, identi- masonry-and-adobe rooms overlying earlier pithouses.

Summer 2003 Archaeolog~ Southwest fage 3 5an Fedro, River ot the Ancients 5ruce 5. Hucke/l, Maxwell Museum of AntAropolog.!:J

o OTHER RIVER VALLEY reveals the story of the for the sustenance of this 3,000- to 3,500-year-old cultural N first humans in the Greater Southwest as com­ group. pletely as the San Pedro River Valley. Since the late nine­ Amateur archaeologists and local ranchers were also teenth century, the San Pedro River and its tributaries have drawn to search its arroyos, and because of them, far older eroded deeply into their sites were discovered. In g:J floodplains, exposing de­ 1'5 1951, after a summer CD posits laid down many if flood, Fred and Marc millennia ago. Among the o "~ Navarrete found huge first scientists to appreci­ bones protruding from ate the buried record in the bank of Greenbush this valley were E. B. (Ted) Draw, near Naco. Upon Sayles, Ernst Antevs, and discovering a pair of Emil Haury. Clovis points among the These three research- bones, they reported their ers, in search of the ante­ find to Haury. Later in cedents of the Hohokam, the year, with the help of surveyed the valley under several students and col­ the auspices of Gila laborators, Haury recov­ Pueblo, a privately fund­ ered another six Clovis ed research institution. University of New Mexico geoarchaeology students profi'le the stratigraphy points scattered among exposed by the San Pedro River at an Early Agricultural period site located They worked along the the bones of this lone within the Bureau of Land Management's San Pedro Riparian National main channel of the river, Conservation Area. The cultural deposit is visible at the level of the shoulders mammoth. Four years primarily in the upper of the two people on the ladders. later, Ed Lehner told portion of the valley be­ Haury about numerous tween Benson and Palo minas. In the Fairbank-Charles- large mammoth bones in the arroyo north of his ranch, ton area, they discovered the sites that ultimately defined some 20 km northwest of Naco. Excavations there in 1955- the San Pedro stage of the Cochise culture. The buried 1956 revealed parts of9 mammoths, 13 Clovis points, and Fairbank site was the first excavated example of what we 8 stone butchering tools. The Lehner site provided the now regard as the San Pedro phase of the Early Agricul­ first accurate radiocarbon date of the Clovis culture, plac­ tural period. A reinvestigation of the Fairbank site in the ing the mammoth kill at approximately 11,200 years ago. late 1980s showed the presence and importance of maize To this day, the Lehner and Naco sites remain among the best examples of mammoth­ hunting sites In North Mammoth limb bones and teeth exposed by ex­ America. cavations along a tribu­ In the mid-1960s, C. Vance tmy of Horsethief Draw, Haynes and his colleagues con­ northwest of the San tinued the search for more Pedro Riparian National Clovis sites; he and Peter Conservation Area visitor Mehringer discovered the center on State Route 90. Murray Springs Clovis site in The bones were in the same stratigraphic posi­ 1966. From 1966 to 1971, exca­ tion as mammoth remains vations there revealed a mam­ found at the Lehner and moth carcass, a multiple-bison Murray Springs Clovis kill, and an associated camp­ sites, though no artifacts still the only camp found with were found in association a kill. In addition, Murray with this mammoth. Springs offered detailed in-

rage + Archaeolog~ Southwest Volume 17, Number ') sights into late Pleistocene and early Holocene climate, Larry Agenbroad and Norman Whalen in the 1960s that megafaunal extinction, the chronology of Clovis occupa­ provided the story of middle Holocene hunter-gatherers. tion, and the depositional history of the San Pedro and its Scattered alonga wash in the Santa Catalina foothills west tributaries. Also in the 1960s and early 1970s, three more of Redington is the Lone Hill site, a camp probably occu­ small Clovis sites were found and investigated: two mam­ pied repeatedly between about 3,500 and 5,500 years ago. moth kills near Naco on Greenbush Draw- the Leikem Abundant basin metates and one-hand manos reveal the and Navarrete sites-and another near Murray Springs, important contribution of plant seeds to the Archaic diet, the Escapule site. Nowhere in North America has such a and numerous San Jose/pinto, Chiricahua, Gypsum, and cl uster of Clovis kill sites been found in such a small area. other small dart points testify to the hunting of animals The San Pedro Valley also contains many Archaic pe­ such as deer and bighorn sheep. West of Benson, from riod sites that postdate Clovis but predate the arrival of terraces overlooking the river to the piedmont slopes of agriculture. In fact, the reinvestigation of the Lehner site the Whetstones, Whalen discovered huge areas of repeated by Haynes in 1974-1975 revealed a brief Early Archaic re­ Archaic occupations. In some cases, these sites covered tens use of the site about 9,800 to 9,900 years ago. The only of thousands of square meters. Although containing fewer other significant source of information on this intriguing seed-milling tools, the sites were generally similar in arti­ period comes from the Double Adobe area of the Sulphur fact content to Lone Hill. Spring Valley, where the Center has recently acquired a The attraction of the San Pedro Valley for Archaic for­ parcel of land containing an extensive Archaic site. agers is not difficult to understand, for along the river or Archaic campsites are best known from the surfaces of within a few kilometers of it one can taste the fruit of the the terraces along the San Pedro River and the piedmont saguaro, prickly pear, and mesquite, roast the hearts ofaga ­ slopes of the high mountains that bound the valley. Sayles ves, feast on the bellotas (acorns), and hunt mammals, large found some in his periodic surveys, but it was work by and small.

5allcourts and 5ut+ Wares Henr!J D . Wallace, Desert Archaeolog!J' Inc.

N IMFOR.T ANT SHIFT in settlement occurred in ated with the Asouthern Arizona between A.D. 500 and 600, when new religion small, seasonally mobile groups began to occupy villages that swept year-round. By 550, these villages consisted of central pla­ through the zas surrounded by residential areas. Although formal ball­ entire region. courts were not yet built at these sites, ballgames were prob­ Associated cer­ ably played in the plazas at this early date, fostering ties emonies and and limiting conflict between communities. The ballgame rituals pro­ was most likely an import from West Mexico, in the moted village Nayarit- Zacatecas- Jalisco- Michoacan area, and may have interaction Decorated buff ware pottery is common on sites been accompanied by a new variety of corn that was more and the arbi­ in the lower San Pedro Valley. readily ground into flour than earlier varieties. tration of dis- Concomitant with the shift to more permanent settle­ putes without conflict. ment were changes in leadership from individual lineage There are six known ball courts between the mouth of or kin-group leaders to village-level political and ritual the lower San Pedro River at Winkelman and Tres Alamos, figures who headed many different lineages. These the southernmost known example. Patterns in orientation changes culminated around 800, with construction of suggest that these were part of a connected local system. large, elliptical, banked ballcourts at the largest villages in The long axes of five of the ballcourts parallel the north­ central and much of southeastern Arizona, including the south-trending valley. The exception is the large ballcourt lower San Pedro Valley. These formal ball courts were ac­ at Redington, which is oriented east-west. companied by a new cremation burial ritual and a new All of the early ballcourts in the lower San Pedro were artistic style found on decorated buff ware pottery and large, averaging about 56 m in length (a little more than other artifacts. This complex of traits was probably associ- half a football field) . Later ballcourts, built between 930

Summer 200:; Archaeolog~ Southwest rage 5 and 1050, were, on average, about half that long. A new Mammoth. At Big Ditch, near the mouth of Aravaipa type of ballgame may have been played within the small Creek, residents manufactured a technologically sophisti­ courts. The two largest sites in the valley, Big Ditch and cated replica of Middle Gila Buff Ware pottery. Because Redington, each had both a large, early ballcourt and a this ware was not simple to reproduce, it is reasonable to small, late ballcourt. suppose that at least a few potters from the middle Gila From 800, when the first earthen-banked ballcourts married into Big Ditch households. Both the imported appeared on the scene, until the 900s, villages remained Middle Gila BuffWare pottery and the local imitation have nucleated, with few been found in this north­ people living outside the ern portion of the valley. large settlements on a South of Mammoth, permanent basis. With there are relatively abun­ the construction of the dant examples of Dra­ second wave of smaller goon and San Simon ballcourts, this pattern Brown wares. This red­ changed. Villages dis­ on-brown pottery is persed along what were painted in several styles. probably the locations of One style corresponds their canal systems. This with designs common shift was not unique to across southeastern Ari­ the lower San Pedro zona, northern Sonora, Valley; it occurred and southwestern New throughout southern Mexico. From its distri­ and central Arizona at bution and frequency in that time. This interval the valley, it was probably was associated with op­ produced in the Reding­ timal rainfall condi­ ton area, as well as at one tions, and riverine farm­ or more sites farther ing was seldom better. south. A second style is a Population increased, combination of this San and families moved out Simon style and styles of and settled new areas as decoration that origi­ canal systems expanded. nated in the middle Gila Warfare was probably and Tucson areas. Very not a major concern. few of these wares are Contacts with West found north of Mam­ Mexico continued, as moth. Ballcourt locations provide insight into the extensive Hohokam interaction evidenced by the recov­ network that was focused on the Salt and Gila rivers and extended outward Coincident with this ery of Mexican artifacts along other desert nOvel's. north-south boundary in in southern Arizona local artistic and techno­ such as copper bells, pyrite-encrusted mirrors, and pot­ logical styles are differences in residential architecture and, tery. For example, one of the small hamlets north of Red­ possibly, mortuary practices. The presence of ballcourts, ington contained a portion of a vessel that probably origi­ Middle Gila Buff Ware, and other markers of Hohokam nated in Nayarit. ideology also suggest a northern influence in the southern Who were the people of the lower San Pedro? The portion of the valley, but a difference in ethnic or tribal earliest villages were probably settled by those who had identity from the inhabitants of Big Ditch is also likely. been living in the region for centuries. Certainly, from 500 Such a distinction became increasingly apparent over time. to 1100, the area was within the ideological sphere of the Late in the eleventh century, Mimbres black-on-white pot­ Hohokam, and the northern portion of the valley was tery appeared in the southern lower valley, along with other closely tied to the middle Gila Valley. ceramic wares from the east and northeast. These wares By the time the first ballcourts were constructed in the are also rarely found north of Mammoth. Later migrations area, clear material differences emerged between the popu­ (see pages 7-10) were likely presaged by smaller-scale popu­ lations living north and south of the modern town of lation movements around 1100.

lage 6 Archaeology Southwest Volume Il, Number) Mounds and Migrants in the Classic Feriod Jeffer!:J j. Clark, Center for Desert Archaeolog!:J fatrick. D. L!:Jons, Center for Desert Archaeolog!:J

HE. MASONRY RU INS of Classic period settle­ berries from the mountain slopes far above the floodplain. T ments are by far the most visible archaeological fea­ Although cotton was grown in other river valleys of central tures in the San Pedro Valley. The high profile of these and northern Arizona, we encountered no evidence of this sites has both advantages and drawbacks. On the positive raw material for textiles. Even more conspicuous is the side, we can confidently state near-absence of agave, consid­ that nearly all of the major oc­ ering the thousands of rock cupations and most of the piles, presumably used in cul­ minor settlements from this tivating this plant, that line interval have been identified. many of the terraces overlook­ On the negative side, these ing the floodplain. These ag­ sites have been, and continue ricultural features apparently to be, attractive targets for fell out of use by the mid-1200s, pothunters. The dual moti­ as the later inhabitants focused vation of high research and their subsistence efforts on the threat potential provided the floodplain near their villages. primary impetus for con­ These areas were easy to moni­ ducting test excavations. The tor and protect from outsiders. main goal was to obtain a Volunteers, student interns, and professional supervisors excavated During the late 1200s, plat­ representative sample of arti­ I-m by 2-m test units in trash deposits in 29 sites along 104 linear form mounds were built in 11 km of the San Pedro. These limited impacts to the sites produced facts and plant and animal of the irrigation community high-quality information. remains from every major centers along the 56-km stretch Classic period settlement, while minimizing the impact of the river from Dudleyville, near the Gila River confluence, to each site. To accomplish this task, trash deposits outside to Redington. Although the social function of platform architectural ruins were prioritized. These artifact-rich mounds is unclear, they would have been prominent contexts had high recovery rates even though very little territorial markers on the landscape for each individual dirt was actually moved. community. Beginning in Spring 1999, and continuing through On a larger organizational level, platform-mound Spring 2001, a group of dedicated volunteers- supervised settlements and corresponding irrigation communities can by the Center's staff-tested more than 100 of these de­ be grouped into two districts based on location and differ­ posits at 29 sites. Ultimately, nearly 45,000 sherds, 20,000 ences in artifact assemblages. The Aravaipa district includes pieces of flaked stone, 5,000 animal bone fragments, 500 a cluster offour mound villages and associated settlements fragments of ground stone, 300 flotation samples, and 200 near the mouth of Aravaipa Creek. This district is one of pieces of shell were recovered. The following account is the most fertile in the valley, and there is an extended his­ based on the analyses of this material and previous work in tory of settlement in the area. Artifacts from Aravaipa dis­ the valley and surrounding areas. trict settlements suggest limited interaction with outside Dramatic changes occurred in the lower San Pedro groups and close links with the inhabitants of earlier Valley in the A.D. 1200s. By 1300, all of the valley's resi­ pithouse settlements in the vicinity, particularly the Big dents had moved from dispersed pithouse settlements into Ditch ballcourt village near Ash Terrace. Some of the in­ more concentrated masonry and adobe villages. The San habitants of Big Ditch produced pottery that imitated buff Pedro floodplain was covered with maize fields fed by ca­ wares manufactured in the middle Gila River Valley (see nal systems up to 8 km long. Each canal system was built pages 5-6). and maintained by an irrigation community containing This tradition of pottery production was continued between 100 and 300 people. in the Aravaipa district during the Classic period (1200- Beans and perhaps squash were also cultivated. Mes­ 1450), with one or more settlements making many of the quite beans and various cacti fruits were favorite gathered San Carlos Red-on-brown and red ware vessels recovered resources. An occasional trip was made to obtain juniper from the lower valley. San Carlos Red-on-brown is the only

Summer 200) Archaeolog.r::J Southwest rage 7 ",...., I \.' 0 \ ) I I~, oj " \- i:l ' 5 15 ~\K)J1 N Classic period decorated \ Bajada Pines, or areas farther ware found in quantity I <'" north. Many of these Swingl e's Sample Ie " ,.., that was made by groups , DUDLEYVIUE households settled DJ}TRrCT ~ with deep historical Artifact Hill within or near local roots in the region. -; settlements in the San The San Manuel Manuel district. Other ~) district was composed of groups moved into fa­ six mound villages and vorable bajada settings associated settlements H 0 Leaverton Mesa / north of Big Bell, and 'i. Camp Village Galiu/o dispersed along a 35-km Mquntains, several even traversed \ portion of the river from Big Bell , ~ Redington Pass to enter Leaverton Mesa to Sec­ the northeast Tucson ond Canyon, the south­ f ~ 111 Ranc~ Basin. Very few produc­ ernmost platform ~:.~'";.. High Mesa ers of corrugated pot­ mound in the valley. o SAN MANUEL tery settled in the Ara­ Except for Leaverton Second Canyon d'r-___I_ t____ ,_D_IS_TR_IC_T_ - 1 vaipa district. Mesa, the regular 6.5- to This early popula­ Sarita REDINGTON J Bayless Ruin 8-km spacing of mounds Cotallllo ~ -- ~ tion influx paved the ~ Davis Ranch 2 MOtfntoins roughly coincides with Reeve Ruin - \ Jose Solas Ruin \ way for long-distance inferred canal networks, migrations that began r / suggesting one mound \/v--- '~ in the late 1200s, which for each irrigation com­ is roughly contempora­ munity. Beginning in the /'" ~~ neous with the con­ early BOOs, and con­ Jl / '>, struction of platform tinuing throughout ~0{J ~ % mounds and adobe much of the century, l ./~ compounds. This sec­ platform-mound settle­ r------"------;' '-f " ond migration contin­ ~/(( ~ v ments in this district SITE TYPE ued into the BOOs, and 181 adobe room block -?,-~ y were abandoned in a o masonry compound included families who gradual retraction of o platform mound originated in the Kay­ settlement toward Ara­ (!) pueblo enclave enta and Tusayan re­ ( vaipa Creek and the gions of northeastern Gila River. Platform Key locations of the Center's test excavations. The four districts reflect different Arizona, some 480 km to patterns in the archaeological remains. mounds suggest strong the north. They traveled Hohokam connections, and the ample quantities of San along a well-established migration route that extended Carlos Red-on-brown and red wares indicate contact with south from the Four Corners area through Point of Pines, Aravaipa-district settlements. However, the San Manuel­ the Safford Basin, and ultimately into the lower San Pedro district residents were also interacting closely with various Valley. migrant groups who were arriving in the lower valley dur­ Two San Pedro migrant enclaves, Reeve Ruin and the ing the Classic period. Davis Ranch site, excavated by the Arnerind Foundation This interaction is best demonstrated by the distribu­ in the 1950s, are located 13 km south of Second Canyon, tion of locally produced corrugated pottery. Corrugation the southernmost platform mound in the San Manuel dis­ is a technique associated with Ancestral Pueblo groups to trict. Other potential enclaves in the Cascabel district were the north and east of the valley. In the San Pedro Valley, identified by the Center. These sites extend nearly to the corrugated pottery had a brief history, largely confined to southern end of the lower San Pedro Valley. Kayenta/ the late 1100s and early 1200s. Within this narrow time Tusayan settlements can be distinguished from local and frame, the density of corrugated wares was remarkably un­ other migrant settlements by the presence of perforated even, peaking in the heart of the San Manuel district and plates (see page 12), Maverick Mountain series pottery, rapidly dropping off in the outer mound villages. Hence, kivas, and unique elements of domestic architecture that a number of corrugated pottery-producing households have their origins in northeastern Arizona. entered the lower San Pedro Valley at the beginning of the In addition to the architectural transformations dis- Classic period, possibly from the Safford Basin, Point of cussed above, the arrival of long-distance migrants coin-

Fage 8 Archaeology Southwest Volume 17, Number ') cided with several dramatic changes in artifact assemblages. location of several settlements suggests social tension and The frequency of obsidian, ideal for making razor-sharp perhaps even overt conflict. High Mesa and Leaverton projectile points, increased dramatically by 1300. Most of Mesa, in the San Manuel district, are in walled defensible this material derived from sources in or near the Safford locations. These two settlements anchor the district flanks Basin along the migration route from the north. The Kay­ on the eastern side of the river, protecting the less-defen­ enta/Tusayan migrants sible central mound appear to have had ~ settlements from £[ much greater access to both the migrants in obsidian than local the Cascabel dis­ groups and may have trict and local controlled obsidian dis­ groups in the Ara­ tribution within the vaipa district. The valley. Live macaws Reeve Ruin enclave from Central America is in a similar may also have been en­ walled defensible tering the valley with position. These for­ migrant groups and tified settlements traded to local settlers. suggest that the Finally, decorated ce­ vanous groups were ramics increased dra­ at least suspicious of matically in lower San each other, if not Pedro assemblages at openly hostile at this time, including times. However, the Maverick Mountain se­ indefensible loca­ ries pottery and Roose­ tions of the Davis velt Red Ware (Salado Ranch migrant en­ polychromes), which clave, immediately are linked stylistically across the river from and technologically Reeve Ruin, and the with the Kayenta/ Second Canyon Tusayan migrants. Dur­ p latform mound, ing the first half of the presumably occu­ 1300s, Gila Poly­ pied by local chrome, the most preva­ groups, suggest that lent Roosevelt Red Ware there was little con­ type, appeared and flict. It is likely that eventually dominated migrant and local Reeve Ruin is located on the relatively flat area in the middle of the photograph. decorated ceramic as­ populations en­ Steep cliffs, deep side canyons, and construction of double walls to restrict access semblages throughout made Reeve a highly defensible settlement for its immigrant residents. gaged in both coop- the lower valley. erative and com­ Our initial hypothesis-that long-distance migrants petitive social relations during the century or so they both were producing most of the Roosevelt Red Ware vessels, inhabited the valley. both for their own use and trade with the local inhabit- Many sites in the northern Dudleyville district are as­ ants- was largely confirmed by the petrographic analysis sociated with large quantities of Tonto and Cliff of sand used as ceramic temper material. Migrant settle­ polychromes, the latest of the Roosevelt Red Ware types ments in the Cascabel district were the principal produc­ (see page 12). During the late 1300s and early 1400s, settle­ ers of Roosevelt Red Ware until the sites were abandoned ment in the valley was concentrated in this district. Many in the late 1300s. Both obsidian and Roosevelt Red Ware of the settlements south ofAravaipa Creek were abandoned vessels were exchanged by KayentalTusayan migrants with by this time. A sherd of Rio Grande Glaze Ware C recov­ local groups in substantial quantities. ered from Flieger Ruin in the Aravaipa district indicates Despite this harmonious picture of trade and co­ that this settlement may have endured past 1425, slightly residence between various migrants and local groups, the more than a century before the arrival of the Spaniards.

Summer 2003 Archaeolog.t:J Southwest rage 9 Limited evidence and cent river valleys for trade analogies drawn from com­ and marriage partners. parable late settlements in By 1450, even the last southeastern Arizona, Classic period occupa­ southwestern New Mexico, tions in the north were ter­ and in the Phoenix Basin minated. No archaeologi­ suggest that these late sites cal sites have been found were occupied by groups that date to the next 200 who were descended from years, suggesting that very both local and migrant few people were living in populations. the valley until the arrival After several genera­ of the Sobaipuri, the in­ Rectangular kiva at the Davis Ranch site, excavated in 1956 by Rex tions of close interaction Gerald of the Amerind Foundation. habitants of the region and intermarriage, an en­ when the Spaniards first tirely new social identity may have emerged, with connec­ settled in southern Arizona in the late 1600s. Sobaipuri tions to both the developing Puebloan world and the de­ sites and artifacts are dramatically different from those as­ clining Hohokam world. The inhabitants of these sites sociated with the Classic period inhabitants, and it is diffi­ also made Roosevelt Red Ware vessels and had access to cult to infer that the two populations are related (see page obsidian from a distant source near Flagstaff, attesting to 14) . Understanding how such a lush region could have continued ties with northern Arizona. As the population been unoccupied for so long requires us to look outside declined, the inhabitants of these final settlements may the San Pedro Valley to adjacent valleys of the southern have increased their contacts with the occupants of adja- Southwest and beyond.

Sands of the San f edro Valle~ DUDLEYVILLE DISTRICT Elizabeth j. Miksa, Desert Archaeolog!J' Inc. Jeffer!J j. Clark, Center for Desert Archaeolog!J

E.. TROF ACiE..5 ARE.. ZONE..5 OF 5 IMILAR-LOOKING 5ANDS A valley such Fas the San Pedro Valley has a diverse collection of sands, because the bedrock varies from place to place in the surrounding mountains. Each stream in the valley carries sand from the mountain bedrock above it. As the bedrock changes, so does the sand in the washes. For example, the sand near San Manuel includes altered minerals from the copper porphyry, and sand from the Galiuro Mountains has distinctive volcanic grains in it. The two sands considered in this example allow us to distinguish between the western (San Manuel) and eastern (Galiuro) sides of the San Pedro Valley. How­ :.: sand samples ever, we want to be able to identify much smaller areas wherever possible. Our goal ~ unsampled is to characterize the entire valley. To do this, we collected and analyzed 265 sand samples from washes that enter the San Pedro Valley and Upper Aravaipa Creek. The map displays the 38 petrofacies that we can currently distinguish. Sands can link a potsherd recovered from an archaeological site to the location where a prehistoric potter manufactured a vessel. Much of the pottery that was produced in the San Pedro Valley is a mixture of clay and sand. Adding sand to clay UN'2:E!?S.:!:A:!:.E~-'~)._._ made it easier for prehistoric potters to fire their vessels and to subsequently use MEXICO (SON) them for cooking. Ethnographers studying potters around the world have found that most pot­ Miles o...... 10 ters collect sand from within 1 km of their workshop. Therefore, we assume that the t N 0 20 type of sand in a vessel indicates its location of manufacture. By comparing the sand -==- in San Pedro pottery with our petrofacies map, we have a pretty good idea of where Petrofacies map of the San Pedro valley.

rage 10 Archaeolog.:J Southwest Volume 17, Number:, pottery was produced in the valley, as well as where it was The initial results of our study of more than 750 Roosevelt traded. Red Ware sherds are discussed below. We have analyzed over 2,000 sherds to determine Sergio Castro-Reino and Carlos Lavayen helped pro­ where the pots from which they came were manufactured. cess and point count many of the samples.

HE.SE. THRE.E. MArS of the lower San Pedro portion of the petrofacies map illustrate how petrographic data can be T used to understand pottery production and distribution. By matching sands collected from petrofacies with the sand temper in pottery recovered from our excavations, we have established that Roosevelt Red Ware was produced in three major source areas. In each map, one of these source areas is highlighted, and the percentage of sherds with sands from that source is shown where they were recovered. These analyses are still preliminary, and we hope to be able to get finer resolution for source areas Band C. Source A is a single large petrofacies on the western side of the river in the Cascabel district. The only large settlement in Source A is the migrant community at Reeve Ruin. Most of the Roosevelt Red Ware produced on the western side of the river was traded to settlements directly across the river. Source B is more complicated, because two petrofacies are similar enough that they must be considered a single produc­ tion area from a geological perspective. However, distribution patterns in these maps allow an archaeological perspective to be considered as well. Over 10 times as many sherds were recovered from the southern petrofacies than from the northern petrofacies, which strongly suggests that production occurred in the former area. There also appears to have been some trade with platform-mound settlements in the Aravaipa district. Source C is more complex still. Three adjacent petrofacies in the northern portion of the valley are also similar geologi­ cally. Here, the recovery evidence is even more compelling, indicating the northernmost of the three petrofacies was probably the production area. Within this northern petrofacies, two large late Classic period settlements are the likely producers of pottery from Source C. Trade across the river with platform-mound settlements in the Dudleyville and Aravaipa districts is indicated, along with limited exchange with migrant settlements in the Cascabel district. We are continuing to refine our petrographic analysis, and there is still much more to do to integrate it with the geological and archaeological data. Nevertheless, this study has given us the ability to more closely examine local trading patterns, which in turn has led to a better understanding of the San Pedro Valley's occupants.

Distribution of Roosevelt Red Ware from Three Major Sources of Production

DUDLEYVILLE DUDLEYVILLE DUDLEYVILLE DISTRICT DISTRICT DISTRICT

ARAVAIPA ARAVAIPA DISTRICT DISTRICT

SAN MANUEL DISTRICT

SOURCE OF PRODUCTION DIRECTION OF TRADE AMOUNT TRADED OR RETAINED

D 2-10% D 11-30% >30%

Summer 200) Archaeolog~ Southwest rage II ~------~~ '"o ;0'" '"3 rn FerForated Flates C1l '< fatrick D. L.ljons, Center for Desert Archaeologj

HE ENIGMATIC OE:>JECT5 known as perforated aided in the evapora­ T plates have interested archaeologists since the early tion ofwater from pots 1900s, when Jesse Walter Fewkes and others encountered being formed on them. them at cliff dwellings in Navajo National Monument, Some researchers be­ Perforated plate fragment from Jose Solas Protohistoric villages on the Hopi Mesas, and Classic pe­ lieve the holes held fi- Ruin in the Cascabel district. riod platform-mound sites in the Phoenix Basin. bers that were draped Contextual clues and use wear suggest that perforated over unfired pots to mark off areas to be painted. A few plates were used as base-molds in pottery making, or as archaeologists have suggested that the plates were used in potter's turntables. Unfired, tempered clay has been found rituals, and that the holes held flowers or prayer feathers. adhering to the interior surfaces of some whole specimens. Regardless of their function, these objects, when found A few exhibit traces of pottery pigments in the form of south of the Hopi Mesas, are markers of ancient migra­ incidental smudges and fingerprints. In addition, their tions from northern Arizona. Perforated plates have been exterior surfaces often display abrasions and striations, sug­ found in sites dating between A.D. 1250 and 1450, in ev­ gesting that they were rotated on a regular basis. Perfo­ ery major river valley in the American Southwest and the rated plates have been recovered from "potters' burials" Mexican Northwest, from the San Juan Basin to Casas alongside the remains of women interred with pottery­ Grandes, Chihuahua, and from Phoenix to the CliffValley polishing stones, shaped-sherd pottery scrapers, raw clay, in New Mexico. Many sites that have yielded perforated and pigments. plates are known to be places where Roosevelt Red Ware Various hypotheses have been suggested regarding the pottery was manufactured. Nearly all perforated plates re­ function of the holes in perforated plates. The holes may covered from the Center's test excavations were found at have made the plates easier for potters to grip, or may have sites in the Cascabel district.

Clitt Fol,Ychrome fatrick D. L!}ons, Center for Desert Archaeolog!}

N THE LOWER SAN fEDRO VALLEY, recurved (flared-rim) Roosevelt Red Ware bowls likely appeared after A.D. I1350, and became more frequent as fewer incurved bowls and hemispherical bowls were produced. In a study of ceramics from Ormand Village, in New Mexico, Francis Harlow referred to Roosevelt Red Ware bowls with recurved rims as Cliff Polychrome. Gila Polychrome bowls characteristically display a wide painted band ("banding line") just below and parallel to the inside of the rim. Emil Haury noted that on nearly all recurved bowls, the banding line was painted well below the rim, near the point where the vessel is constricted, and that painted designs were most often applied in the zone ~ between the rim and '"~ the banding line. Dis- ;0 3 tinguishing between ~ "standard" Gila Poly- chrome and Cliff Poly­ chrome bowls allows fine-scale sorting oflate Classic period sites in the San Pedro Valley. This procedure is po­ tentially applicable across the American Gila Polychrome rimsherd (left) and partial vessel of Cliff Polychrome (right). Note that the solid black "banding Southwest and Mexi- line" on Gila Polychrome occurs at the rim, whereas it is much lower on Cliff Polycht·ome. Recognizing Cliff can Northwest. Polychrome helps to identify the latest Classic period occupations in the San Pedm Valley.

f age 12 Archaeolog~ Southwest Volume 17, Number ') In Search ot the Coronado Trail Linda j. fierce, Center for Desert Archaeolog!J Don J5urgess, Volunteer, Center for Desert Archaeolog!J

HE CORONADO NATIONAL MEMORIAL As can be seen in the accompanying illustrations, arti- T located on the United States-Mexico border along facts that are most diagnostic of the Coronado expedition the western edge of the San Pedro River Valley, commemo- are fairly mundane. However, they should not be judged rates the first major European exploration of the South- by their unprepossessing nature. If researchers can learn west by Spanish explorer Francisco Vazquez de Coronado of the existence of enough of these artifacts and plot their in 1540. Although there is no evidence that § ....------,f;? original find locations on Coronado crossed what is now the inter- ~ ~ a map, they will be able to national border in exactly that spot, most 8 .;r determine the specific historians and archaeologists believe that ~ f route of the expedition a prehistoric trade trail somewhere in the ~ ~ into the United States. San Pedro Valley was, in all probability, the ~ ~i" This, in turn, will make route followed by this expedition as it trav- ~ the historical documen- eled north out of Mexico to the Pueblo of g tary information from this Zuni and beyond to the plains of Kansas ~ period more understand- in search of the Seven Cities of Gold able, and shed light on a (Cibola). critical yet very inad­ For more than 100 years, archaeolo­ Top: Copper crossbow boltheads (dart points). equately understood time Coronado's was the only expedition to carry crossbows gists and historians have been trying to de­ in American history. into this part of the Southwest; later Spanish explorers termine Coronado's exact route. At least 11 carried firearms. Bottom: Caret-head nail. Hundreds In early 2004, the Cen­ documented trips were made over all or ofthese distinctive nails were found at the Jimmy Owens ter for DesertArchaeology portions of this trail in the mid-1500s. Al­ site in Texas, a Coronado campsite. Seemingly short­ will launch a concerted ef- though the Spanish written documents de­ lived in popularity, they were no longer in use by the end fort to educate the public scribing these trips are important sources of the sixteenth century. about Coronado and arti- of information on the native inhabitants ~ facts specific to his expe­ and natural environment encountered, ~. dition. This public out­ they are often unclear and open to differ­ it reach campaign will cul­ ;:+ ing interpretations. ~ minate in the spring of :::J The Coronado expedition was sub­ :::J 2004, with a series of stantial, numbering as many as 350 Span­ Coronado Roadshows in iards and more than 1,000 Mexican Indi­ small communities ans, along with thousands of horses, mules, throughout southeastern cattle, and sheep. Surely a group of this and central Arizona and size lost and discarded numerous personal southwestern and central items and artifacts along the trail. Recent New Mexico. Members of research by historians Richard Flint and Shirley Cushing the public will be encouraged to bring possible Coronado­ Flint and others is providing new information that may era and other early Spanish artifacts to these lecture and hold the key to finally determining the actual Coronado open-house events, where archaeologists and historians trail. They have concluded that there are at least seven types will be available to study artifacts and to tell people more of artifacts specific to the Coronado expedition: about their items. • copper crossbow boltheads; Readers who know of the existence of items found in • crossbow parts and accessories; southern Arizona or New Mexico that are similar to those • short copper or brass aglets (lace tips); illustrated here are encouraged to contact the Center. An • Nueva Cadiz glass beads; unimpressive hunk of metal, collected by someone's grand­ • sheet-brass Clarksdale bells; father 100 years ago, may hold the key to this long standing • obsidian-edged swords and lances; and question, and provide another chapter in the San Pedro's • caret-head nails (horseshoe nails). long history.

Summer 200) Archaeolog~ Southwest rage I) Charles Di f eso and the Origins of Sobaipuri fima Research James M. Vint, Center {or Desert Archaeolog!:J

HE. ARCHAE.OLOGICAL A ND HISTORICAL T "GAF" between AD. 1450, the end of the Classic period, and the 1690s, when the Spaniards began to oc­ cupy the San Pedro area, is known as the Protohistoric period. Until Charles Di Peso of the Amerind Foundation began his study of the Sobaipuri Pima in the San Pedro area, the Protohistoric period was an interval oflittle inter­ est to archaeologists and historians. Protohistoric archaeo­ logical materials are sparse at best, and there are only a few sporadic Spanish records relevant to the northern frontier of New Spain during that era. Sobaipuri houses were simple structures of bent-pole frames covered Di Peso intended to find Sobaipuri Pima sites that with brush. This excavated house illustrates the typical oval alignment of cobbles that can be detected by archaeologists in careful surface were described by Padre Eusebio Kino and his military inspections. escort Juan Mateo Manie in the 1690s, and then work back­ ward in time from Spanish records, and forward in time Di Peso hypothesized that indigenous populations in from 1450 using archaeological evidence. the region were descended from a group he called the Di Peso's research focused on three sites: Qufburi (also 0' otam, who inhabited the region prehistorically. In an the location of the Presidio of Terrenate), Gaybanipitea, effort to establish a continuum from prehistory to history, and a site he thought was Baicatcan. He began his work at he investigated a site he believed was Baicatcan. Di Peso what he believed was Qufburi, first visited by Kino and argued that plain ware pottery in association with Gila Manie in 1696. Kino described the village as having more Polychrome was similar, if not identical to, Sobaipuri pot­ than 500 people and a fortified enclosure for defense against tery called Whetstone Plain, and that it indicated a bridge the hostile Apaches and Jocomes. This was probably the between prehistory and history. This site, also known as largest Sobaipuri village in the San Pedro River valley in the Jose Solas Ruin, is now known to be a late Classic site the 1690s. This site was also the location of the short-lived with no Protohistoric connection. Spanish Presidio of Terrenate, built and occupied from The site identified by Di Peso as Gaybanipitea is clearly about 1775 to 1780 (see pages 15-16). a single-component Sobaipuri site, and the work con­ Although the site investigated by Di Peso was unques­ ducted there established the definitions of Sobaipuri ma­ tionably the Presidio ofTerrenate, it was probably not the terial culture and architecture still largely used today. This location of Qufburi. A compound within the limits of the site, visited by Kino and Manie in 1697, is located several presidio interpreted by Di Peso to be of Sobaipuri con­ kilometers south ofTerrenate. In March 1698, Gaybanipitea struction is now known to be the initial settlement of the was attacked and destroyed by a group of several hundred Spaniards while the presidio walls were under construc­ Apaches, Jocomes, Sumas, and Mansos. Even though this tion. site is undoubtedly Sobaipuri, and matches the descrip­ Although there were Piman guides in residence at Ter­ tion of the village visited by Kino and Manie, some archae­ renate, there is no archaeological evidence that this was ologists question its identification as Gaybanipitea. The the Qufburi visited by Kino. Recent research has suggested site investigated by Di Peso may actually be Pitaitutgam, a that the site visited by Kino is somewhat north ofTerrenate. village mentioned only briefly in Spanish records but The village may have shifted from one location to another shown on Kino's 1696-1697 map in approximately the along a several-kilometer stretch of the San Pedro north of same location. Terrenate. Furthermore, the Sobaipuri population was scat­ Regardless of whether Di Peso correctly identified the tered among several rancherfas in the area rather than con­ location ofQufburi or Gaybanipitea, he is certainly respon­ centrated in one large village. The massive remains ofTer­ sible for engendering interest in a time period and people renate could have obscured any earlier Sobaipuri settle­ previously ignored by archaeologists and historians. Since ment, but the artifact assemblage collected by Di Peso does the late 1980s, inspired by Di Peso's efforts, archaeologists not show much evidence of such a settlement. continue to increase our understanding ofSobaipuri sites.

Fage 1+ Archaeolog~ Southwest Volume 17, Number 7 The Life and Times of Santa Cruz de T errenate j. Homer Thiel, Desert Archaeolog.!:J) Inc. James M. Vint) Center for Desert Archaeolog.!:J ;;i~~~o,~ ~~c;;;r~t{~i~~ )~:~::~5~~~ ' .-HE.. S HORT AND VIOLE..NT HISTORY of the Agustm 0 \ '- .'- ; __ :;': ; ~ :C.M.U? ;. . ; ,:\ .J \ including · .... . J Presidio ofTerrenate began in August 1775, when ~: \ ,"; ·::·::··;:~}a(~ .i . ~~I~:I~~;", an Irishman named Hugo O'Conor, who was serving in Sad;tB~e: ' "'~" J/)~~/ .; the Spanish military, selected a location on a terrace above ~ \ f ''/ 0.. DRAGOON: the San Pedro River for a new military fortress. The Span­ ;:;::: ~enson.\ .// Mfs /~... iards were reorganizing their network of presidios, re­ ~: S~~~RITA L ... , j/- "j / - '1~/h:' building some and relocating others, in order to ::'l \ . g , ':'~:.: .. ~; ' /' Sa~etrna:nruatZed~ ~; •.:.· ...., - ,, '~':> ' WH ETSTONE"':T ". , '- .::; .;... ;...... MTS .,. ::. .I'f - ~ ~ - /' . strengthen the northern frontier of Sonora, which was .:.>."_// \, .. ,------..../ facing attacks by Native Americans, as well as possible .:. .. SUlbun 0 ' - . Gaybanlpltea ~ • encroachment by other European powers. Tombstone Terrenate was one of three presidios relocated along ~ .r ( the northern frontier, filling the gap between the new presidios at Fronteras and Tucson. Although its location along a flowing river may have seemed ideal, O'Conor had selected a site that was very isolated, difficult to sup­ ply, and constantly threatened by the Apaches. Soldiers stationed at Las Nutrias probably arrived at the new presidio in early 1776. Initially, 46 soldiers, 10 Opata Indian scouts, and the soldiers' family members :~/~'.;":.' . .. ' ....: "';;.\ .::', LasNutnas rJ}1 ;;"~:::/:· lived at the fort. Later, additional troops were sent to the ~',,\ ( ~ '> ' ~ , \'~ ~ i;} presidio, and the population may have peaked at 300. "tJ '\ The men quickly built temporary structures in the plaza ~ L .. ". ~.::-:. \~:;\F~;~ ~; - ~::.>:: ;- ',,:.,' ' .. /' (~'->~~ ::~~t:k of the area planned for the fort. They then began work on KEY more permanent structures, including an enclosing adobe Presidio wall with a rock foundation, a bastion at the southwestern Miles 0 10 20 J fOl1ified settlement corner of the fort, a commander's house, and a chapel. ~ Mission 0 Kilometers Construction was slow, because many of the men spent u!. VlSita 0 Piman or Sobaipuri village 0 20 40 time guarding supply trains and horse and cattle herds. By 1780, financial problems in the colony made buy­ Locations for the presidios at Tucson and Terrenate were selected in August ing basic necessities such as clothing, food, horses, and 1775, as part of a plan to strengthen the northern frontier of New Spain weapons difficult. Many of the soldiers lacked firearms and to provide greater protection from Apache raids. Sobaipuri village names on this map are from the 1690s, when Jesuit missionary Padre and instead used lances when fighting the Apaches, who Eusebio Kino made many visits to the area. viewed the arrival of the soldiers as an encroachment upon their lands. Over a four-year period, the Apaches attacked ings Survey in November 1937. The seemingly stable con­ repeatedly, killing two of the fort's commanders in the pro­ dition belies the effects of time, visitors, and archaeologists cess. The constant raids and attacks on supply trains re­ on this important site. The Presidio ofTerrenate has been sulted in large casualties among the Spanish population. known to residents of the San Pedro River valley since it The morale of the soldiers plummeted, and it is likely that was built. The Sobaipuri Pima and Apaches who lived in they were all pleased to see the fort abandoned in 1780, the region were, of course, knowledgeable about the when the soldiers moved back to Las Nutrias. presidio- the Apaches to a disastrous degree. Following Looking at the Presidio ofTerrenate today, one has the the Spanish abandonment of the Presidio in 1780, it fell impression ofa site overgrown by mesquite and other desert into disuse and decay, but may well have served as a tem­ shrubs, with a trail passing over buried archaeological fea­ porary camp for native peoples who still occupied the area, tures and winding among stabilized adobe walls and and later settlers and travelers. rooms. Its current appearance is even more overgrown than Some indication of the Presidio's fate during the late in a photograph taken by the Historic American Build- nineteenth century comes from Charlie Montejo, who was

5ummer 2003 Archaeolog,:t 50uthwest Fage 15 born in Contention City, Arizona, in 1884. Charles Di Peso, The site was vandalized several times while Di Peso of the Amerind Foundation, interviewed Montejo in was working there. However, disturbance to the site can­ Tombstone in early 1951. As a child he remembered much not be attributed only to looters and vandals: archaeology, of the presidio still standing, some rooms with intact roofs. too, is an inherently destructive process, albeit one that is His father, Ignacio controlled, carefully monitored, Montejo, who ~ and documented. When Di moved to the area 1[ Peso first began work at Ter­ III about 1853 renate, he had the site area when he was 17 bladed to remove remaining or 18 years old, vegetation and some amount of had remembered overburden. Today's field meth­ that the Presidio ods might be more thorough, was abandoned, including careful mapping and but had been filled controlled surface collection with "prisoners of prior to excavation, but the end Mexico." result is the same: the site is re­ While Di Peso moved from the soil and pre­ was excavating served in field notes, maps, Terrenate in 1950 photographs, and collected and 1951, a num­ material remains. This form of ber oflocals visited "preservation" is only as good the site, which al­ as the methods used to excavate lowed Di Peso to and record the site. learn more about Unfortunately, vandals con­ the region's his­ tinue to search for buried trea­ tory. A Southern sure at Terrenate even though it Pacific Railroad is on federally protected lands, (SPRR) foreman perhaps because it has been ad­ told Di Peso that vertised in several books and there was a quarry metal-detecting magazines. near Terrenate un­ til about 1940, which stored pow­ der and other ma­ terial on the site. Santa Cruz de Terrenate (above) is accessible by a walking The foreman also trail from a parking area that is about 1 km from the site. mentioned that a Di Peso's excavations (right) focused on the temporary struc­ tures that housed soldiers and their families during con ­ Phelps-Dodge struction of permanent quarters. The outer wall was com­ sawmill foreman pleted, but only a portion of the permanent quarters was found a coin at Ter­ finished prior to abandonment of this location. The chapel renate that was walls appear in both photographs. dated either 1665 or 1669, and that a woman had found a medallion on the Treasure hunters are bound to be disappointed, site. Clarence Darnell, another SPRR employee, told Di though, for no one has ever found buried treasure at any Peso that he had dug up two "skeletons" in a room that Spanish mission or presidio site in the United States. They were buried in a sitting position (a form of burial associ­ will be even more disappointed if they are caught and pros­ ated with the Sobaipuri Pima tradition). He also com­ ecuted. Two hundred years of neglect have at least been mented that other SPRR workers had "dug for skulls" on offset by Bureau of Land Management oversight, and on­ the site. Darnell told Di Peso that he had heard Mexicans going archaeological and historical research continues to were living at the Terrenate ruins in 1890. Artifacts report­ reveal new insights into life at the Presidio. Even so, wise edly taken from the site by collectors include a dagger, a and attentive stewardship is necessary to maintain the in­ gold cross, and an "idol." tegrity and research potential of this important site.

rage 16 Archaeolog~ Southwest Volume 17, Number) Ficturing the Fast: Images, Histor~, and Flace in the San F edro Valle~ Chip Colwell-Chanthaphonh; ~ Center for Desert Archaeolog!) ~

DRIEL HEISEY'S f' HOTO­ A GRAf'HS, like few others of the Southwestern landscape, seamlessly fuse the objects of history, culture, and nature's dazzling beauty. While these images spark our imagination, they are also a way to talk about history and the way each observer sees the environment through his or her personal and cul­ turallens. In a series of public meetings and private interviews, four individu­ als were asked about how they perceive and experience the places shown in Heisey's photographs of the San Pedro Valley.

Daniel Preston is the former vice chair­ man of the San Xavier District of the Tohono Q'odham Nation and currently works as a cultural resources consultant. The first time I saw Adriel's pho­ tos, I thought that this is what an eagle must see from above. These images rep­ resent and give me the feeling of the time of our ancestors. Our traditional lands go east to New Mexico, north to Flagstaff, west to the Pacific, and south down in Mexico. The Hoo-hoogam, our ancestors, left their spirit in these lands. These are all of the buildings you see, and the elders pass on stories about them. But now for a very long time we've been put on "reservations" and kept away from these places. The Tohono O'odham own three million The platform-mound village of High Mesa is located above towering cliffs and overlooks the acres, but imagine all that we once had. broad San Pedro R iver floodplain. Vandals have damaged the platform mound (mid-fore­ We have creation stories that say we ground), but the site is generally in good condition. are not above other things, but we are equal to them. Think of water. People move to a new area me how best to take care of it. I say that each of us has that because of resources-beauty and water. In the desert, if responsibility- to take care of the place where we live. you do not have enough water, you will die of thirst. But in Those who once lived here, their spirits remain. I appreci­ the monsoons, if you have too much water, then you will ate people being aware of how their actions affect other drown. What we need then, is balance. people. It's good to see some areas left that are jewels, for Our traditional lands are where you live, and where people do not know what they have until it is gone. And we no longer are. People now living on this land often ask once it is gone you can't bring it back.

Summer 200) Archaeolog~ Southwest Fage 17 William H. Doelle has been a practicing archaeologist for more In the picture of Reeve Ruin (see page 9), which the than three decades. He is president of the Center for Desert Amerind Foundation excavated in the 1950s, you can see Archaeology. the site perched high off the river bottom, and surround­ I am a scientist by nature and an archaeologist by pro­ ing the site is a thick defensive wall. The artifacts excavated fession, so I cannot help but see how these images convey here tell us that the people who built this ancient village time and history. About 12,000 years ago humans were migrated from northern Arizona 800 years ago. You won­ making a living in the San Pedro Valley by hunting big der what it would be like to pick up your entire life, trek across the desert, and settle in an entirely -t Q. new place. Their home high up off the ~ I river gives us just a glimpse of their lives. ro 00' You often think of archaeologists ~ down on their knees, using a trowel to pry away the earth from a fragment of pottery or stone. But these photographs show that although we often do this, we also need to step away and gaze at the larger landscape. And I am truly impressed by how orderly and structured is the human impact. With Heisey's images you can pick out all the things, and see how large, yet how con­ nected it all is.

Andrew Smallhouse is a fifth-generation rancher and farmer on the San Pedro River. His family has worked closely with archae­ ologists for decades. This is where I live. My great-grand­ parents first came to the area in 1884. They came for the same reason many Native American people came: climate, water, and the natural resources. The ecology and landscape has changed a great deal. See­ ing these images is difficult, because we care so much about the land; we live and depend on it. We work the land every day, as Native Americans used to work the land. We're growing some of the crops that were grown by Native Americans. Lots of these ruins are on private land, and we're losing private property more and more. We believe in preserving all these sites. Archaeologists probably come across many people who don't want others to come on their property, and it's A large ballcourt (center foreground) and a small court (obscured by vegetation) mark this extensive pre-Classic village. The site has been protected by many generations ofthe Smallhouse probably because of these issues of losing and Ronquillo families. land. I'm fascinated with the history ofNa­ game- killing mammoths and bison. Much later, some tive Americans because it tells about how to manage the 4,000 years before the present, corn, beans, and squash were land, and what's changed over the years. Even in history introduced from Mexico. Although this happened a long 800 years ago we hear about people fighting for the land, time ago, these lives laid the foundation for future cul­ as people are fighting now. The San Pedro was a special tures. place; otherwise, why else would they fight?

Fage 18 Archaeolog~ Southwest Volume 17, Number::, Adriel Heisey has been flying an ultralight aircraft since 1990. all ofit. You can see the things that are well thought through His award-winning photographs have been shown across the and things that are just raw scratches for gain of whatever United States. sort could be had. Even just a few feet off the ground the world is seen in I think the yearnings and strivings of mankind are a different way. The magic of these photos comes from something that has to be reckoned with. Humans are very escaping specificity. They make you look in new direc­ sincere, but they are often very desperate in a desert. Liv­ tions- IOO or 200 feet up, you cannot see the landscape as ing here, I cannot distance myself from them. So then it you usually do. I spend much time trying to find the photo, becomes very fascinating as to how other people addressed to take a cupfull of time and freeze it in an image. When those same problems, although they had different perspec­ I'm up there it's very tense because my life is on the line. tives of the world and resources than we do today. And the These photos, I bring them back because they allow for fact that what they have left behind continues to exist with­ contemplation. in our midst is a very powerful idea that I can't get away I am deeply troubled when I fly because there are no from. I feel that these "leavings" really are among us as we secrets, no concealments in the air. Everything and any­ go about our daily lives even though they are not recog­ thing that we aspired to do is nakedly scrawled on the nized to a large extent. So, in one word, my aim is- aware­ landscape. Flying over the land, you are confronted with ness.

Mignon Elliott) 1923-2003

HE.N I FI~5T ME.T MIGNON eLLIOTT, she was already using a walker to get around. It was a fairly high-tech Wwalker, with wheels and hand brakes. The combination of this technology, the loving care of her husband Harold, and her own strong spirit meant that Mignon was in no way handicapped. The Center is a young institution, so we must invest extra energy to show potential donors that we are worthy of their trust. As we worked through the details of the conservation easement that the Elliotts donated to the Center, I had many opportuni­ ties to get to know Mignon. One day, Center archaeologist Patrick Lyons and I carried the entire excavated collection from the Elliott site out to Cascabel to allow Mignon to see what was found and to discuss its significance. Mignon could have chosen not to sign a deed of gift allowing the collection to go to the Arizona State Museum. Except for "funerary objects" associated with human burials, Arizona law stipulates that artifacts belong to a landowner. Instead, Mignon listened to our words and decided that she would retain one plain, one corrugated, and one Gila Polychrome sherd. Those three sherds made the story of the past tangible to her. For the many years that Mignon and Harold had protected the sites on their property, that seemed a remarkably fitting and generous choice. Mignon Elliott, we will miss you. Harold Elliott, we have some understanding of your loss. William H. Doelle Center for Desert Archaeology

See the Center ~or Desert Archaeolog!J website ~or more in~ormation:

HE. CE.NTE.R FOR DE.SE.RT ARCHAE.OLOGY, a private, nonprofit organization, promotes stewardship of archaeologi­ T cal and historical resources through active research, preservation, and public outreach. The Center is a 501(c)(3) organization and is supported through donations, memberships, and grants from individuals, foundations, and corporations. Center members receive an annual subscription to Archaeology Southwest, substantial discounts on other Center publications, opportunities to partici­ pate in archaeological projects, and invitations to special lectures and events. For more information or to join, contact Linda Pierce, Programs Manager, at 520.882.6946 or [email protected]. Board of Directors: William H. Doelle, Ph.D. (President & CEO), Benjamin W Smith (Vice President), Diana L. Hadley (Trea­ surer), and Gary A. Hansen (Secretary). Administrative Staff: Linda J. Pierce (Programs Manager), Sally A. Thomas (Office Manager), and Tobi Taylor (Content Editor, Archaeology Southwest). Preservation Archaeologists: Jeffery J. Clark, Ph.D.; Jacquie M. Dale, M.A.; Douglas W Gann, M.A.; Brett Hill, Ph.D.; Patrick D. Lyons, Ph.D.; and Paul F. Reed, M.A. Preservation Fellows: Chip Colwell­ Chanthaphonh, M.A., Anna A. Neuzil, M.A., and James M. Vint, M.A. Archaeology Southwest (ISSN 1523-0546) is published quarterly by the Center for Desert Archaeology. Copyright 2003 by the Center for Desert Archaeology. All rights reserved; no part of this issue may be reproduced by any means without written permission of the publisher. Subscription inquiries: 520.882.6946.

Summer 2003 Archaeolog!J Southwest rage 19 ~ ~ 5ack5ight special part of the val- ley, Daniel asked if he "SE.NSE. OF FLACE." is could say a prayer. He A a deeply felt relationship be­ lit a piece of wild sage tween people and their natural or built collected from north­ environment. Our San Pedro Project ern Arizona and of­ has helped me realize how archaeolo­ fered a prayer to the four gists develop a special archaeological directions. We turned sense of place for their research area. with him to face each Relationships with people playa direction. The prayer central role in building that archaeologi­ was in 0' odham, so the cal sense of place. Gaining permission individual words did to access private property requires build­ not convey their mean­ ing trust. Both surveys and excavations ing to me. Instead, I had create close relationships with large to create my own mean­ numbers of volunteers. Even analysis ing, drawing from the and publication depend on team efforts. setting, the sounds of All of these steps require time to com­ 0' odham, the smell of plete, and relationships grow with time. the sage, and my In the San Pedro Valley I feel fortu­ friendship with Daniel. nate to have played an additional role. I It was a special experi­ San Pedro essence- saguaro, cottonwood, perennial water. have introduced many people to the ar­ ence that still resonates chaeology of the area through dozens of day trips. I learn today. Daniel gave me the remnant of the sage that he something new from each visit- from the people with me burned, and it sits in a small shrine on my computer as I and from gaining one more chance to walk over sites and type this. It still retains some of its pungent smell and their surroundings. I emphasize at the outset of each tour stimulates my memory of the prayer ceremony. that it will take the entire day to start to get the feel of the Helping others connect with the rich and diverse land­ valley and its history. scapes of the Southwest is a critical part of the mission of One very special visit to the valley involved Daniel the Center, and Archaeology Southwest is the primary ve­ Preston and his partner Renee Red Dog. Daniel grew up hicle for doing this. We seek out authors who have built at San Xavier on the Tohono 0' odham Reservation. He deep connections with the places they write about. We was involved with archaeology and archaeologists for many hope that their passion for the places they know so well years through his role as vice chairman of the San Xavier shines through and inspires others to deepen their con­ District. Daniel had never visited the San Pedro Valley, nections to their surroundings. The San Pedro Valley has other than passing touched me and all Center staff and members who have back sight (bAk sit) n. 1. a through on the highway. worked there. So this issue is special to all of us. reading used by surveyors to Near the end of our check the accuracy of their work. day, by the Davis Ranch 2. an opportunity to reflect on site in what I find to be and evaluate the Center for William H. Doelle, President & CEO Desert Archaeology's mission. the most peaceful and Centerfor Desert Archaeology

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