THE ARCHAIC OCCUPATION OF THE ROSEMONT AREA, NORTHERN SANTA RITA MOUNTAINS, SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA by Bruce B. Huckell K with contributions by Lisa W. Huckell Robert S. Thompson Cultural Resource Management Division Arizona State Museum University of Arizona Archaeological Series No. 147, Vol. I THE ARCHAIC OCCUPATION OF THE ROSEMONT AREA, NORTHERN SANTA RITA MOUNTAINS, SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA by Bruce B. Huckell Contributions by Lisa W. Huckell Robert S. Thompson Submitted by Cultural Resource Management Division Arizona State Museum University of Arizona Prepared for ANAMAX Mining Company 1984 Archaeological Series No. 147, Vol. I CONTENTS FIGURES vii TABLES PREFACE xiii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xvi ABSTRACT xviii Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION 1 The Archaic Period 2 Previous Research 5 2. THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE ROSEMONT AREA AND SURROUNDING REGIONS 11 General Geography 11 Geology 13 Climate 17 Vegetation 19 Fauna 28 The Paleoenvironment 29 Recent Changes in the Local Biotic Communities 30 Long-Term Changes in the Environment 32 3. A FRAMEWORK FOR RESEARCH AT THE ROSEMONT ARCHAIC SITES 35 Hunter-Gatherer Organization 35 Research Domains 38 Problem Domain I: Subsistence-Settlement Systems 38 Problem Domain II: Cultural and Temporal Affinities 40 Site Selection 41 4. INVESTIGATIONS AT AND DESCRIPTIONS OF THE SITES 43 Field Methods 43 Results of Excavations: Site Descriptions 46 AZ EE:2:62--The Wasp Canyon Site 48 Investigation 50 Features 52 Structures 52 Rock Clusters 56 Artifacts 58 iii iv Contents AZ EE:2:65 59 Investigation 59 Artifacts 61 AZ EE:2:81 61 Investigation 62 Artifacts 62 AZ EE:2:82--The South Canyon Site 62 Investigation 64 Features 65 Artifacts 66 AZ EE:2:86 67 Investigation 67 Features 69 Artifact and Rock Concentration 69 Rock Clusters 69 Artifacts 71 AZ EE:2:87 72 Investigation 74 Features 74 Artifacts 75 AZ EE:2:102--The McCleary Canyon Site 76 Investigation 78 Features 78 Artifacts 79 AZ EE:2:103--The Split Ridge Site 80 Investigation 81 Features 83 Structure 83 Rock-Filled Pits 86 Pits 86 Rock Clusters 87 Artifacts 88 AZ EE:2:104 88 Investigation 89 Artifacts 90 AZ EE:2:128 90 Investigation 91 Artifacts 92 5. ARTIFACT ASSEMBLAGE DESCRIPTIONS 93 Analytical Goals and Methods 93 94 Debitage 96 Cores Flaked Stone Implements 97 99 Scrapers 99 Other Unifaces Perforators 99 Bifaces 99 Projectile Points 99 99 Utilized Flakes Core or Large-Flake Implements 100 Cobble Implements 100 Contents Ground Stone Implements 104 A Framework for Data Presentation 105 Early(?) Archaic Sites 106 AZ EE:2:65 108 Flaked Stone Implements 108 Debitage 108 AZ EE:2:104 112 Flaked Stone Implements 112 Debitage 115 Ground Stone Implements 115 Early(?), Middle, and Late Archaic Sites 116 AZ EE:2:62--The Wasp Canyon Site 116 Flaked Stone Implements 116 Debitage 127 Ground Stone Implements 127 AZ EE:2:82--The South Canyon Site 128 Flaked Stone Implements 128 Debitage 135 Ground Stone Implements 138 Middle Archaic Sites 140 AZ EE:2:102--The McCleary Canyon Site 140 Flaked Stone Implements 142 Debitage 149 Ground Stone Implements 150 Ceramics 150 AZ EE:2:87 150 Flaked Stone Implements 151 Debitage 156 Ground Stone Implements 157 Ceramics 157 Historic Artifacts 157 Late Archaic Sites 158 AZ EE:2:81 158 Flaked Stone Implements 158 Debitage 163 AZ EE:2:103--The Split Ridge Site 163 Flaked Stone Implements 163 Debitage 173 Ground Stone Implements 175 AZ EE:2:86 175 Flaked Stone Implements 175 Debitage 181 Ground Stone Implements 182 AZ EE:2:128 182 Flaked Stone Implements 185 Debitage 186 Ground Stone Implements 187 vi Contents 6. CULTURAL AND TEMPORAL AFFILIATIONS 189 Temporal Placement 189 Early(?) Archaic Period 190 Middle Archaic Period 192 Late Archaic Period 196 Cultural Identity and Affiliations 199 The Cochise Culture Concept 201 The Western Archaic Tradition 205 The Early Archaic Period 205 The Middle Archaic Period 206 The Late Archaic Period 208 A Name for the Southwestern Archaic 209 7. SUBSISTENCE AND SETTLEMENT SYSTEMS 215 Subsistence and Flaked Stone Tool Function 215 Scrapers 217 Other Unifaces 220 Utilized Flakes 221 Debitage 222 Intersite Assemblage Variability 225 Site Function 235 Settlement Location 238 Water 238 Game 240 Plants 242 Lithic Material 244 Season of Occupation 249 The Sites' Occupants--The Nature and Size of Archaic 250 Social Groups Archaic Settlement of the Rosemont Area 251 Additional Archaic Sites 251 The Distribution of Site Types in the Rosemont Area 253 Change in the Use of the Rosemont Area Through Time 255 The Role of the Rosemont Area in a Subsistence-Settlement 257 System 8. SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION 261 Appendix A. ARCHAEOBOTANICAL REMAINS FROM ARCHAIC SITES IN THE 267 ROSEMONT AREA, SANTA RITA MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA Lisa W. Huckell Methods 267 Results 268 Conclusions 274 B. POLLEN ANALYSIS OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SEDIMENTS FROM 275 ARCHAIC SITES IN THE ANAMAX-ROSEMONT PROJECT AREA Robert S. Thompson Contents vii REFERENCES 279 FIGURES 2.1 Map of the location of the ANAMAX-Rosemont land exchange 12 area. 2.2 Map of the ANAMAX-Rosemont land exchange area. 14 2.3 Map of the biotic communities in the region surrounding 20 Rosemont. 2.4 Map of the plant communities within the ANAMAX-Rosemont 22 land exchange area (after McLaughlin and Van Asdall 1977). 2.5 A view of the encinal or oak woodland in McCleary Canyon, 27 looking northwest towards the ridgeline of the Santa Rita Mountains. 2.6 The oak woodland in McCleary Canyon, looking to the 27 southeast. 2.7 A vew of the mosaic of woodland and grassland communities 27 in the southeastern corner of the land exchange area, looking toward the north-northwest. 2.8 Another view of the woodland and grassland mosaic, looking 27 west toward the ridgeline of the Santa Rita Mountains. 4.1 Hypothetical example of the selection of grid squares to 44 be excavated by use of the sampling technique. 4.2 Map of the locations of investigated Archaic sites within 49 the ANAMAX-Rosemont land exchange area. 4.3 Overview of AZ EE:2:62. 50 4.4 Map of AZ EE:2:62, the Wasp Canyon Site. 51 4.5 Map of Feature 2, AZ EE:2:62, after excavation. 53 4.6 Feature 2, the remains of a simple brush structure, after 53 excavation at AZ EE:2:62, looking southeast. 4.7 Feature 6, a pit house, after excavation at AZ EE:2:62. 53 4.8 Map of Feature 6, AZ EE:2:62. 55 4.9 General view of AZ EE:2:65 site area during mapping and 60 surface collection. viii Contents 4.10 Overview of AZ EE:2:81, looking to the southeast. 60 4.11 Overivew of AZ EE:2:82, with the crew at work in the 63 center of the site. 4.12 Map of AZ EE:2:82, the South Canyon Site. 63 4.13 View of Feature 6, a rock concentration, at AZ EE:2:82. 66 4.14 Overview of AZ EE:2:86. 68 4.15 Map of AZ EE:2:86. 68 4.16 Map of Feature 3, AZ EE:2:86. 70 4.17 Features 4, 5, and 6, all rock clusters, at AZ EE:2:86 72 after excavation, looking northeast. 4.18 Overview of AZ EE:2:87 during excavation. 73 4.19 Map of AZ EE:2:87. 75 4.20 Overview of AZ EE:2:102 with the crew at work. 76 4.21 Map of AZ EE:2:102, the McCleary Canyon Site. 79 4.22 Overview of AZ EE:2:103, looking to the southwest. 81 4.23 Map of AZ EE:2:103, the Split Ridge Site. 82 4.24 Feature 14, a pit house, at AZ EE:2:103 after excavation, 85 looking east. 4.25 Features 3, 4, 7, 8, and 9, various types of pits, prior 85 to excavation at AZ EE:2:103. 4.26 The features shown in Figure 4.25 after excavation. 85 4.27 Feature 1, a rock concentration at AZ EE:2:103, after 85 definition. 4.28 Overview of AZ EE:2:104, looking to the southeast. 89 4.29 Map of AZ EE:2:104. 90 5.1 Flaked stone debitage data recording format. 95 5.2 Size classes used in the analysis of the debitage from the 96 Rosemont Archaic sites. 5.3 Flaked stone implement analysis categories and subtypes. 98 Contents ix 5.4 Idealized representations of the recorded subtypes of 101 scrapers, other unifaces, and projectile points. 5.5 Flaked stone implement data recording format. 102 5.6 Working edge configurations and working edge angle 103 classes used in the analysis of the flaked stone implements from the Rosemont Archaic sites. 5.7 Flaked stone implements from AZ EE:2:65 and AZ EE:2:104. 109 5.8 Projectile points and drill from AZ EE:2:62. 121 5.9 Scrapers from AZ EE:2:62. 122 5.10 Scrapers, other unifaces, and gravers from AZ EE:2:62. 123 5.11 Bifaces and biface fragments from AZ EE:2:62. 124 5.12 Pitted or nutting stones from AZ EE:2:103 and AZ EE:2:62. 124 5.13 Projectile points from AZ EE:2:82. 131 5.14 Scrapers and other unifaces from AZ EE:2:82. 133 5.15 Bifaces, other unifaces, and gravers from AZ EE:2:82. 134 5.16 Selection of handstones from AZ EE:2:82. 139 5.17 Length to width relationships of the complete handstones 139 from AZ EE:2:82. 5.18 Projectile points from AZ EE:2:102. 146 5.19 Drill fragment, graver, other unifaces, and biface 147 fragments from AZ EE:2:102.