MUSEUM OF NEW MEXICO OFFICE OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDIES EXCAVATION OF A JORNADA MOGOLLON PITHOUSE ALONG U.S. 380, SOCORRO COUNTY, NEW rnXIC0 by Daisy F. Levine James L. Moore Susan M. Moga Linda Mick-O'Hara Mollie S. Toll and a contribution by Glenna Dean Submitted by Yvonne R. Oakes, M.A. Principal Investigator ARCHAEOLOGY NOTES 138 SANTA FE 1997 NEW MEXICO ADMINISTRATIVE SUMMARY From November 6, 1991, to February 4, 1992, the Office of ArchaeologicalStudies (OAS), Museum of New Mexico, conducted a datarecovery program at LA 71276, a Jornada Mogollon pit structure along U.S. 380 in Socorro County, New Mexico. The site is approximately of Bingham, on land belonging to the stateof New Mexico. This site was tested by the OAS during a two-week period from March 25 to April 5, 1991e Portions of the site extended into the existing right-of-way; the New Mexico State Highway and Transportation Department plannedroad modification activity within the existing right-of-wayin this area. During the testingphase, LA 71276 was found to bea dense ceramic and lithic artifact scatter associated with theTajo phase (A.D. 800-1000) of the Jornada Mogollon Culture, on both sides of U.S. 380. Testing revealed a pit structure, a charcoal stain, and a subsurface feature with charcoal fill within the project limits. During datarecovery, six features were examined. These included the pit structure, three undefined surficial charcoal stains, an extramural hearth, and a burial. NMSHTD Project No. F-0 19-l(27); F-019-1(28); CN 2022. MNM Project No. 41,504. Svdte of New Mexico Pennit No. SE-63. Submitted in fulfillment of Joint Powers Agreement DO4635 between the NMSHTD and the Office of Archaeological Studies, MNM. 11 CONTENTS .. Administrative Summary ............................................. 11 Introduction ..................................................... 1 Environment ..................................................... 3 CulturalOverview ................................................. 5 Paleoindian .................................................... 5 Archaic ...................................................... 5 Pithouse and Pueblo Periods......................................... 6 Historic Period ................................................ 10 Data Recovery Plan ............................................... 11 Research Questions .............................................. 11 Field Methods ................................................... 15 Site Description .................................................. 17 Pitstructure .................................................. 17 Burial ...................................................... 26 Extramural Hearth .............................................. 26 Charcoal Stains ................................................ 26 Backhoe Trench ................................................ 27 Chronometrics .................................................. 29 Ceramic Analysis ................................................ 31 Methodology .................................................. 31 Type Description ............................................... 32 Temper Descriptions ............................................. 35 Bingham Assemblage ............................................ 37 Assemblage Comparisons .......................................... 43 Conclusions .................................................. 44 Lithic Artifacts (by James L . Moore) .................................... 47 Methodology .................................................. 47 Ground Stone Analysis Methods ..................................... 49 Chipped Stone Artifacts ........................................... 51 Ground Stone Artifacts ........................................... 87 Conclusions .................................................. 90 Analysis of Botanical Remains(by Mollie S . Toll) ........................... 95 Introduction and Methods ......................................... 95 Results ...................................................... 98 Discussion .................................................. 102 Contents iii Summary ................................................... 105 Analysis of Faunal Remains (by Susan M . Moga) .......................... 109 Introduction ................................................. 109 Methodology ................................................. 109 Overview of Faunal Remains ...................................... 109 Worked Bone Assemblage ........................................ 114 Taphonomic Processes .......................................... 115 Review by Excavation Area ....................................... 116 Conclusions ................................................. 117 Analysis of Human Remains (by LindaMick-O'Hara) ........................ 119 Methodology ................................................. 119 Results ..................................................... 119 Discussion and Conclusions ....................................... 120 Ornaments and Minerals ........................................... 121 Discussion .................................................... 123 Phase Sequences .............................................. 123 Site Comparisons .............................................. 129 Architectural Comparisons: Jornada Mogollon vs. Anasazi ................... 135 Subsistence and Seasonality ....................................... 138 Conclusion .................................................. 141 References Cited ................................................ 143 Appendix 1 . Pollen Analysis (by Glenna Dean)............................ 157 Appendix 2 . Results of Archaeomagnetic Sample ........................... 175 Appendix 3 . Human Remains InventoryForm (Linda Mick-O'Hara) .............. 177 Appendix 4 . Site Location and Legal Description (removedfrom copies in general circulation) ............................................. 181 Figures 1 . Project vicinity map .............................................. 2 2 . Site map. LA 71276 ............................................ 19 3 . Excavated pit structure. LA 71276 ................................... 21 4 . Profile of pit structure fill ......................................... 21 5 . Plan view of excavated pitstructure .................................. 22 6 . Profile of ventilator tunnel ........................................ 23 7 . Ventilator tunnel ............................................... 23 8 . Ventilator. with damper slab in place ................................. 24 9 . Ventilator. with damper slab removed ................................. 24 10. Brown Ware cloudblower ........................................ 40 11. Jornada Red-on-brown sherds and Mimbres Boldface Black-on-whitesherds ....... 40 12 . Red Mesa black-on-white. bold style.............. .,.................. 41 iv Contents 13 . Red Mesa black.on.white. classic style ................................ 44 14 . Manufacturing break patterns of flake fragments .......................... 67 15 . Comparison of thicknesses for whole and broken flakes ..................... 73 16 . Comparison of the thicknesses of flakes with manufacturingbreaks versus snap fractured flakes ................................................ 76 17 . Material quality graphed against core volume ............................ 77 18 . Projectile points from LA 71276 .................................... 86 19. Element distribution of lagomorphs at LA71276 ........................ 113 20 . Worked bone assemblage ........................................ 115 21 . Turquoise pendants from LA 71276 ................................. 121 22. Lehmer's cultural sequence ...................................... 123 23 . Map of theJornada Mogollon boundaries (after Lehmer1948) ............... 124 24 . The Sierra Blanca region (after Kelley 1984) ........................... 127 1 . Generalized artifact-phase sequences inthe area ........................... 7 2 . Results of C-14 analysis .......................................... 29 3 . Ceramic types from LA 71276 ...................................... 31 4. Brown Ware surface color ........................................ 37 5 . Brown Ware paste color .......................................... 38 6 . Surface color of Brown Ware bowls .................................. 38 7 . Design band widthfor red-on-brown ceramics ........................... 42 8 . White ware tempers ............................................. 42 9 . Type of modification on worked sherds ................................ 43 10. Correlation of attributes analyzed with chipped stoneartifact categories ........... 48 11. Polythethic set for distinguishing bifaceflakes from core flakes ................ 50 12 . Material type by artifact morphology. frequencies and rowpercentages ........... 53 13 . Cortex type by artifact class. frequencies and row percentages ................. 53 14 . Material type by cortex type. frequencies and rowpercentages ................ 54 15 . Material source by cortex type. frequencies and row percentages ............... 56 16 . Material type by material quality, frequencies and rowpercentages ............. 57 17 . Artifact classes by texture. frequencies and rowpercentages .................. 58 18. Material type by quality. frequencies and row percentages ................... 60 19. Artifact class by quality. frequencies and row percentages ................... 60 20 . Debitage cortex percentages ....................................... 61 21 . Flakes