The Rye Creek Project: Archaeology in the Upper Tonto Basin Volume 3: Synthesis and Conclusions Mark D. Elson Douglas B. Craig Contributions by Walter H. Birkby Maria H. Czuzak William L. Deaver Alan Ferg Laura C. Fulginiti Elizabeth Miksa Henry Wallace Center for Desert Archaeology Anthropological Papers No. 11 The Rye Creek Project: Archaeology in the Upper Tonto Basin Volume 3: Synthesis and Conclusions Mark D. Elson Douglas B. Craig Contributions by Walter H. Birkby Maria H. Czuzak William L. Deaver Alan Ferg Laura C. Fulginiti Elizabeth J. Miksa Henry D. Wallace Submitted to Arizona Department of Transportation Phoenix, Arizona Contract No. 88-36 Center for Desert Archaeology Anthropological Papers No. 11 1992 ii Cover Center for Desert Archaeology 3975 North Tucson Boulevard Tucson, Arizona 85716 (602) 881-2244 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................. vii LIST OF TABLES ................................................................. ix PART 5: SYNTHESIS AND CONCLUSIONS ........................................... 1 23. WESTERN APACHE AND YAVAPAI POTTERY AND FEATURES FROM THE RYE CREEK PROJECT By Alan Ferg ................................... 3 WESTERN APACHE AND YAVAPAI HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY IN THE RYE CREEK AREA .................................................... 3 Ethnographic Information for the Area . 3 Western Apache and Yavapai Archaeological Remains .............................. 7 THE DEER CREEK SITE, AZ 0:15:52 ............................................ 8 Feature 122: A Western Apache Pot-break ....................................... 8 Sherds and Features from the Main Site Area . .. 17 Features 15, 43 and 44 ..................................................... 20 AZ 0:15:71 ............................................................. 22 SUMMARY AND COMMENTS ................................................. 25 24. CROSS-DATING THE GILA BUTTE PHASE AND A RECONSIDERATION OF THE CERAMIC TYPE GILA BUTTE RED-ON-BUFF By Henry D. Wallace. .. 29 GOALS AND METHODS ...................................................... 29 GILA BUTTE RED-ON-BUFF: DESCRIPTION AND APPLICATION OF THE TYPE LABEL ........................................................ 30 Clarifying the Type Description. .. 33 CROSS-DATING GILA BUTTE RED-ON-BUFF WITH DATED CERAMICS ............. 35 Dating Gila Butte Red-on-buff as an Intrusive and Through Cross-Dating .................................................. 38 THE DEER CREEK SITE AND KANA-A BLACK-ON-WHITE ........................ 54 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. .. 54 25. TEMPORAL ISSUES IN TONTO BASIN PREHISTORY: THE RYE CREEK CHRONOLOGY By Mark D. Elson ............................... 55 CHRONOLOGICAL ISSUES ................................................... 55 CHRONOMETRIC DATABASE AND METHODOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS ......... 56 Radiocarbon Dating ....................................................... 57 Archaeomagnetic Dating . .. 60 THE RYE CREEK CHRONOLOGY ............................................. 65 Plainware-to-Redware Ratios ................................................ 70 TONTO BASIN CHRONOLOGY ................................................ 71 Chronometric Patterns and Tonto Basin Culture History. .. 73 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS .............................................. 76 26. A METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF SEDENTISM By Mark D. Elson .................................................................. 79 iv Table of Contents SEDENTISM ................................................................ 79 Methods and Assumptions .................................................. 80 Analysis ................................................................ 89 Results ................................................................. 96 Modeling Energy Expenditure Versus Diversity: An Alternative Method ................ 98 Summary and Discussion . .. 102 CONCLUSIONS ............................................................ 105 27. RYE CREEK RUIN By Douglas B. Craig ......................................... 107 PREVIOUS RESEARCH .................................................... 107 Gila Pueblo ........................................................... 108 Tonto National Forest ................................................... 111 TESTING PROGRAM ...................................................... 112 Feature 1 112 Feature 2 ............................................................. 114 Feature 3 ............................................................. 114 Mapping Reassessment ................................................... 115 MAPPING PROJECT ....................................................... 115 DISCUSSION ............................................................. 117 28. SETTLEMENT, SUBSISTENCE, AND CULTURAL AFFILIATION WITHIN THE UPPER TONTO BASIN By Mark D. Elson ............................ 119 RESEARCH QUESTIONS .................................................... 119 SITE TYPOLOGY .......................................................... 120 THE RYE CREEK PROJECT SETTLEMENT AND SUBSISTENCE SYSTEMS . .. 123 Gila Butte Phase (AD. 750-850) . .. 124 Santa Cruz (AD. 750-850) and Sacaton (AD. 950-1150) Phases ..................... 126 Early Classic Period Roosevelt Phase (AD. 1150-1300) ............................ 132 Late Classic Period Gila Phase (AD. 1300-1450) ................................ 137 DIACHRONIC TRENDS IN UPPER TONTO BASIN SETTLEMENT .................. 138 Gila Butte Phase (AD. 750-850) . .. 138 Santa Cruz Phase (AD. 850-950) ............................................ 140 Sacaton Phase (AD. 950-1150) .............................................. 141 Early Classic Period (AD. 1150-1300) ......................................... 143 Gila Phase (AD. 1300-1450) ................................................ 145 Summary and Discussion. .. 146 THE QUESTION OF CULTURAL AFFILIATION ................................. 148 The Initial Settlement of the Tonto Basin ..................................... 149 Summary and Discussion ................................................... 151 CONCLUSIONS ............................................................ 153 PART 6: APPENDIXES .......................................................... 155 APPENDIX A By Elizabeth Miksa .................................................. 157 PETROGRAPHIC EVALUATION OF SAND AND SHERD SAMPLES: METHODOLOGY FOR THE QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE ANALYSES ....... 157 GEOLOGIC HISTORY. .. 157 GEOLOGIC BASIS FOR PETROGRAPHIC STUDIES .............................. 158 SAND METHODOLOGY - DATA COLLECTION ................................. 158 Sand Sample Collection and Preparation . .. 159 Point-count Methodology .................................................. 159 Table of Contents v Qualitative Data Collection: Thin-Sections..................................... 162 Fluvial Sand Qualitative Data Collection: Hand Samples .......................... 166 SHERD METHODOLOGY - DATA COLLECTION ................................ 166 Sample Collection and Preparation . .. 166 Point-counting and Qualitative Data Collection in Thin-Section ..................... 166 Silt Content in Thin-Section ................ .. 175 Qualitative Data Collection: Hand Samples .................................... 175 ANALYSIS ................................................................ 175 Quantitative Analysis ..................................................... 175 Qualitative Analysis: Thin-Sections .......................................... 175 Qualitative Analysis: Fluvial Sand Hand Samples . .. 175 Qualitative Analysis: Silt Content in Sherd Thin-Sections. .. 178 RESULTS OF THE QUALITATIVE STUDIES .................................... 178 Qualitative Thin-section Analysis ............................................ 178 Qualitative Fluvial Sand Sample Results . .. 180 Comparison of Fluvial Sands to Ceramic Temper Sands ........................... 182 Silt Content Analysis ..................................................... 183 CONCLUSIONS ............................................................ 184 APPENDIX B By Henry D. Wallace ................................................. 185 CERAMIC CONTEXTUAL DATA: THE SELECTION OF ARTIFACTS FOR ANALYSIS . .. 185 Rye Creek Ruin (AZ 0:15:1) ............................................... 186 Deer Creek Site (AZ 0:15:52) .............................................. 186 Hilltop Site (AZ 0:15:53) . .. 187 Cobble Site (AZ 0:15:54) . .. 187 Boone Moore Site (AZ 0:15:55) . .. 188 Site 0:15:96 ............................................................ 188 Site 0:15:70 ............................................................ 189 Site 0:15:71 ............................................................ 189 Overlook Site (AZ 0:15:89) ................................................ 189 Compact Site (AZ 0:15:90) ................................................ 190 Redstone Site (AZ 0:15:91) ............. .. .. .............................. 190 Rooted Site (AZ 0:15:92) ................................................. 190 Arby's Site (AZ 0:15:99) .................................................. 191 Clover Wash Site (AZ 0:15:100) ............................................ 191 APPENDIX C By Laura C. Fulginiti, Walter H. Birkby, and Maria H. Czuzak ................... 193 OSTEOLOGICAL ANALySIS ................................................. 193 HARDT CREEK SITES ...................................................... 193 AZ 0:15:71 ...........................................................