Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive Theses and Dissertations 2004-03-19 The Pueblitos of Palluche Canyon: An Examination of the Ethnic Affiliation of the Pueblito Inhabitants and Results of Archaeological Survey at LA 9073, LA 10732 and LA 86895, New Mexico Leslie-Lynne Sinkey Brigham Young University - Provo Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd Part of the Anthropology Commons BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Sinkey, Leslie-Lynne, "The Pueblitos of Palluche Canyon: An Examination of the Ethnic Affiliation of the Pueblito Inhabitants and Results of Archaeological Survey at LA 9073, LA 10732 and LA 86895, New Mexico" (2004). Theses and Dissertations. 7. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/7 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. THE PUEBLITOS OF PALLUCHE CANYON: AN EXAMINATION OF THE ETHNIC AFFILIATION OF THE PUEBLITO INHABITANTS AND RESULTS OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY AT LA 9073, LA 10732 AND LA 86895, NEW MEXICO by Leslie-lynne Sinkey A thesis submitted to the faculty of Brigham Young University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Master of Arts Department of Anthropology Brigham Young University March 2004 Copyright ©2004 Leslie-lynne Sinkey All Rights Reserved BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY GRADUATE COMMITTEE APPROVAL of a thesis submitted by Leslie-lynne Sinkey This thesis has been read by each member of the graduate committee and by majority vote has been found to be satisfactory. __________________________________ __________________________________ Date Joel C. Janetski, Chair __________________________________ __________________________________ Date John E. Clark __________________________________ __________________________________ Date Ronald H. Towner BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY As chair of the candidate’s graduate committee, I have read the thesis of Leslie-lynne Sinkey in its final form, and find that (1) its format, citations, and bibliographic style are consistent and acceptable and fulfill university and department style requirements; (2) its illustrative materials including figures, charts and tables are in place; and (3) the final manuscript is satisfactory to the graduate committee and is ready for submission to the university library. __________________________________ __________________________________ Date Joel C. Janetski Graduate Committee Chair Accepted for the Department __________________________________ Joel C. Janetski Department Chair Accepted for the College __________________________________ David B. Magleby Dean, College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences ABSTRACT THE PUEBLITOS OF PALLUCHE CANYON: AN EXAMINATION OF THE ETHNIC AFFILIATION OF THE PUEBLITO INHABITANTS AND RESULTS OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY AT LA 9073, LA 10732 AND LA 86895, NEW MEXICO Leslie-lynne Sinkey Department of Anthropology Master of Arts The small, above-ground masonry structures of northwestern New Mexico called “pueblitos” first came to the attention of anthropologists in over a century ago. In 1920, the noted archaeologist A.V. Kidder hypothesized that these masonry structures might have been built by Puebloan refugees fleeing Spanish reprisals in the wake of the Spanish reconquest of New Mexico after the Pueblo Revolt, and he proposed that this hypothesis be tested. Over the next several decades, however, the hypothesis remained untested, but it became both accepted as established fact and the basis for most anthropological, archaeological, and historical reconstructions of Navajo history and cultural development. This thesis attempts to validate or disprove Kidder’s hypothesis, based on the archeological remains at the sites, and based on ethnographic evidence recorded for both the Navajo and Puebloan groups. The evidence presented by the ceramic wares (utility wares in particular), the architecture and construction techniques at the sites, and the settlement and community organization evident at and surrounding the sites were all considered. Theoretical models were developed, reflecting the sites as they would appear if they were constructed and occupied solely by Navajo, solely by Puebloans, or by a co-resident population consisting of both groups. The archaeological evidence from twelve pueblito sites and their surrounding complexes is then compared against expectations in the models. In order to provide a larger database upon which to base conclusions, three pueblito sites (LA 9073, LA 10732, and LA 86895) and their surrounding complexes were surveyed and documented in the fall of 2002. The results are included herein. The ceramic, architectural, settlement and ethnographic data all serve to disprove Kidder’s eighty-year-old hypothesis, to establish that the builders of the sites were, in fact, Navajo. This provides further impetus for the formulation of new hypotheses in the realm of Navajo archaeology. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to express my deep appreciation to my graduate committee, Drs. Joel C. Janetski, Ronald H. Towner, and John E. Clark. I am especially indebted to Dr. Towner for initially sparking my interest in the pueblito question, and for invaluable support, both technical and moral, and for his unflagging interest and encouragement prior to, and throughout this project. I also wish to express my appreciation to James M. Copeland of the Bureau of Land Management Farmington District, for providing me with my first “boots on the ground” introduction to Navajo archaeology—he managed to convey a vast amount of valuable information in a very short period of time. Thanks go, too, to Richard K. Talbot of the Office of Public Archaeology for providing necessary gear for the fieldwork. Funding for this project was received through a Graduate Research Fellowship from Brigham Young University. Most of all I wish to thank my parents. Without them none of this would have been possible. ix Table of Contents List of Figures ..............................................................................xiii List of Tables................................................................................ xvi List of Tables................................................................................ xvi 1 Introduction...........................................................................1 Theoretical Orientation............................................................................... 6 Thesis Overview............................................................................................. 11 2 Overview of Navajo History to 1805......................................14 Arrival in the Southwest........................................................................... 14 Early Historic Accounts ............................................................................ 18 The Pueblo Revolt and Its Aftermath.................................................. 19 Spanish Peace, Ute Tensions .................................................................. 22 3 A Brief History of the Pueblo Revolt .....................................25 The Entrada.................................................................................................... 25 The Revolt ........................................................................................................ 26 The Reconquest ............................................................................................. 29 Population Movements ............................................................................... 35 4 Overview of Pueblito Studies ................................................40 Early Work ...................................................................................................... 40 The Florescence of Navajo Archaeology ............................................ 42 Focus on Pueblitos ....................................................................................... 51 5 Survey Methodology .............................................................65 x 6 Palluche Canyon...................................................................72 Environmental Setting............................................................................... 72 Archaeological Setting .............................................................................. 76 7 42 Pueblito Survey Area .......................................................81 42 Pueblito: LA 86895 ............................................................................... 84 LA 137967 ....................................................................................................... 87 42 Pueblito Survey Area Isolated Occurrences .............................. 90 Discussion........................................................................................................ 91 8 Overlook Survey Area ...........................................................96 Overlook Site: LA10732............................................................................. 99 LA 137968 ..................................................................................................... 106 LA 137969 ..................................................................................................... 108 LA 137970 ..................................................................................................... 113 LA 137971 ....................................................................................................