Excavations at Punta de Agua in the Santa Cruz River Basin, Southeastern Arizona Item Type Book; text Authors Greenleaf, J. Cameron Publisher University of Arizona Press (Tucson, AZ) Rights Copyright © Arizona Board of Regents Download date 05/10/2021 17:30:47 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/582061 ANTHROPOLOGICAL PAPERS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA NUMBER 26 EXCAVATIONS AT PUNTA DE AGUA in the Santa Cruz River Basin, Southeastern Arizona J. CAMERON GREENLEAF THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA PRESS TUCSON, ARIZONA 1975 About the Author ... J. CAMERON GREEI'LEAF'S fruitful association with Tucson Basin archaeology follows a varied career during which he served as a U.S. Navy Lt. Commander in World War II, then worked for 12 years as a mining engineer and marketing specialist. In 1957 he moved to Tucson from New York state and enrolled in the graduate program in the Anthropology Department of the University of Arizona. Since then he has participated in a number of ex­ cavations for the Arizona State Museum including work with the Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society at the Whiptail site northeast of Tucson, at Johnny Ward's Ranch in Santa Cruz County, and at the mission site of San Gabriel Guevavi on the Santa Cruz River. He has also worked at the Fortified Hill site near Gila Bend with the late William W. Wasley, then state archaeologist, and at the Mission San Xavier del Bac with Bernard Fon­ tana, state ethnologist. In the winter of 1965-66 he concluded the excavations at Punta de Agua, the results of which are reported here. Contributions to Highway Salvage Archaeology in Arizona No. 40 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA PRESS Copyright © 1975 The Arizona Board of Regents All Rights Reserved Manufactured in the U.S.A. I. S. B. N. 0-8165-0497-0 L. C. No. 74-83334 CONTENTS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 6 Canada del Oro Phase Rillito Phase LIST OF TABLES 7 Rincon Phase Tanque Verde Phase ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 9 Redware 59 Intrusive Redware THE SETTING 11 Local Redware Rincon Red 1. ENVIRONMENTAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL Late Rincon Ceramics 60 BACKGROUND 15 Rincon Red-on-brown Local Environment 15 Bowls with Interior Decoration Tucson Basin Archaeology 16 Bowls with Exterior Decoration History of Research Bowls with Interior and Exterior Decoration Summary of Prehistoric Cultures Jars Cultural Continuity and Ethnographic Parallels Pitchers 2. THE PUNTA DE AGUA SITES 20 Summary 66 Site Descriptions 20 Rincon Polychrome 67 Arizona BB:13:50 Introduction Unit I General Description Unit 2 Forms Stratigraphic Tests in Borrow Pits Designs Arizona BB: 13:49 Principal Design on Exterior of Bowls Arizona BB: 13:43 Principal Design on Exterior of Jars Unit 1 Principal Design on Interior of Bowls Unit 2 Secondary Design on Interior of Bowls Arizona BB: 13:41 Elements Unit I Discllssion Unit 2 Intrusive Ceramics 73 Unit 3 Introduction Arizona BB: 13: 16 Gila Polychrome Architecture 35 Gila Basin Types House Plans Papagueria Types Squared Mimbres District Oval San Pedro Valley (Dragoon Series) Rectangular Trinchcras District Subrectangular Tonto-Roosevelt District Construction Details El Paso District Squared Plan 4. CERAMIC ARTIFACTS 78 Oval Plan Modeled Spindle Whorls 78 Rectangular Plan Human Figurines and Effigies 79 Subrectangular Plan Arizona BB: 13:50 Discussion Arizona BB:13:16 Late Rincon-Tanque Verde Transition Arizona BB: 13:41 and BB: 13:43 Special Architectural Features Animal Figurines and Effigies 81 The Curb Rim Plan Perforated Discs 82 Entryway Adobe Cones Other Classes of Worked Sherds 82 Identification of Architectural Wood Discs Summary 44 Jar Cover: Unfired 3. THE CERAMICS 45 5. STONE ARTIFACTS 85 Introduction 45 Projectile Points and Drills 85 Punta de Agua: Colonial Period Arizona BB: 13:50 Canada del Oro Phase Arizona BB:13:16 Canada del Oro Red-on-brown Arizona BB: 13:41 Rillito Phase Arizona BB:13:43 Rillito Red-on-brown Turquoise 86 Punta de Agua: Sedentary Period Arizona BB: 13:50 Rincon Phase Arizona BB: 13: 16 Rincon Red-on-brown Carved Stone Ornaments 86 Tanque Verde Phase Arizona BB:13:50 Early Tanque Verde Red-on-brow n Arizona BB: 13: 16 Tanque Verde Red-on-brown Palettes 86 Topawa Red-on-brown (Tucson Variety) Arizona BB: 13:50 Plainware 54 Rincon Phase Snaketown Phase Arizona BB: 13: 16 6 CONTENTS 5. STONE ARTIFACTS (continued) Houses 15 and 16 House 19A Rillito Phase Pestles 93 Rincon Phase Anvils 94 Arizona BB: 13:41 Handstones 94 Rincon Phase Choppers 95 Stone Bowls 88 Hammerstones 95 Arizona BB: 13:50 Pottery Polishers 95 House 5: Fill Knives and Saws 95 House 12: Floor A Complete Stone Tool "Kit" 96 House 25: Floor Arizona BB: 13:41 Arizona BB:13:16 House 15 Cremation 4: Cache Minerals Cremation 7: Cache Arizona BB:13:50 Arizona BB: 13:41 Arizona BB: 13: 16 House 13: Floor Arizona BB: 13:41 Arizona BB: 13:43 Arizona BB: 13:43 House 2: Floor Comment Axes and Mauls 90 6. OTHER TECHNOLOGY 98 Arizona BB: 13:50 Bone Artifacts 98 House 3: Fill Shell Artifacts 98 House 22 7. MORTUARY PRACTICES 101 Arizona BB: 13: 16 Cremations 101 Test 89 Arizona BB:13:16 Arrowshaft Tools 90 Arizona BB: 13:50 Arizona BB:13:16 Discussion Trench 9 Inhumations 104 House 6: Floor Death Practices 105 Miscellaneous Stone Artifacts 91 8. FOOD RESOURCES 106 Arizona BB:13:16 Faunal Remains 106 Test \0 Vegetal Remains \06 Arizona BB: 13:49 9. CONCLUSIONS 108 Mound I APPENDIX A: Architectural Data III Metates 91 APPENDIX B: Rincon Polychrome Summary 113 Manos 92 APPENDIX C: Cremation and Inhumation Dala 115 Mortars 92 REFERENCES 117 Arizona BB:13'50 INDEX 121 ILLUSTRATIONS A. Sites of the Sedentary and Classic periods in southern Arizona 10 2.18. Arizona BB:13:41, Unit I, House 4 30 B. Prehistoric phase correlations in southern Arizona 12 2.19. Arizona BB:13:41, Unit 2, House 7 31 C. Aerial photograph of the Punta de Agua excavation 14 2.20. Arizona BB:13:4I, Unit 2, House 6 31 1.1. Archaeological sites in the Tucson Basin 17 2.21. Arizona BB:13:41, Unit 3, House 12 31 2.1. Punta de Agua and other excavated sites 20 2.22. Arizona BB:'13:41, Unit 3, House 13 32 2.2. Site map of Arizona BB:13:50, Units I and 2 21 2.23. Site map of Arizona BB:13:16 33 2.3. Arizona BB: 13:50, Unit I, superimposition of 2.24 Arizona BB:13:16. superimposition of HOllse 6 House 19B over 19A 22 over House 7 34 2.4. Arizona BB:13:50, Unit I, superimposition of 2.25. Photograph: Arizona BB: 13: 16, House 8 34 House 2 cutting entry of House I 22 2.26. Arizona BB: 13: 16, House 3 34 2.5. Arizona BB: 13:50, Unit 2, principal house cluster 2.27. Arizona BB: 13: 16, House 4 - Rectangular plan 34 showing superimposition 23 2.28. Arizona BB: 13: 16, House 5 35 2.6. Arizona BB: 13:50, Unit 2, second house cluster 2.29. Squared plan - Arizona BB:13:50, Unit 2, House 16 36 showing superimposition 24 2.30. Photograph: Squared plan - Arizona BB: 13:50, 2.7. Site map of Arizona BB: 13:43, Units I and 2 26 Unit 2, House 16 36 2.8. Arizona BB: 13:43, Unit I, House 4 - Oval plan 27 2.31. Photograph: Oval plan - Arizona BB: 13:43, Unit 2.9. Arizona BB:13:43, Unit I, House \0 27 I, House 4 37 2.10. Arizona BB:13:43, Unit I, House I 27 2.32. Photograph: Arizona BB: 13:50, House 18 (with 2.11. Arizona BB: 13:43, Unit I, House 5 28 House 22 in foreground) 38 2.12. Arizona BB: 13:43, Unit I, House 2 28 2.33. Arizona SS: 13:50, Unit I, House 25. Subrectan­ 2.13. Arizona BB:13:43, Unit 2, House 7 28 gular plan: Earlier type with short, straight­ 2.14 Arizona BB:13:43, Unit 2, House 6 29 sided entry 38 2.15. Site map of Arizona BB: 13:41. U nits I, 2, and 3 29 2.34. Arizona BB:13:50, Unit 2, House II. Subrectan­ 2.16. Arizona BB:13:41, Unit I, House I 30 gular plan: Earlier type with short, stralght­ 2.17. Arizona BB:13:41, Unit I, House 5 30 sided entry 38 CONTENTS 7 2.35. Photograph: Arizona BB: 13:50, Unit 2, House 21 3,14. Late Rincon Red-an-brown: Interior decoration (with House 13A in background). Subrectan­ on two hemispherical bowls 61 gular plan: Earlier type with short, straight­ 3.15, Late Rincon Red-an-brown: Interior decoration sided entry 311 on hemispherical bowl sherds 62 2.36, Arizona BB:l3:50, Unit I, House 6. Subreetan­ 3.16, Late Rincon Red-on-brown: Plan view of interior gular plan: Later type with large, bulbous entry 39 decoration on large, outcurved bowl 63 2,37. Photograph: Arizona BB:I3:50, Unit 2, House 23. 3.17, Late Rincon Red-an-brown: Exterior decoration Subrectangular plan: Later type with large, on small, incurved bowl sherds 63 bulbous entry 39 3,18. Late Rincon Red-an-brown: Exterior decoration 2.38. Arizona BB:13:50, Unit 2, House 14. Subrectan­ on recurved bowl sherds with flared rims 64 gular plan: Later type with long, straight­ 3.19, Late Rincon Red-on-brown: Recurved jar sherds sided entry 39 with flared rims (globular and shouldered varieties) 65 2,39.