New Mexico Archaeology The Newsletter of the Friends of Archaeology , 2008 May May, 2009 From the Director The Center for New Mexico Archaeology is pushing ahead at full throttle. Lockwood Construction Headlines and sound bytes of Santa Fe, which will be our contractor, should break ground on the heels of Jessica’s excavations of Too much is going on to even think of devoting my that pesky little Archaic site that was in the way of the space in this newsletter to a single topic. So, here project. (The irony is not lost on us). Although field goes. work is ongoing as I write this, the area appears to The upcoming trip to the Four Corners area at the have been a favorite long term but low intensity camp end of July will give Friends of Archaeology (FOA) site in the pre-agricultural period. members a chance to see “up to the minute” research by Crow Canyon Archaeological Center (CCAC) on Eric Blinman, Ph.D. the status of Mesa Verdean Pueblo peoples OAS Director immediately prior to the abandonment of the Four Corners area. This comes on the heels of the Office of From the Field and Lab Archaeological Studies (OAS) staff’s completing the edits on our forthcoming book chapter in Time of Peril, Investigations and Monitoring Time of Change: Explaining Thirteenth-Century Pueblo Migration, which looks at Mesa Verde abandonment SF County Judicial Complex Site (LA 156207) and migration from a distinctly Northern Rio Grande perspective. We are planning to follow this trip with As that noisy hole in the ground at the northeast future FOA trips to central New Mexico and to corner of Sandoval St. and Montezuma Ave. is southern Arizona. The trips will look at migration transformed into a modern judicial complex, the destinations in both areas for Mesa Verde and clamor of preceding occupations and land use Kayenta refugees as well as other aspects of local activities is still clearly audible in the archaeological archaeology. The CCAC and OAS staffs aren’t always and archival records. in agreement on what happened during migrations and abandonments, but I think the dialog that’s going on now represents archaeological research at its best. Abandonment is a hot topic in the media as well, and we are working out the details for providing some props for a National Geographic television special on Chaco and Mesa Verde that includes abandonments. This could be sort of like the “arrow project,” only more diverse. At the same time we are providing a smaller number of props for a WGBH film segment in the series on “God in America.” If we aren’t careful, serving the needs of the film industry may become a cottage industry for FOA and OAS. Speaking of the arrow project, the History Museum staff is so happy with our work that they are keeping the arrows “under wraps” until the museum opening — a savory surprise for the initial wave of visitors Memorial Day Excavation at the Santa Fe Judicial Complex. weekend! Photo by. Steven A. Lakatos Friends of Archaeology May Newsletter Page 2 Investigations conducted over the past year Our work was undertaken as part of a stabilization indicate that this parcel of land was initially occupied effort that involved installing a system of helical during the late Coalition/early Classic period (A.D. anchors, driven into the ground adjacent to the 1270-1400). This temporal component appears to be a foundation to support a steel angle iron inserted small farmstead with an activity area, processing directly beneath the foundation. features and a small pit structure. As a result of this work, OAS archaeologists Artifacts dating to the subsequent Spanish Colonial Jessica Badner, Susan Moga and Stephen Post had an occupation of Santa Fe (A.D. 1610-1821), likely opportunity to document the rooms’ construction associated with the Barrio De Analco to the north, sequence provided by exposed existing foundations were recovered from the once tilled fields also and six additional previously unrecorded foundation identified in the project area. During the late stubs. Most easily identified were suspected privy nineteenth century the project area began to change walls, depicted on the Grounds of the Palace at Santa from household level subsistence based occupations to Fe, 1869 map (History Library, Palace of the more commercial and market based occupations. Governors, Museum of New Mexico), the center wall These changes appear to have created vacant land, a of which formerly divided the east and west Print convenient location to bury unwanted debris and the Shop sections. One foundation stub, located in the need to level off subsiding field locations, sometimes Palace’s present security office, was constructed of with off-site materials. limestone block and may date to Nusbaum’s 1910 By the 1930s the land that once supported nearby remodel. A single layer of cobble beneath the south households with agricultural produce and perhaps Print Shop wall could be a pavement associated with graze land became business properties and residential an open exterior yard mapped in 1868. Two additional compounds. Excavation of Depression era features in stubs, probably of Spanish Colonial construction, may one such compound revealed that a minimum of three correspond to north to south running cross walls, households contributed to the cultural material previously documented during excavations behind the recovered from a privy built, used and abandoned Palace of the Governors, and provide an expanded between 1931 and 1939. Although multiple families footprint for the previously excavated Presidio era used and discarded refuse in this feature, analysis building. showed that these households were all of lower economic status. Strongly represented in the artifact Jessica Badner assemblages were women of child bearing age, infants OAS Project Director and small children. Little evidence for adult males or adolescent children was identified. Over the years this Monitoring at Los Luceros residential compound gave way to more commercial enterprises within the project area, including service During December, 2008 and January, 2009, I stations, nightclubs and stores. monitored utility trenches that had been dug on the Now the role this parcel of land plays in the Los Luceros property in Alcalde. The project’s community is changing once again. Yet after the purpose was to examine the fill and artifact content sounds generated from the earthmovers, drill rigs and that was present in the trenches in order to gain a builders have faded, the statements of participation in better understanding of the history of Los Luceros. community formation from those previous Most trenches ran the entire length of the property occupations will still be heard through the from the Rio Grande to the Los Luceros office on the documented archaeological and archival efforts east side of the property. The fill from the Old House supported by Santa Fe County. to the river didn’t reveal much culturally, as it was mostly sand and river cobbles. Steven A. Lakatos As the trench entered the area near the Old House OAS Archaeologist on the west side of the property, artifacts started appearing in the fill about 50 centimeters deep. Near Monitoring at the Palace of the Governors the equipment storage area there were rusted pieces of metal that represented tractor parts and pieces of red In late February and early March OAS conducted brick. In front of the Old House the artifacts, monitoring of the Palace of the Governors Print Shop. represented by glass, animal bone, ceramics and Friends of Archaeology May Newsletter Page 3 pieces of red brick, increased in number and indicated a range of dates from the early to mid 1800s. As the trench moved away from the Old House, a decrease in OAS Brown Bag Talks the number of artifacts suggested less activity in that area. More OAS Brown Bag lunch time talks are scheduled Some early ceramic sherds were recovered in an for this summer. We are fortunate that the New old arroyo deposit about 50 meters east of the Old Mexico Film Museum will continue to sponsor the House at a depth of about 80 centimeters. These venue at its theater located at 418 Montezuma. Doors ceramics consisted of Biscuit Wares and Smeared will open at 11:45 AM, and the talks will start at indented corrugated sherds, which more than likely 12:00 PM. Mark the dates of these three Tuesdays on washed down from the Pioge site, located about 300 your calendars, and we will see you then. meters from this location. These ceramics could also June 23 Mollie S. Toll, OAS Archaeobotany have been in the fields farmed by the inhabitants of Lab Director. “Evolution of a Cuisine Con Ganas.” Pioge. Most of the artifacts found on the property New Mexico's distinctive and enthusiastic cuisine is a were on display for the annual Chile and Sherds event reflection of botanical and cultural immigrations and on April 26, 2009. adoptions over many centuries. Archaeobotanical recoveries from recent excavations in downtown Rick Montoya Santa Fe and surrounding communities contribute OAS Archaeologist some revealing insights. July 28 Matthew Barbour, OAS Historical Archaeologist. “Twentieth-Century Urban Education Outreach Update Archaeology in the South Capitol District of Santa Education Outreach Across New Fe.” The early 20th century saw some important Mexico changes in the social and economic life in the United States. How were the citizens of the City Different At the close of the July to December half of Fiscal affected by these turbulent times? Investigation of the Year 2009, the Office of Archaeological Studies State Capitol Structure site melds archaeological and Education Outreach program delivered 45 outreach historical data, providing insight into how families activities to an audience of 8,816, consisting of 5,735 and small businesses coped as economic opportunities adults and 3,081 children.