UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations 1-1-1998 The maize from Black Dog Cave: Testing the concept of races of maize in the American Southwest James Jonathan Sagmiller University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/rtds Repository Citation Sagmiller, James Jonathan, "The maize from Black Dog Cave: Testing the concept of races of maize in the American Southwest" (1998). UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations. 940. http://dx.doi.org/10.25669/p40b-i07j This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. 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Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. THE MAIZE FROM BLACK DOG CAVE: TESTING THE CONCEPT OF RACES OF MAIZE IN THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST by James J. Sagmiller Bachelor of Arts University of Montana, Missoula 1977 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Anthropology Department of Anthropology University of Nevada, Las Vegas November 1998 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number; 1393765 Copyright 1998 by Sagmiller, James Jonathan All rights reserved. UMI Microform 1393765 Copyright 1999, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. copyright 1998 James J. Sagmiller Ail Rights Reserved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 7 Thesis Approval The Graduiite College L'ni\'crsit\- of Newida, Las Vegas November 9 T^_ag_ The Thesis prepared by James J. Sagmiller Entitled The Maize From Black Dog Cave; Testing the Concept of Races of Maize in the American Southwest ___ ____ is approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of ■Master of Arts in.. Anthropology______________________ ExnmiJiiUion Com uiithr Cimii I i C v’-’ Dl’nn (if flic Criiiimitc Cdllc Exivniiwthn Coiniuitttv Mcinbni E^iuinnthii'Coiiiiiiitlcc Mciiibcr A j A . / • A, . r. C niiiuntc Co/L’^i’ Fncult\i Rcprc^^cntntivc Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT The Maize From Black Dog Cave: Testing the Concept of Races of Maize in the American Southwest by James J. Sagmiller Dr. Margaret Lyneis, Examination Committee Chair Professor of Anthropology University of Nevada, Las Vegas Maize cobs from Black Dog Cave, a Virgin Anasazi Cave site near modem Moapa, Nevada, were measured for twelve morphological characters. Plants, ears, and tassels from living maize plants grown for this study at Las Vegas, Nevada were measured and compared quantitatively to four sets of data; the maize from the cave, a mathematical synthesis of archaeological maize from sites all over the American Southwest, quantifications defining living maize races of the Southwest, and statistics from isozyme studies. Comparisons of all data indicate: the Virgin Anasazi raised the flinty Onaveno variant of Basketmaker maize; maize grows differently and environmental selection is extremely strong in the hot, lowland Southwest; new descriptive measurements presented here define the Southwest maize races Pueblo and Pima-Papago for the first time; a Basketmaker II Anasazi presence is established in the desert lowlands; and the maize race Pepitilla is the probable ancestor of Fremont Dent maize. iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT...........................................................................................................................iii LIST OF FIGURES.............................................................................................................. vii LIST OF TABLES................................................................................................................ix ACKNOWLEDGMENTS................................................................................................... xii CHAPTER I PROBLEMS, METHODS, QUESTIONS, AND HYPOTHESES.............. 1 Introduction.................................................................................................................1 “Races” of Maize ........................................................................................................4 Black Dog Cave ..........................................................................................................5 Research Questions .....................................................................................................7 Hypotheses ................................................................................................................. 8 Organization of This Thesis ........................................................................................8 CHAPTER 2 AGRICULTURE AND THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST.......................10 Agricultural Theory and Domestication ...................................................................11 The Origins of Agriculture .......................................................................................12 The Domestication of Maize .....................................................................................14 The Evolution of Maize as a Domesticate ............................................................... 15 Early Maize in North America.................................................................................20 The Adoption of Cultigens in the Prehistoric Southwest ....................................... 21 Food Procurement and Cultivation in the Late Archaic Southwest ....................... 24 The Seed Orientation of Early Peoples of the Southwest ...................................... 28 CHAPTER 3 ENVIRONMENT, DEMOGRAPHY, AND AGRICULTURE IN THE GREATER SOUTHWEST.......................................................... 31 Southwest Climate in Prehistory ..............................................................................39 Population, Agriculture, and Adaptation .................................................................41 A Summary of Population Growth in the Prehistoric Southwest ...........................44 Social Complexity and Food-Sharing ...................................................................... 51 Conclusions ............................................................................................................... 53 CHAPTER 4 THE VIRGIN ANASAZI; ARCHAEOLOGY, ENVIRONMENT, DEMOGRAPHY, AND BEHAVIOR.................................................................... 54 Environment .............................................................................................................56 iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The Archaeology of the Lowland Virgin Anasazi ................................................... 65 Habitation Sites and Settlement Patterns of the Lowland Virgin Anasazi ..............68 Behavior, Economics, and Technology ................................................................... 71 Agricultural Technology .........................................................................................