MUSEUM OF NEW MEXICO OFFICE OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDIES U.S. 84 SUNSHINE VALLEY: THE TESTING OF THREE SITES SOUTHEAST OF SANTA ROSA, NEW MEXICO by Peter Y. Bullock Submitted by Timothy D. Maxwell Principal Investigator ARCHAEOLOGY NOTES 176 SANTA FE 1997 NEW MEXICO ADMINISTRATIVE SUMMARY Between October 30 and November 10, 1994, the Office of Archaeological Studies, Museum of New Mexico, conducted limited archaeological testing atthree sites on U.S. 84 southeast of Santa Rosa, Guadalupe County, New Mexico. Limited testing at LA 105817, LA 57152, and LA 103315 was conducted at the request of the New Mexico State Highway and Transportation Department (NMSHTD), to determine the extent and importance of cultural resources present as partof the proposed improvements alonga 12.8-km (8 miles) stretch of U.S. 84 southeast of Sank Rosa, New Mexico (Levine 1994). LA 103315 is on private and NMSHTD- aquired land. The other two sites (LA105817 and LA 57152) are on State Trust Land. All three sites are surface lithic artifact scatters, and probably represent temporary or seasonal camping locations.No intact features were foundon any of the sites associated with site occupation or use. In all three cases the data potentialof the portions of the sites within theproject area was determined to be minimal beyond that already documented, and no further investigations are recommended. MNM Project 41.589 NMSHTD Project No. NH-084-1(10)18 CPRC Archaeological Survey Permit No. SP-146 New Mexico State Land Office Survey Permit No.931027 CN 2355 J00040 ii CONTENTS Administrative Summary ............................................. ii Introduction ..................................................... 1 Environment ..................................................... 3 Geology .................................................. 3 Climate ................................................... 4 Flora and Fauna ............................................. 4 Cultural Resources Overview .......................................... 6 Paleoindian Period ........................................... 6 Archaic Period .............................................. 6 Pueblo Period ............................................... 7 Plains Indian Occupation ....................................... 7 Hispanic Occupation .......................................... 8 Anglo-American Occupation ..................................... 8 Testing Results .................................................. 10 Field Methods ............................................. 10 LA105817 ............................................... 11 LA57152 ................................................ 11 LA103315 ............................................... 17 Lithic Artifact Analysis............................................. 20 Analytical Methods .......................................... 20 Analytical Results ........................................... 21 Ground Stone Analysis ............................................. 38 Analytical Results ........................................... 38 Discussion and Conclusions .......................................... 40 Assessments and Recommendations ..................................... 48 LA105817 ............................................... 48 LA57152 ................................................ 48 LA103315 ............................................... 49 References Cited ................................................. 50 Appendix 1. Site Locations and Legal Description ........................... 56 ... 111 Figures 1. Project vicinity map .............................................. 2 2 . LA 105817 site map ............................................. 12 3 . LA 105817 site overview .......................................... 13 4 . LA 57152 site map .............................................. 14 5 . LA 57152 site overview .......................................... 15 6 . LA 103315 site map ............................................. 18 7. LA 103315 siteoverview .......................................... 19 8 . LA 57152 one-hand mano ......................................... 38 9 . LA 57152 Martindale-style projectile points ............................. 47 Tables 1. LA 1058 17. artifact morphology by material type .......................... 23 2 . LA 57152. artifact morphology by material type .......................... 24 3 . LA 103315. artifact morphology by material type .......................... 25 4 . LA 105817. flake morphology by portion and platform type................... 26 5 . LA 57152. flake morphology by portion andplatform type .................... 27 6 . LA 103315. flake morphology by portion and platform type................... 28 7 . LA 105817. percent of dorsal cortex by material type ....................... 29 8 . LA 57152. percent dorsal cortex by material type .......................... 30 9. LA 103315. percent dorsal cortex by material type ......................... 31 10 . LA 105817. artifact function by material type ........................... 32 1 1 . LA 57152. artifact function by material type ............................ 33 12. LA 103315. artifact function by material type ........................... 34 13. Site debitage : tool ratios ......................................... 37 14. Cultural affiliation of sitesby topography in the 15 USGS quadrants surrounding the project area ............................................. 41 15. Expected early and late Archaicand Anasazi lithicartifact assemblages ........... 42 16. Comparison of selected lithic artifact assemblage attributes for project sites with sites in the general upper Pecos Valley.......................... 44 17. Comparison of selected lithicartifact assemblage attributes for project sites with sites in thegeneral upper Pecos Valley .......................... 45 18. Comparison of selected lithic artifact assemblage attributes for project sites with sites in thegeneral upper Pecos Valley .......................... 46 iv INTRODUCTION At the requestof William L. Taylor, Environmental Program Manager, New Mexico State Highway and Transportation Department (NMSHTD), a limited testing program was conducted at three sites(LA 105817, LA 57152, andLA 103315), located onU.S. 84 near Santa Rosa, New Mexico (Fig. 1). LA 103315 is on private land andstate land administered by theNMSHTD. The other two sites are located on State Trust Land. Limited testing was conducted under CPRC Archaeological survey permitNo, SP-146, and New Mexico State Land Office Survey PermitNo. 93/027. Field work was carried out between October 30 and November 10, 1994, conducted by Peter Y. Bullock, assisted by Joy Beasley, Heather Bixler, and Jennifer Noble. Sherry Butler served as a volunteer. Timothy D. Maxwell acted asprincipal investigator. Figures and artifacts were drafted by Robert Turner, the report was edited by Robin Gould, and photographs were printed by Nancy Warren. Limited testing was conducted at LA 105817, LA 57152, and LA103315 to determinethe extent and importanceof the portionof the sites within the proposed project limits. The testing was restricted to the proposed project corridorof planned improvementsto US84, southeast of Santa Rosa, Guadalupe County, New Mexico. Exact site location information is contained in Appendix 1 (removed from copies in general circulation). 1 2 ENVIRONMENT The project locale is in an area bounded by the Pecos River on the west.The northern three-quarters of the project area is bounded on the east by San Juan de Dios Arroyo, which then crosses the projectarea. The northern portionof the project area is located within theSan Juan de Dios Arroyo drainagearea. Elevation within the projectarea ranges from 1,414.1 m (4,670 ft) in the north to 1,348.7 m (4,454 fi) in the south. This area south of Santa Rosa is primarily rolling mixed grassland. Occasional outcropsof exposed sandstone and shaleoccur, principally on the tops of ridges. This exposedbedrock forms an area of breaks along theedge of the San Juan de Dios Arroyo drainage. The area supports a cover of mixed grasses, with juniper-parkland present in rocky areas and slopes. Common invasive species include mesquite, cholla, and narrow leaf yucca. Geology Guadalupe County forms part of the Great Plains physiographic province (Jelinek 1967:35). The terrain ischaracterized by broad plains dipping graduallyeastward. In this region of the southern plains, this eastwarddip ends where it comes intocontact with the caprock of the Llano Estacado. The Pecos Riveris approximately 1.6 km (1.0 miles) to the westof U.S. 84, This is a two- tiered canyon system comprising the oldest portionof the Pecos River Valley, predating the major course shift to the south of the middle Pecos River in the late Pleistocene (Jelinek19675). This portion of the river valley variesin width and is lined for mostof its length bybroken cliffs of the ~ second river terrace, formed of sandstonefrom the Santa Rosa and ChinleFormations (Lucas et al. 1985:172-173). Away from the cliff edges, these Triassic sandstonesare buried in most places by Pleistocene sandsand gravels (Kues et al. 1985:64). Processes of solution have promoteda karst topography along the Pecos Valley. Water acts on underlying beds of gypsumand limestone, causing the collapse of thesurface sandstones and shales of the Santa RosaFormation (Lucas et al. 1985:172). The resulting sinkholes feedsurface runoff into the Pecos River and numerous springs and seeps present along the Pecosterraces River (Levine and Mobley1976: 1 1). Soils within the project