University of Wisconsin Milwaukee UWM Digital Commons Theses and Dissertations December 2013 Northern Flint, Southern Roots: A Diachronic Analysis of Paleoethnobotanical Remains and Maize Race at the Aztalan Site (47-JE-0001) Jennifer L. Picard University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.uwm.edu/etd Part of the Archaeological Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Picard, Jennifer L., "Northern Flint, Southern Roots: A Diachronic Analysis of Paleoethnobotanical Remains and Maize Race at the Aztalan Site (47-JE-0001)" (2013). Theses and Dissertations. 439. https://dc.uwm.edu/etd/439 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by UWM Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UWM Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. NORTHERN FLINT, SOUTHERN ROOTS: A DIACHRONIC ANALYSIS OF PALEOETHNOBOTANICAL REMAINS AND MAIZE RACE AT THE AZTALAN SITE (47-JE-0001) by Jennifer L. Picard A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Anthropology at The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee December 2013 ABSTRACT NORTHERN FLINT, SOUTHERN ROOTS: A DIACHRONIC ANALYSIS OF PALEOETHNOBOTANICAL REMAINS AND MAIZE RACE AT THE AZTALAN SITE (47-JE-0001) by Jennifer L. Picard The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2013 Under the Supervision of John D. Richards, Ph.D. Located in Southeast Wisconsin on the west bank of the Crawfish River, the Aztalan site was first settled by horticultural Late Woodland peoples. By the mid- eleventh century A.D., Middle Mississippian migrants arrived from the south. The site was eventually transformed into a fortified village with three platform mounds. During the later component, Middle Mississippian and Late Woodland peoples appear to have coexisted. This thesis consists of a diachronic comparison of floral subsistence remains and maize race at the site. The results of the analysis indicate that while the Late Woodland inhabitants grew maize, food production involving maize and native cultigens was intensified following the appearance of Mississippian traits. The transformation of the site into a fortified agricultural village may have related to intergroup hostility within the region and territorial circumscription. The analysis also identified a possible early Mississippian feasting context. Maize race data indicate both an Eastern Great Lakes connection tied to collared Late Woodland pottery, and a southern, likely American Bottom, connection. This thesis also explores environmental and social explanations for differences between the Aztalan floral assemblage and Late Woodland and Oneota subsistence within the region. ii © Copyright by Jennifer Picard, 2013 All Rights Reserved iii In memory of Lucille Picard iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1) Introduction and Background ...................................................................... 1 Thesis Statement ............................................................................................................. 1 The Late Prehistoric Cultural Landscape in Southeast Wisconsin ................................. 4 Late Woodland Complexity ......................................................................................... 4 Creolization and the Concept of “Mississippianization” ........................................... 5 Southeastern Wisconsin Oneota ................................................................................. 8 Maize Race in the Eastern United States ...................................................................... 10 Archaeological Background: Aztalan (47-JE-0001) ..................................................... 10 Late Woodland and Middle Mississippian at Aztalan .............................................. 12 Layout of the Aztalan Site ......................................................................................... 15 Brief History of Archaeological Investigations at Aztalan ....................................... 17 Previous Floral Research at Aztalan ........................................................................ 22 Other Sources of Subsistence Data ........................................................................... 25 Lake Koshkonong Locality Oneota Sites ..................................................................... 26 Environmental Context ................................................................................................. 30 Vegetation Zones ....................................................................................................... 32 Forest Communities .................................................................................................. 33 Anthropogenic Habitats ............................................................................................ 35 Environmental Catchment Analysis ............................................................................. 37 Methods ..................................................................................................................... 37 Ecozone Comparison between Aztalan and Koshkonong Locality Sites .................. 39 Arable Soils Comparison between Aztalan and Koshkonong Locality Sites ............ 43 Ecotone Comparison between Aztalan and Koshkonong Locality Sites ................... 45 Thesis Organization ...................................................................................................... 48 Chapter 2) Review of Maize Race and Floral Utilization in the Late Prehistoric Eastern United States…………………………………………………………………..50 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 51 Maize Race in the Eastern United States ...................................................................... 51 The Races of Maize ................................................................................................... 56 Genetic Basis for Maize Race Distinctions ............................................................... 58 Cautions Regarding Maize Race Analysis ................................................................ 57 v Other Cultivated Foods ................................................................................................. 60 Regional Floral Subsistence Histories .......................................................................... 62 American Bottom ...................................................................................................... 62 Wisconsin and Northern Illinois ............................................................................... 73 Eastern Great Lakes ................................................................................................. 85 Discussion ..................................................................................................................... 97 Chapter 3) Sample Selection and Methods ................................................................. 101 Samples Selected for Analysis .................................................................................... 101 Contexts from 1984 excavations. ............................................................................ 103 Contexts from 2011 excavations ............................................................................. 106 Methods....................................................................................................................... 114 Flotation Processing ............................................................................................... 114 Floral Analysis ........................................................................................................ 115 1/16” Water-Screened Samples. .............................................................................. 116 Quantitative Comparisons ...................................................................................... 117 Maize Row Number ................................................................................................. 120 Chapter 4) The Aztalan Floral Assemblage: Results and Analysis .......................... 124 Results of Aztalan Flotation Analysis......................................................................... 124 Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Dating .................................................................. 129 Intrasite Analysis ........................................................................................................ 131 Nutshell ................................................................................................................... 131 Zea mays ................................................................................................................. 134 Squash Rind ............................................................................................................ 136 Small Seeds and Cultigens ...................................................................................... 137 Assemblage Diversity .............................................................................................. 142 Comparison with Northeast Mound Structure 1 ..................................................... 144 The Effect of Depositional Context on the Aztalan Assemblage ............................. 149 Maize Race Results and Analysis ............................................................................... 150 Chi-Squared Test of Independence ........................................................................