GLYPHS The Monthly Newsletter of the Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society An Affiliate of the Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona Founded in 1916 Vol. 59, No. 11 Tucson, Arizona May 2009 HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS ISSUE President’s Message .................................................................................................... 2 Human Adaptation to Catastrophic Events: Lessons from the 11th Century A.D. Eruption of Sunset Crater Volcano, by Mark Elson ....................................... 4 The Cornerstone ........................................................................................................... 8 Sunset Crater lava with impressions of prehistoric corn cobs. This artifact was found at a habitation site 4 km away from the closest lava flow and is thought to have been made as part of a ritual undertaking. Anthropological data strongly suggest religious mechanisms are highly adaptive during catastrophic events, enabling people to more readily accept the event and begin the recovery process. (Photograph by Helga Teiwes.) Next General Meeting: May 18, 2009 <http://www.statemuseum.arizona.edu/aahs/aahs.shtml> Page 2 Glyphs: The Monthly Newsletter of . The Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society Page 3 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE pottery types recently defined by Boyd, about the rock art of the Lower Patrick Lyons of ASM. Pecos, and have just started the in- Membership Kudos to Board Member David teresting new book by Michael McLean who organized both field Whalen and Paul Minnis, our March y term as President of were outstanding — very informa- trips. These are the sorts of activities speaker, on the sites neighboring M AAHS will soon be tive and enjoyable. In late March, that will keep me, and many others, Casas Grandes. over, so I have been think- noted archaeoastronomer John coming back for more. Speaking of the benefits of mem- ing about how to stay in- Fountain lead a two-day field trip to And of course there are the excel- bership, membership renewal no- volved in the Society after my the Painted Rocks area along the Gila lent lectures at our General Meetings. tices will be going out in mid-May. I Board term ends on June 30. A few River. He showed us a number of I won’t be kicking off the meetings hope you will join me in renewing things will change, but much will very interesting and diverse rock art much longer, but I’ll be there learn- your membership in AAHS so that remain the same. sites, as well as examples of summit ing new things and occasionally you can help support the many fine Of course, I will no longer be in- paths, geoglyphs, and an important picking up a book written by the programs of AAHS and continue to volved in Board meetings or in per- historic site. Todd Bostwick, also an speaker. I recently finished a terrific enjoy the benefits of membership. forming various duties of the Presi- authority on rock art, jointed us on book by our January speaker, Carolyn —Peter Boyle, President dent. Instead, I plan to volunteer to the first day and helped John lead help the Society in some other way, the rock art discussions. It was a probably by becoming a member of wonderful opportunity to hear the AAHS LECTURE SERIES one of the Committees responsible for complementary perspectives of these organizing AAHS programs. two scholars. All meetings are held at the University Medical Center, Duval Auditorium The part that won’t change is en- The second field trip was in early Third Monday of the month, 7:30–9:00 p.m. joying the many benefits of member- April and offered an opportunity to May 18, 2009: Mark Elson, Human Adaptation to Catastrophic Events: Lessons ship in AAHS. The Society offers see a Puebloan migrant site in the from the 11th Century A.D. Eruption of Sunset Crater many things to its members, and I per- Safford Basin, as well as the excel- sonally benefit from lots of them. lent ceramics collection at Eastern June 15, 2009: Jeffery Clark, Mounds and Migrants: New Perspectives on the Foremost for me is reading our Arizona College in Thatcher. Bill Hohokam Collapse publications. I originally joined Gillespie, BLM Archaeologist with July 20, 2009: William Graves, History, Households, and Power in the Ancient AAHS in order to receive Kiva, and I the Coronado National Forest, gave Hohokam World still look forward to each issue. Ev- an excellent tour of the Marijilda site, Sept. 21, 2009: Bettina Lyons, Zeckendorfs and Steinfelds: Merchant Princes of ery issue contains important re- an interesting masonry structure the Southwest search papers, as well as excellent consisting of at least 40 rooms and book reviews. And our newsletter three plazas. We also saw some of Glyphs contains lots of interesting the extensive agricultural features GLYPHS: Information and articles to be included in Glyphs must be re- information about what is happen- nearby as well as a second habita- ceived by the 10th of each month for inclusion in the next month’s issue. E- ing at AAHS and in the world of Ar- tion site that is quite different from mail me, Emilee Mead, at <[email protected]>, or contact me at Desert chaeology and History more broadly. Marijilda but also appears to have Archaeology, Inc., 3975 N. Tucson Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85716; 520.881.2244 It is a great source of information been inhabited by Puebloan mi- (phone), 520.909.3662 (cell), 520.881.0325 (FAX). about upcoming activities and grants. In the afternoon, we saw the AAHS WEBSITE: Glyphs is posted each month and can be found on the events. ceramics collection at Eastern Ari- ASM/AAHS website at: <http://www.statemuseum.arizona.edu/aahs/ I will certainly continue to attend zona College that is both beautiful aahs.shtml>, and it can also be found at: <http://www.swanet.org/ field trips. In the past few weeks, I and important. This collection in- zarchives/aahs/>. have attended two field trips that cludes examples of a number of new Page 4 Glyphs: The Monthly Newsletter of . The Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society Page 5 Elson, Mark D., and Michael H. Ort (edi- Impacts of Volcanic Eruptions, edited AAHS HAPPENINGS tors) by Grattan and R. Torrence, pp. 107– 2003 In the Shadow of the Volcano: Re- 132. Left Coast Press, Walnut TOPIC OF THE MAY 18 GENERAL MEETING cent Research at Sunset Crater. Ar- Creek, California. chaeology Southwest 17(1). Elson, Mark D., Michael H. Ort, S. Jerome Elson, Mark D., Michael H. Ort, Kirk C. Hesse, and Wendell A. Duffield Human Adaptation to Catastrophic Events: Anderson, and James M. Heidke 2002 Lava, Corn, and Ritual in the North- th 2007 Living with the Volcano: The 11th ern Southwest. American Antiquity Lessons from the 11 Century A.D. Eruption Century Eruption of Sunset Crater. 67:119–135. of Sunset Crater Volcano In Living Under the Shadow: Cultural by Mark Elson Speaker Mark D. Elson is Principal Investigator at Desert Archaeology, Inc., in Tucson, he investigation of 40 prehistoric yearly precipitation. This previously Arizona, and Adjunct Professor in the Center for Sustainable Environments at Northern Tsites within 5-15 km of Sunset little inhabited area—now called Arizona University. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Rhode Crater Volcano has provided new in- Wupatki National Monument— Island (1978) and received his masters (1980) and doctoral (1996) degrees in Anthropology formation about human adaptation soon became the site of some of the from the University of Arizona. Mark has spent the past 25 years working in the American to this catastrophic event. New data largest pueblo structures ever built Southwest and has directed archaeological projects on the Navajo Reservation, in the Flag- suggest the volcano erupted for a very in the Flagstaff area. The deliberate staff area, and in the Tucson, Phoenix, and Tonto Basins. His research interests include short time (weeks to months) some- creation of corn-impressed lava-spat- prehistoric social organization and kinship systems, economic systems, the formation of social boundaries, and human adaptations to catastrophic events. With volcanologist Dr. Michael time between A.D. 1050 and 1100, ter agglutinate by the prehistoric in- Ort, Mark is currently co-director of a multidisciplinary project investigating the effects of when nearby areas were densely habitants further suggests the initia- the eruption of Sunset Crater Volcano on the prehistoric inhabitants of northern Arizona. populated by small, farming groups. tion of ritual offerings to the volcano, Lava and volcanic tephra were de- which likely also played a key role posited over an area of 2,300 km2, in the successful adaptation of af- ENTER FOR ESERT RCHAEOLOGY S dramatically changing both the fected groups. C D A ’ physical landscape and the ideologi- The significance of the Sunset ARCHAEOLOGY CAFÉ cal world view of the prehistoric in- Crater eruption to local populations he Center for Desert Archaeology and Casa Vincente invite you to the habitants. is strongly underscored by the mod- TArchaeology Café, a casual discussion forum dedicated to promoting com- Agricultural experiments indicate ern Hopi, who tell accounts of the munity engagement with cultural and scientific research. Meetings are the 2 that an area of greater than 400 km eruption as part of their traditional first Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m.; presentations begin at 6:15 p.m. had to be abandoned due to the depo- history. The results of these investi- sition of a cinder cover deeper than gations are used to examine human Casa Vicente is located at 375 S. Stone Avenue. The café is free and open to the 20-30 cm, under which corn agricul- adaptation to catastrophic events in community. ture was no longer possible. This general, which may be particularly May 5: Panel Discussion, Rio Nuevo: A Panel Discussion on Interpreting likely created thousands of volcano significant today given changing cli- Tucson’s Historic and Ancient Past through New Museums and Cultural refugees, many of whom migrated 15- matic conditions and increased Attractions 20 km north of Sunset Crater into the population movement into poten- arid lower elevations that were now tially hazardous areas.