CHEMICAL COMPOSITIONAL ANALYSIS OF POLYCHROME POTTERY IN THE NORTHERN CASAS GRANDES AREA (A.D. 1200–1450) _______________________________________ A Dissertation presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School at the University of Missouri ______________________________________________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy _____________________________________________________ By CANDACE A. SALL Dr. Todd VanPool, Dissertation Supervisor December 2018 The undersigned, appointed by the dean of the Graduate School, have examined the dissertation entitled CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF POLYCHROME POTTERY IN THE NORTHERN CASAS GRANDES AREA (A.D. 1200–1450) presented by Candace A. Sall, a candidate for the degree of doctor of philosophy, and hereby certify that, in their opinion, it is worthy of acceptance. __________________________________________ Michael J. O’Brien (co-chair) __________________________________________ Todd L. VanPool (co-chair) __________________________________________ Christine S. VanPool __________________________________________ Michael D. Glascock DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my family. Joseph, my husband, never wavered in his support of my graduate work, be it excavating, researching, analyzing, or writing, and he was always there to take care of things at home. Our daughters, Izzy and Beth, were happy to come into the field with me, even though it was always hot! My parents always supported my education and their care kept me going, even after they passed away. My grandparents also helped make sure I had what I needed. My Mom was always my biggest cheerleader and I will always try to make her proud. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My sincere thanks are given to many people. Michael J. O’Brien provided guidance since the day we met when I said I wanted to use science to understand the archaeological record. His support throughout this project was unwavering. Todd and Christine VanPool allowed me to come to the field with them and work at 76 Draw. Todd keeps the excavations running, and there are none better than Chris at reading excavations. Thank you to Todd for working with me on my first drafts. Mike Glascock trained me in NAA sample preparations and later in analyzing the data as a graduate student. He never let me lose sight of finishing this dissertation and he always inquired on how it was going. This research was funded by two grants: National Science Foundation grant 1621158 at the Archaeometry Lab at the University of Missouri Research Reactor funded NAA, and an additional grant to Todd VanPool from the University of Missouri Arts and Science Alumni Foundation also supported NAA. Thank you to the researchers that allowed me to use their comparative data from across southern New Mexico and western Texas: Katy Putsavage, Darrell Creel, Lori Reed, and Karl Laumbach. My thanks also go to fellow graduate students, especially Matt Boulanger, who showed me the finer points of NAA, and Kyle Waller, who kept me up to date on all the skeletal research in the Casas Grandes area. I also thank Kate Trusler, who helped me walk through all the final graduate school steps in order and as gracefully as possible. ii Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENTS …………………………………………….…………………………………………………...ii LIST OF FIGURES…………………………………….………………………………………………………………….…..v LIST OF TABLES…………………………………….………………………………………………….……….…..….….vi ABSTRACT…………………………………….………………………………………………….…………………..…..…vii Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION………………………………………….………………….……………….………..…….1 2. BACKGROUND………………………………………….…………………….……………………..………9 Casas Grandes Medio Period (A.D. 1200–1450) Chihuahuan Polychrome Pottery Salado (A.D. 1250–1450) Salado Polychrome Pottery Animas Phase (A.D. 1200–1450) 76 Draw Other Settlements Used for Comparisons Pottery Production in the Casas Grandes and Salado Regions 3. MATERIALS AND METHODS………………………………………………..……….………..…….36 Neutron Activation Analysis The Samples Sample Preparation Multivariate Analysis Petrographic Analysis Chapter Summary 4. NAA AND PETROGRAPHIC ANALYSIS AND RESULTS………………………….…..……..53 NAA Compositional Results Group R1 Group R2 Group R3 Group G (Gila: Salado wares) Group P1 Group P2 iii Group P3 Group BMP1 Group BMP2 Group BMP3 Petrographic Analysis Interpreting NAA and Petrographic Results 5. DISCUSSION………………………………………….…………….…………………..………..…………83 Discussion Conclusions Future Work APPENDIX A. CLUSTER ANALYSIS OF DATASET………………….………………………….………93 B. MAHALANOBIS DISTANCES FOR NAA GROUPS…………………….….………96 C. ANALYSIS IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS WITH PROVENIENCE DESGINATION AND NAA GROUP………………….…………………..….………..102 D. SCATTERPLOTS OF RAMOS GROUPS: FE, EU, LA, CR, HF………………..105 E. RAW NAA DATA FROM 76 DRAW SAMPLES………………………………..…109 REFERENCES CITED………………….…………………………………….…………………..…………..121 VITA………………….…………………………………………………………………………..…..……………134 iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1.1 Map showing the Casas Grandes and Salado regions……………………………………..….……1 1.2 Map of study area with sites and towns………………..…………………………….…….……………6 2.1 Macaw pens with stone rings and plugs at Paquimé..…………………………….……..….……12 2.2 Ramos Polychrome jar.…………………………………………………………………………………..………15 2.3 Gila Polychrome bowl………………………………………………………………………………..…..………22 3.1 Diagram illustrating the process of neutron capture.…………………………………..…………37 3.2 Principal Components 1 and 3 with vectors..…………………………………………………….……45 3.3 Principal Components 1 and 4 with all 10 geochemical groups.………………………………47 3.4 Scatterplot comparing barium and arsenic of Ramos Polychrome groups………..…….48 4.1 Bar chart of variances explained by each principle component………………………………54 4.2 Principal Components scatterplot of Ramos Polychrome groups.……………..……..……58 4.3 Scatterplot of barium and arsenic for Ramos Polychrome groups.…………………………60 4.4 Principal Components scatterplot of Groups G, R1, R2, and R3.………………………..……62 4.5 Scatterplot of all plainware groups.………………………………………………………………….……64 4.6 Scatterplot of vanadium and calcium with plainware Groups 1–3.…………………………66 4.7 Principal Components scatterplot of plainware Groups 1–3.……………………………….…67 4.8 Scatterplot of ytterbium and barium with Groups P2–3 and BMP1–3.……………………68 4.9 Scatterplot of ytterbium and neodymium with Groups BMP1–3.……………………..……69 5.1 Ramos Polychrome group distribution areas.……………………………………………..….………85 5.2 Group G (Gila Polychrome) distribution area.…………………………………….………..…………87 v LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1.1 Dataset for this research by site number.…………………………………………………………………4 2.1 Polychrome pottery sherd counts at 76 Draw.……………………………………….………….……27 3.1 Elements counted in NAA at MURR.……………………………………………………….……..….……43 4.1 Sites and pottery types with site names/number.…………………………………………..………54 4.2 Eigenvalues for the first eight principle components.……………………………………..………55 4.3 Sites with sherd counts and clay sample by geochemical group.…………………….………57 4.4 Petrographic analysis of minerals by temper group and NAA group.…………..…….……74 vi ABSTRACT The northern area of the Casas Grandes Medio Period (A.D. 1200–1450) was not well known archaeologically. 76 Draw is on the border of the Casas Grandes and Salado (A.D. 1275–1450) regions and the nature of interaction and integration with both areas at this site was examined through excavation. 76 Draw, an Animas Phase settlement in Luna County, New Mexico, had both Ramos Polychrome vessels, a Casas Grandes polychrome type, and Gila Polychrome vessels, a Salado polychrome type, and neutron activation analysis was conducted to determine if both types were made at 76 Draw. The Ramos Polychrome pottery at the site came from three production locations based on the geochemical groups as well as petrographic analysis of some of the sherds. One of the production locations is at or near Paquimé and one might be at or near 76 Draw. The Gila Polychrome vessels came to 76 Draw from one production location in the Mimbres Valley north of the site. 76 Draw was integrated with Casas Grandes in Chihuahua, Mexico, as it was participating in the religious system that included the production and use of the iconographic Ramos Polychrome pottery. Evidence of roasting ovens, obsidian from southern sources, shell, and bird burial information from 76 Draw, along with Ramos Polychrome data, demonstrates that the Casas Grandes interaction sphere operates as far north as southern New Mexico. vii Chapter 1 Introduction This study seeks to define the nature of late prehistoric borderland dynamics in what is now southern New Mexico in an area where the Casas Grandes culture, centered in Chihuahua, Mexico, and the Salado culture, centered in Arizona, overlapped (Figure 1.1). Figure 1.1 Map showing the Casas Grandes and Salado regions. The Casas Grandes world encompasses a large area of the United States and Mexico, from southern New Mexico to central Chihuahua and from southwest Texas to southern Arizona and eastern Sonora. This area is delineated most easily by Medio 1 Period (A.D. 1200–1450) Chihuahuan polychrome pottery such as Ramos, Babícora, and Villa Ahumada Polychromes. These polychromes, with intricate red and black painted designs on a light-colored surface, have been noted for over a hundred years (Kidder 1916). They were made by farmers who lived in adobe houses. The largest city in the region, Paquimé (formally known as Casas Grandes) served as a ceremonial and economic center that exerted influence across the region and beyond (Di Peso et al. 1974; Schaafsma and Riley 1999a). Northwest of Paquimé, in east-central Arizona and west-central New Mexico, lived people who also were also farmers