Households on the Mimbres Horizon, Volume 82: Excavations at La Gila Encantada, Southwestern New Mexico (Anthropological Papers) - Softcover

Barbara J. Roth (author)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0816548544 ISBN 13: 9780816548545

Publisher: The University of Arizona Press, 2023

Synopsis

Pithouse sites represent the basic form of occupation in the Mimbres Mogollon region of southwestern New Mexico from AD 200 to the late 900s. This study presents the results of excavations of one such site, called La Gila Encantada.

Little is known about the variability present at pithouse sites away from the major Mimbres and Gila River Valleys. Nonriverine occupations have been understudied until now. This book describes subsistence and settlement practices and compares the results with recent research conducted at the larger villages in the Mimbres River Valley. Despite basic similarities in material culture, households at La Gila Encantada appear to have followed different trajectories than those along the rivers. Examining these differences, archaeologist Barbara J. Roth provides insights into some of the reasons why they existed and shows that the variability present in pithouse occupations over the years was tied to multiple factors, including environmental differences, economic practices, and the social composition of groups occupying the sites. With chapters assessing ceramic data, chipped and groundstone analysis, shell and mineral jewelry, and regional context, this look at the past offers relevant insights into current issues in Southwest archaeology, including identity, interaction, and household organization.

About this title

About the Author

Barbara J. Roth is a professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Roth specializes in studying prehistoric cultures in the American Southwest. She is the author of Agricultural Beginnings in the American Southwest.

Edition details

• Publisher: The University of Arizona Press
• Publication date: 2023
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0816548544
• ISBN 13: 9780816548545
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 96