Site visibility and the interpretation of Mimbres Mogollon demography in the U.S. Southwest

Author: Roth, Barbara J.

Source: Journal of Field Archaeology, Volume 36, Number 3, July 2011 , pp. 221-231(11)

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Abstract:

Models of Pithouse period cultural change in the Mimbres Mogollon region of southwestern New Mexico rely on a combination of surface and excavation data. Recent fieldwork at La Gila Encantada, a Late Pithouse (A.D. 550–1000) period site in the uplands west of the Mimbres River Valley, showed that surface data significantly under-represented earlier, less visible occupations at the site; the same was true at other Pithouse period sites. Investigations at La Gila Encantada and elsewhere demonstrate that the appearance of "villages" late in the Pithouse period represents a culmination of long-term land-use strategies and the stable use of particular sites over many generations. The observed changes in occupational intensity reflect a general pattern of demographic change tied to increasing population size and sedentism.

Keywords: U.S. SOUTHWEST; DEMOGRAPHY; SITE VISIBILITY; SURFACE SURVEY; PITHOUSE

Document Type: Research Article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1179/009346911X12991472411169

Publication date: 2011-07-01

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