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the archaeology of aztec north - dr. michelle i. turner · 2019. 11. 15. · the archaeology of...

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  • The Archaeology of Aztec North - Dr. Michelle I. Turner · 2019. 11. 15. · The Archaeology of Aztec North! Michelle Turner*, Maxwell Forton*, Joshua Jones, Randall McGuire*, Lubna
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The Archaeology of Aztec North Michelle Turner*, Maxwell Forton*, Joshua Jones, Randall McGuire*, Lubna Omar*, Samuel Stansel**, Kellam Throgmorton*, Ruth Van Dyke* *Binghamton University, **Colorado College Introduc)on In June 2016, Binghamton University conducted limited test excavaMons at the Aztec North great house at Aztec Ruins NaMonal Monument. Aztec North is carefully posiMoned as part of a constructed landscape that includes Aztec West, Aztec East, tri-wall structures, and a road segment. Surface ceramics indicate Aztec North was built earlier than Aztec West, in the late 1000s to early 1100s (Stein & McKenna 1988; Turner 2015). Aztec Cultural Landcape, Lekson 2015: 62, fig. 3.2, after Stein & McKenna 1988. Aztec North has the massive size and D-shaped outline of a Chacoan great house, but the lack of visible sandstone and standing masonry led archaeologists to believe that the great house was built of cobble-reinforced adobe rather than masonry. As the nearest sandstone source is 3 miles away, Van Dyke (2008) has argued the structure represents an expedient effort to build a great house with a small labor force. Once plastered in white like other great houses, Aztec North would have looked the part without requiring as much effort. Brown and Paddock (2011) also argued that Aztec North was an early effort to imitate a Chacoan great house, but for them the builders were very specifically locals emulaMng a Chacoan great house in adobe, the local architecture. They argued that Aztec North was constructed before Chacoans arrived to build Aztec West. Lekson (2015), by contrast, has contended that the builders of Aztec North were pracMcing their adobe construcMon skills in advance of heading south to Paquimé. Construc)on Based on surface materials, we expected to encounter cobble and adobe walls, with lidle to no sandstone. Instead, we found that at least some of the walls of the great house had coursed sandstone masonry veneers. This greenish, local sandstone was a friable material that did not weather well, and may not have been preserved on the surface. Behind the masonry veneers were crumbly cores made of handfuls of adobe reinforced with river cobbles. Although the builders of these walls were clearly aware of the idea of core and veneer, the use of adobe cores is extremely unusual and is not a Chacoan construcMon technique. Da)ng Although we did not find any wood beams that could be used for tree-ring daMng, we did collect a large quanMty of samples for radiocarbon daMng. These samples include pieces of wood and corn cob embedded in adobe roofing material—so daMng the organic mader will date the construcMon itself. We are currently working on obtaining funds to have our samples run. Rela)onship with Chaco and Other Regions The architectural construcMon of Aztec North suggests a complex relaMonship between Aztec North and Chaco Canyon. As noted above, the cobble footers, large rooms, and coursed sandstone veneers suggest Chacoan construcMon knowledge, but the adobe and adobe-cobble cores are a local, non- Chacoan building technique. Van Dyke (2008) has argued that the Aztec cultural landscape as a whole was meant to emulate downtown Chaco Canyon, with Aztec North standing in for Pueblo Alto, but was this formal spaMal relaMonship planned by the builders from the outset, or was Aztec North incorporated later as a way to include a local building in a Chacoan scheme? The architectural evidence remains ambiguous on this score, although absolute dates may help. Ceramic and lithic analyses (underway) will improve our understanding of interacMon with Chaco and other regions. A surprisingly large quanMty of obsidian suggests connecMons between Aztec North and the Jemez area. Subsistence Analysis of botanical & faunal remains are underway and are already providing informaMon about subsistence. Because there was no local populaMon in the immediate area before the construcMon of Aztec North, we will be comparing the faunal assemblage at this site to other places where wild resource depleMon was more of a problem. We can already report that people here ate fish. Near a small charcoal feature in one of the great house rooms, we found these fish vertebrae. Fish are extremely rare for Ancient Pueblo sites, but since Aztec Ruins is right on the Animas River this finding is perhaps not so surprising. Conclusion Our test excavaMon has confirmed some assumpMons about Aztec North and filled in a few details in its story, but our work also raises new quesMons. In the coming months, we will conMnue analyzing our data and arMfacts to learn as much as possible about this lidle known site, and we will work with the archaeologists at Aztec Ruins NaMonal Monument to turn that data into informaMon that they can then share with the public. Fish vertebrae Masonry veneer and adobe core Chacoan cobble foundation >> << Wood in a chunk of adobe Our core crew, with Stephen Matt and Lori Reed of Aztec Ruins National Monument Study Unit 2 – test trench across the looted room Ceramic and lithic artifacts from Aztec North The walls also raise another set of quesMons. We found evidence of substanMal remodeling along the great house’s north wall, with some period of Mme elapsing between two building episodes. But our tesMng (including our work in the very deflated trash middens) revealed a paucity of trash at the site, which suggests that people did not inhabit or use the great house very intensively. Why remodel a structure that was not in acMve use? Did Aztec North primarily serve a symbolic role within the Aztec cultural landscape? How to explain these contradicMons? One possibility is that Chacoan builders established the foundaMons but lej the construcMon to locals with a limited workforce or limited resources. Another is that cobble footers were not, in fact, Chacoan knowledge. We proposed subsurface invesMgaMons to assess these compeMng ideas. Our research quesMons focused on idenMfying the construcMon, daMng, and use of the great house, so that we might beder understand its relaMonship to the larger Aztec landscape and to Chaco. Ajer tribal consultaMon, the NaMonal Park Service granted us a permit to conduct limited excavaMon of the great house. We excavated 18 square meters distributed among four test units: a trench perpendicular to the north wall, a trench across a purportedly looted room, and two test units in deflated midden areas. Here we present preliminary findings for each of our research issues based on our work. Site map with approximate locations of our study units >> However, the size of the rooms we uncovered is on a par with Chacoan great houses. Moreover, the walls of the great house are anchored in what look like Chacoan footer trenches, with large river cobbles set in hard mortar under the floor levels. These “low-visibility” Chacoan features resemble footers at Aztec West, indicaMng the direct involvement of builders with Chacoan knowledge at North Ruin. Contact InformaMon: Michelle Turner [email protected] hdp:www.michelle-turner.net Dr. Ruth Van Dyke: [email protected] hdp://bingweb.binghamton.edu/~rvandyke/Home.html Acknowledgments Funding for this project was provided by grants to Michelle Turner from the Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society, the Western NaMonal Parks AssociaMon, the Explorers Club ExploraMon Fund – Mamont Scholars Program, and the Lewis and Clark Fund for ExploraMon and Field Research. We appreciate the support of NaMonal Park Service personnel Larry Turk, Aron Adams, Lori Reed, Stephen Mad, Jeffery Wharton, and Vern Hensler. We parMcularly wish to thank the professional volunteers who donated their Mme and labor: Gary Brown, Donna Brown, Shanna Diederichs, Donna Glowacki, Blythe Morrison, and Chuck Riggs. We also appreciate the thoughtul insights, suggesMons, and conversaMons offered by a cast of professional visitors too numerous to list! Of course, we take responsibility for any errors or misconcepMons here. References Cited Brown, Gary M. and Cheryl I. Paddock (2011) Chacoan and Vernacular Architecture at Aztec Ruins: Puvng Chaco in its Place. Kiva 77(2):203-224. Lekson, Stephen H. (2015) The Chaco Meridian: One Thousand Years of Poli8cal and Religious Power in the Ancient Southwest. 2nd ed. Rowman & Lidlefield, Lanham, Maryland. Stein, John R. and Peter J. McKenna (1988) An Archaeological Reconnaissance of a Late Bonito Phase Occupa8on Near Aztec Ruins Na8onal Monument, New Mexico. NaMonal Park Service, Santa Fe. Turner, Michelle I. (2015) Ceramics of Aztec North and the Terrace Community, Aztec Ruins NaMonal Monument. Unpublished MA Thesis, Binghamton University. Van Dyke, Ruth M. (2008) Sacred Landscapes: The Chaco-Totah ConnecMon. In Chaco's Northern Prodigies: Salmon, Aztec, and the Ascendancy of the Middle San Juan Region AIer AD 1100, edited by Paul F. Reed, pp. 334-348. University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City.

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Page 1: The Archaeology of Aztec North - Dr. Michelle I. Turner · 2019. 11. 15. · The Archaeology of Aztec North! Michelle Turner*, Maxwell Forton*, Joshua Jones, Randall McGuire*, Lubna

The Archaeology of Aztec North!MichelleTurner*,MaxwellForton*,JoshuaJones,RandallMcGuire*,LubnaOmar*,SamuelStansel**,KellamThrogmorton*,RuthVanDyke**BinghamtonUniversity,**ColoradoCollege

Introduc)on

InJune2016,BinghamtonUniversityconductedlimitedtestexcavaMonsattheAztecNorthgreathouseatAztecRuinsNaMonalMonument.AztecNorthiscarefullyposiMonedaspartofaconstructedlandscapethatincludesAztecWest,AztecEast,tri-wallstructures,andaroadsegment.SurfaceceramicsindicateAztecNorthwasbuiltearlierthanAztecWest,inthelate1000stoearly1100s(Stein&McKenna1988;Turner2015).

Aztec Cultural Landcape, Lekson 2015: 62, fig. 3.2, after Stein & McKenna 1988.

AztecNorthhasthemassivesizeandD-shapedoutlineofaChacoangreathouse,butthelackofvisiblesandstoneandstandingmasonryledarchaeologiststobelievethatthegreathousewasbuiltofcobble-reinforcedadoberatherthanmasonry.Asthenearestsandstonesourceis3milesaway,VanDyke(2008)hasarguedthestructurerepresentsanexpedientefforttobuildagreathousewithasmalllaborforce.Onceplasteredinwhitelikeothergreathouses,AztecNorthwouldhavelookedthepartwithoutrequiringasmucheffort.BrownandPaddock(2011)alsoarguedthatAztecNorthwasanearlyefforttoimitateaChacoangreathouse,butforthemthebuilderswereveryspecificallylocalsemulaMngaChacoangreathouseinadobe,thelocalarchitecture.TheyarguedthatAztecNorthwasconstructedbeforeChacoansarrivedtobuildAztecWest.Lekson(2015),bycontrast,hascontendedthatthebuildersofAztecNorthwerepracMcingtheiradobeconstrucMonskillsinadvanceofheadingsouthtoPaquimé.

Construc)onBasedonsurfacematerials,weexpectedtoencountercobbleandadobewalls,withlidletonosandstone.Instead,wefoundthatatleastsomeofthewallsofthegreathousehadcoursedsandstonemasonryveneers.Thisgreenish,localsandstonewasafriablematerialthatdidnotweatherwell,andmaynothavebeenpreservedonthesurface.Behindthemasonryveneerswerecrumblycoresmadeofhandfulsofadobereinforcedwithrivercobbles.Althoughthebuildersofthesewallswereclearlyawareoftheideaofcoreandveneer,theuseofadobecoresisextremelyunusualandisnotaChacoanconstrucMontechnique.

Da)ngAlthoughwedidnotfindanywoodbeamsthatcouldbeusedfortree-ringdaMng,wedidcollectalargequanMtyofsamplesforradiocarbondaMng.Thesesamplesincludepiecesofwoodandcorncobembeddedinadoberoofingmaterial—sodaMngtheorganicmaderwilldatetheconstrucMonitself.Wearecurrentlyworkingonobtainingfundstohaveoursamplesrun.

Rela)onshipwithChacoandOtherRegionsThearchitecturalconstrucMonofAztecNorthsuggestsacomplexrelaMonshipbetweenAztecNorthandChacoCanyon.Asnotedabove,thecobblefooters,largerooms,andcoursedsandstoneveneerssuggestChacoanconstrucMonknowledge,buttheadobeandadobe-cobblecoresarealocal,non-Chacoanbuildingtechnique.VanDyke(2008)hasarguedthattheAztecculturallandscapeasawholewasmeanttoemulatedowntownChacoCanyon,withAztecNorthstandinginforPuebloAlto,butwasthisformalspaMalrelaMonshipplannedbythebuildersfromtheoutset,orwasAztecNorthincorporatedlaterasawaytoincludealocalbuildinginaChacoanscheme?Thearchitecturalevidenceremainsambiguousonthisscore,althoughabsolutedatesmayhelp.Ceramicandlithicanalyses(underway)willimproveourunderstandingofinteracMonwithChacoandotherregions.AsurprisinglylargequanMtyofobsidiansuggestsconnecMonsbetweenAztecNorthandtheJemezarea.

SubsistenceAnalysisofbotanical&faunalremainsareunderwayandarealreadyprovidinginformaMonaboutsubsistence.BecausetherewasnolocalpopulaMonintheimmediateareabeforetheconstrucMonofAztecNorth,wewillbecomparingthefaunalassemblageatthissitetootherplaceswherewildresourcedepleMonwasmoreofaproblem.Wecanalreadyreportthatpeoplehereatefish.Nearasmallcharcoalfeatureinoneofthegreathouserooms,wefoundthesefishvertebrae.FishareextremelyrareforAncientPueblosites,butsinceAztecRuinsisrightontheAnimasRiverthisfindingisperhapsnotsosurprising. ConclusionOurtestexcavaMonhasconfirmedsomeassumpMonsaboutAztecNorthandfilledinafewdetailsinitsstory,butourworkalsoraisesnewquesMons.Inthecomingmonths,wewillconMnueanalyzingourdataandarMfactstolearnasmuchaspossibleaboutthislidleknownsite,andwewillworkwiththearchaeologistsatAztecRuinsNaMonalMonumenttoturnthatdataintoinformaMonthattheycanthensharewiththepublic.

Fish vertebrae

Masonry veneer and adobe core

Chacoan cobble foundation >>

<< Wood in a chunk of adobe

Our core crew, with Stephen Matt and Lori Reed of Aztec Ruins National Monument

Study Unit 2 – test trench across the looted room

Ceramic and lithic artifacts from Aztec North

ThewallsalsoraiseanothersetofquesMons.WefoundevidenceofsubstanMalremodelingalongthegreathouse’snorthwall,withsomeperiodofMmeelapsingbetweentwobuildingepisodes.ButourtesMng(includingourworkintheverydeflatedtrashmiddens)revealedapaucityoftrashatthesite,whichsuggeststhatpeopledidnotinhabitorusethegreathouseveryintensively.WhyremodelastructurethatwasnotinacMveuse?DidAztecNorthprimarilyserveasymbolicrolewithintheAztecculturallandscape?

HowtoexplainthesecontradicMons?OnepossibilityisthatChacoanbuildersestablishedthefoundaMonsbutlejtheconstrucMontolocalswithalimitedworkforceorlimitedresources.Anotheristhatcobblefooterswerenot,infact,Chacoanknowledge.

WeproposedsubsurfaceinvesMgaMonstoassessthesecompeMngideas.OurresearchquesMonsfocusedonidenMfyingtheconstrucMon,daMng,anduseofthegreathouse,sothatwemightbederunderstanditsrelaMonshiptothelargerAzteclandscapeandtoChaco.AjertribalconsultaMon,theNaMonalParkServicegrantedusapermittoconductlimitedexcavaMonofthegreathouse.Weexcavated18squaremetersdistributedamongfourtestunits:atrenchperpendiculartothenorthwall,atrenchacrossapurportedlylootedroom,andtwotestunitsindeflatedmiddenareas.Herewepresentpreliminaryfindingsforeachofourresearchissuesbasedonourwork.

Site map with approximate locations of our study units >>

However,thesizeoftheroomsweuncoveredisonaparwithChacoangreathouses.Moreover,thewallsofthegreathouseareanchoredinwhatlooklikeChacoanfootertrenches,withlargerivercobblessetinhardmortarunderthefloorlevels.These“low-visibility”ChacoanfeaturesresemblefootersatAztecWest,indicaMngthedirectinvolvementofbuilderswithChacoanknowledgeatNorthRuin.

ContactInformaMon:[email protected]:www.michelle-turner.netDr.RuthVanDyke:[email protected]://bingweb.binghamton.edu/~rvandyke/Home.html

AcknowledgmentsFundingforthisprojectwasprovidedbygrantstoMichelleTurnerfromtheArizonaArchaeologicalandHistoricalSociety,theWesternNaMonalParksAssociaMon,theExplorersClubExploraMonFund–MamontScholarsProgram,andtheLewisandClarkFundforExploraMonandFieldResearch.WeappreciatethesupportofNaMonalParkServicepersonnelLarryTurk,AronAdams,LoriReed,StephenMad,JefferyWharton,andVernHensler.WeparMcularlywishtothanktheprofessionalvolunteerswhodonatedtheirMmeandlabor:GaryBrown,DonnaBrown,ShannaDiederichs,DonnaGlowacki,BlytheMorrison,andChuckRiggs.Wealsoappreciatethethoughtulinsights,suggesMons,andconversaMonsofferedbyacastofprofessionalvisitorstoonumeroustolist!Ofcourse,wetakeresponsibilityforanyerrorsormisconcepMonshere.

ReferencesCitedBrown,GaryM.andCherylI.Paddock(2011)ChacoanandVernacularArchitectureatAztecRuins:Puvng

ChacoinitsPlace.Kiva77(2):203-224.Lekson,StephenH.(2015)TheChacoMeridian:OneThousandYearsofPoli8calandReligiousPowerinthe

AncientSouthwest.2nded.Rowman&Lidlefield,Lanham,Maryland.Stein,JohnR.andPeterJ.McKenna(1988)AnArchaeologicalReconnaissanceofaLateBonitoPhase

Occupa8onNearAztecRuinsNa8onalMonument,NewMexico.NaMonalParkService,SantaFe.Turner,MichelleI.(2015)CeramicsofAztecNorthandtheTerraceCommunity,AztecRuinsNaMonal

Monument.UnpublishedMAThesis,BinghamtonUniversity.VanDyke,RuthM.(2008)SacredLandscapes:TheChaco-TotahConnecMon.InChaco'sNorthernProdigies:

Salmon,Aztec,andtheAscendancyoftheMiddleSanJuanRegionAIerAD1100,editedbyPaulF.Reed,pp.334-348.UniversityofUtahPress,SaltLakeCity.

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