Dolores Archaeological Program Technical Reports, DAP-010: Grass Mesa Locality Overview
Author(s): Patrick Hogan
Year: 1981
Summary
The Grass Mesa Locality is a spatial division of the Escalante Sector located within Montezuma County in southwestern Colorado. Intensive archaeological investigations were performed in the locality in 1978 by the Dolores Archaeological Program (D.A.P.) to anticipate projected constuction activities proposed by the Bureau of Reclamation. Preliminary interpretation of survey and excavation data suggests that the locality has had a long history of human habitation beginning in the Archaic Period (5000 B.C.-A.D. 500). It is proposed that populations representing the Anasazi Tradition (A.D. 500-1300) residing in the Grass Mesa Locality were primarily horticulturalists cultivating the bottomlands along the river; however, because of the diversified habitats available within a short distance, the local populace may have relied to a greater degree on wild resources than was customary. The distribution of Anasazi habitation sites within the locality seems to correspond to a linear pattern, perhaps reflecting the distribution of potential croplands along the river. Grass Mesa Village (Site 5MT0023), the principal habitation in the locality, may have been a control point for foreign groups wishing to exploit highland resources to the north. From preliminary data, it is inferred that prehistoric population levels in the locality probably reached a maximum between A.D. 850-900; perhaps as many as 200 individuals resided at Grass Mesa Village and nearby habitations during the occupational climax. The formulation of more sophisticated interpretations awaits the completion of additional intensive studies.
Cite this Record
Dolores Archaeological Program Technical Reports, DAP-010: Grass Mesa Locality Overview. Patrick Hogan. Dolores Archaeological Program Technical Reports. Salt Lake City, Utah: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Upper Colorado Region. 1981 ( tDAR id: 394729) ; doi:10.6067/XCV8Z03BT2
URL: http://www.blm.gov/style/medialib/blm/co/field_offices/ahc/dap_documents.Par....
Keywords
Culture
Anasazi
•
Archaic
•
Dolores
Material
Ceramic
•
Chipped Stone
•
Fauna
Site Name
5MT0023
•
Grass Mesa Village
Investigation Types
Site Evaluation / Testing
General
Population Dynamics
•
Prehistory
•
Settlement patterns
Geographic Keywords
Colorado (State / Territory)
•
Dolores
•
Escalante Sector
•
Montezuma (County)
•
North America (Continent)
•
Southwestern Colorado
•
United States of America (Country)
Temporal Keywords
Four Corners Desert Tradition
•
Great Cut Phase
•
McPhee Phase
•
Sagehen Phase
Temporal Coverage
Calendar Date: -5000 to 1300
Spatial Coverage
min long: -108.603; min lat: 37.465 ; max long: -108.48; max lat: 37.591 ;
Individual & Institutional Roles
Principal Investigator(s): David A. Breternitz
Sponsor(s): USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Upper Colorado Regional Office
Prepared By(s): University of Colorado, Dolores Archaeological Program
Submitted To(s): USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Upper Colorado Regional Office
Record Identifiers
Bureau of Reclamation Contract No.(s): 8-07-40-S0562
Notes
General Note: As of March 2015, this and additional reports are hosted on the US Bureau of Land Management, Dolores Archaeological Program website; http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/ahc/dolores_archaeological/dap_technical_reports.html
File Information
| Name | Size | Creation Date | Date Uploaded | Access | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAP-Technical-Report-010-1.84-MB.pdf | 3.63mb | Mar 24, 2015 12:57:16 PM | Public |