Perry Mesa Tradition (Culture Keyword)
151-175 (246 Records)
It is widely recognized that prehistoric peoples of the American Southwest cultivated and utilized agave to a great extent. The occupants of three 13th-14th century sites, found on Perry and Black Mesas in Arizona’s Agua Fria National Monument, did just that. How and to what extent their agricultural actions have affected modern day agave populations is a topic of much interest. The purpose of this paper is to provide an account of intersite agave variability among Pueblo La Plata, Pueblo Pato,...
Keeping Track: Ceremonial Racetracks, Integration, and Change in Central Arizona (2009)
Beginning in 2006 and as part of Arizona State University’s Legacies on the Landscape Project (Spielmann et al. 2005), I undertook preliminary research regarding a small corpus of long, linear clearings in the Perry Mesa region of Central Arizona. Coined “racetracks”, these had been recorded at the eight largest pueblos on Perry Mesa and neighboring Black Mesa. They had been noted by past archaeologists (e.g., Ahlstrom and Roberts 1995:37; Ahlstrom et al. 1992; North 2002; Wilcox et al. 2001;...
La Plata Transect Survey, 2004 (2004)
While the archaeological work at Pueblo La Plata has begun to provide critical data concerning prehistoric demography, ceramic accumulations, and use of plants and animals, it was on the transect surveys that the collaboration between archaeological and ecological research came to fruition in the 2004 field season. This report discusses the data collection protocol that was developed to collect archaeological, small mammal, plant, and rock cover data on these transects, and presents preliminary...
Landscape Legacies of Prehistoric Agricultural Land Use in the Perry Mesa Region, Central Arizona (2010)
The Perry Mesa region in central Arizona was the location of a major pulse of residential occupation and extensive agricultural land use from about a.d. 1275 to a.d. 1450. Recent research carried out by a collaborative team of archaeologists and ecologists has documented the ways in which short-term and small-scale agricultural land use transformed ecological systems in the region over long periods of time. Results from recent analyses relating to different spatial scales of prehistoric...
Las Mujeres Architecture Study (2007)
The architecture of Las Mujeres (also known as Squaw Creek Ruin and NA 12555) was examined as part of the Legacies on the Landscape research project during the Spring 2007 field season. Room construction sequences, as indicated by bonded or abutted corners, are indicators of population growth. These patterns of bonded and abutted corners suggest whether a pueblo was built all at once or instead built incrementally through the gradual accretion of rooms. A gradual accretion of rooms could...
Legacies of Prehistoric Agricultural Practices Within Plant and Soil Properties Across an Arid Ecosystem (2013)
Closely integrated research between archaeologists and ecologists provides a long-term view of human land use that is rare in the ecological literature, allowing for investigation of activities that lead to enduring environmental outcomes. This extended temporal perspective is particularly important in arid lands where succession occurs slowly and ecosystem processes are mediated by abiotic, geomorphic factors. Numerous studies show that impacts from ancient human actions can persist, but few...
Legacies on the Landscape
Project includes archaeological and ecological research on prehistoric sites in the Perry Mesa region of central Arizona focused on understanding long term human impacts on the landscape. Research area is within the Agua Fria National Monument managed by the BLM.
Legacies on the Landscape: A Field Guide to the Plants of Agua Fria National Monument (2005)
An illustrated guide to the plants found on the Agua Fria National Monument
Legacies on the Landscape: Agricultural Production on Perry Mesa, Agua Fria National Monument (2005)
This document presents the scope of work proposed for Spring 2005 at Agua Fria National Monument. The research is one phase of an on-going project concerned with the long-term effects of prehistoric agriculture on contemporary ecosystem structure and function at Agua Fria National Monument (see Kruse et al. 2004; Schollmeyer 2004; Schollmeyer et al. 2004). Accompanying this document is a copy of our recently submitted NSF proposal that provides more detail on the overall research plan. This...
Legacies on the Landscape: Overview of the 2003-04 Pilot Study (2004)
In 2003-04, the Legacies on the Landscape project began research concerning the long-term legacies of prehistoric and modern human land use in the desert grassland environment of the Agua Fria National Monument. This project is a collaborative effort between archaeologists and ecologists. During the first year of project research, faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates from the Department of Anthropology and the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University worked with...
Legacies on the Landscsape: The Enduring Effects of Long-Term Human Ecosystem Interactions (2011)
The Legacies on the Landscape Project is an ongoing collaboration between ecology and archaeology faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students at Arizona State University. The project was born out of the recognition that strongly integrated interdisciplinary research was essential for understanding human-ecosystem interactions. Our particular case study is focused on understanding the long-term legacy of prehistoric human land use on the ecology of semi-desert grasslands in the Southwestern...
The Legacy of Terracing (2005)
When trying to analyze human impact on the environment one of the first questions that comes to mind is what long-term effects agriculture has on the land. This research examines the effect of agricultural terracing in terms of soil content and fertility. Specifically, does prehistoric agricultural terracing affect the number and type of seeds in the soil, and thereby the soil’s fertility? Soil fertility is a complex question and studies have been done to analyze the chemical content of soils...
Linear Ground Features Upon and Adjacent to Perry Mesa, Yavapai County, Arizona (2007)
Although not ubiquitous, unique cultural features known as “racetracks” are characteristic (Ahlstrom et al. 1992) of the Perry Mesa Tradition (Fish et al. 1975), which existed in Central Arizona’s mesa and canyon complex between ca A.D. 1300 and 1400 (Ahlstrom et al. 1992) . Prior to this season’s research, eight racetracks had been identified at pueblos upon Perry Mesa and neighboring Black Mesa (Wilcox et al. 2001). As a result of research this semester, the number of confirmed and likely...
Map of Archaeological Site Locations on Perry Mesa (2005)
Map of Archaeological Site Locations on Perry Mesa
Map of Outlying Structures at Pueblo la Plata, with Icon Size Proportionate to Number of Rooms (2007)
Map of Pueblo la Plata and outlying structures. Each structure is represented by an icon, the size of which is proportionate to the number of rooms in that structure.
Maps (2007)
Maps generated by Will Russell as part of The Racetrack Project
Material Evidence of Immigrant Diversity within the Perry Mesa Tradition, Central Arizona (2012)
Poised between the Sonoran Desert and Colorado Plateau, Perry Mesa and Black Mesa constitute a rugged landform split by the Agua Fria River of central Arizona. This landscape was largely unoccupied prior to the late thirteenth century but witnessed a steady and rapid stream of immigrants beginning around A.D. 1250-1275. Today, the region is enjoying newfound archaeological attention, much of which is focused on why immigrants chose this place as a destination and how they survived after...
The Navajo Project: Archaeological Investigations, Page to Phoenix 500 kV Southern Transmission Line (1980)
In the spring of 1970, the Museum of Northern Arizona contracted with Arizona Public Service Company to provide archaeological investigations for the Navajo Project 500kV Southern Transmission Lines from Page to Phoenix, Arizona. The right-of-way, 330 feet wide and approximately 256 miles long, crossed four major environmental zones - plateau, mountain, transition, and desert - and portions of five prehistoric culture areas. Eighty-eight sites were recorded along the line, 20 of which were...
P.C. in the PIII: Ceremonial Racing as an Integrative Stategy in the PIII-PIV Communities of Central Arizona (2008)
Throughout the Southwestern United States and Mesoamerica, prehistoric people used running and racing as a means of religious expression, personal sacrifice and community cohesion. In such context, the physical location of racing was often unimportant and constructed facilities were relatively rare. In the Perry Mesa region of Central Arizona, however, manufactured “racetracks” were highly formalized and represent the only form of communal architecture in this area. We studied these features...
Pato Pueblo Agave Data, with Means and Medians (2016)
Measurements taken from agave plants at Pueblo Pato, Perry Mesa.
Patterns of Defense on Perry Mesa: Implications for Prehistoric Legacies (2004)
A common issue of the Legacies on the Landscape project in the Perry Mesa region in Central Arizona is determining if the differences in the landscape are the result of prehistoric land use or if these differences in ecosystem structure represent a preexisting landscape patchiness that attracted prehistoric people to certain locales. This analysis investigates the settlement patterns of Perry Mesa as they relate to warfare and/or the perceived threat of warfare in the region. Perry Mesa...
Plan Map of 2004 Excavation Units and Surface Collection Units at Pueblo la Plata (2004)
Plan map of Pueblo la Plata, showing 2004 excavation units and surface collection units
Plan Map of Agricultural Features in the Drainage South of Pueblo la Plata (2005)
Plan map of agricultural features identified in the drainage between Pueblo la Plata and Control Mesa
Plan Map of Agricultural Features in the Drainage South of Pueblo la Plata and Locations of Soil and Plant Samples Collected (2005)
Plan Map of Agricultural Features in the Drainage South of Pueblo la Plata and Locations of Soil and Plant Samples Collected
Plan Map of Agricultural Terraces at Bull Tank Farm (2010)
Plan map of agricultural terraces at Bull Tank Farm, Perry Mesa.