Aztec Ruins, West Ruin (Site Name Keyword)

DOCUMENT Full-Text Earl H. Morris.

Morris’ 1919 monograph summarizes the material culture recovered during excavation of Aztec West Ruin. Morris provides descriptions and illustrations of numerous artifacts including textiles, bone tools, pottery, stone tools, and ornaments. “This volume is devoted to reports upon archeological investigations in and about a large Pueblo ruin near the town of Aztec, New Mexico. A large portion of this ruin, now a part of the Aztec Ruin National Monument, was uncovered and carefully studied and...

PROJECT Uploaded by: Lori Reed

This project includes images of ceramic and perishable artifacts from Accession AZRU-61 recovered during the 1984 Archeological Investigations for Modifications to West Ruin Drainage project. Excavations associated with the project were under the direction of Jim Trott of the National Park Service, Santa Fe support office. In addition to trench excavations in the Aztec West plaza, several rooms (225, 221, 222, 223, 129, 158(2), 204, 232, and 255) in the north and west wings of the great house...

PROJECT Gary Brown.

This project includes architectural wall elevation images of individual rooms in the great house at Aztec West Ruin. Most of the images were photographed prior to backfilling efforts and during architectural documentation in West Ruin. Most of the images are composites of multiple photographs that were spliced together in Adobe Photoshop to reconstruct the entire wall elevation. Each individual image is a high-resolution, rectified photograph that was created either using a digital camera or...

PROJECT Uploaded by: Lori Reed

Between 1916 and 1922, Earl H. Morris conducted excavations at the Chacoan great house of Aztec Ruins, New Mexico. With support and sponsorship by the American Museum of Natural History in New York, Morris excavated a large portion of Aztec West Ruin and reconstructed the well-known great kiva in the plaza. This tDAR project includes the American Museum of Natural History publications by Earl H. Morris documenting his findings at Aztec West Ruin.

PROJECT Lori Reed. Laurie Webster.

Digital images of pottery and perishable items recovered from Earl Morris' excavations of Aztec West Ruin between 1916 and 1922. Although Morris' excavations at Aztec were extensive, his analysis and descriptions of the artifact assemblage were cursory. In 2003, Laurie Webster and Lori Stephens Reed began systematic analysis, documentation, and digital imaging of pottery and perishables from Morris' Aztec West Ruin collections housed at the American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY and...

PROJECT Gary Brown.

This project consists of overview images of rooms, kivas, and other architectural features photographed at Aztec West Ruin. Most of the photos were taken in the northeastern and eastern portions of the great house prior to extensive backfilling of much of the area excavated by the American Museum of Natural History in the early 20th century. Photographs were taken by Gary Brown between 2000 and 2001. They were originally shot as Kodachrome slides and subsequently scanned to digital media.

DOCUMENT Full-Text Earl H. Morris.

This 1924 monograph by Earl Morris includes a detailed summary of burials excavated at Aztec West Ruin during his work at the site between 1916 and 1922. The second part of the report includes Morris' description of rooms and kivas comprising the Aztec West Annex, located adjacent to Aztec West great house.

IMAGE Lori Reed.

Aztec Black, bowl, Accession 29.0, Catalog #8701. Morris FS 2192. CULTURALLY SENSITIVE: NAGPRA ARTIFACT; ACCESS RESTRICTED. Analyzed by Lori Reed 2004. Temper not analyzed, not visible. Although temper could not be examined, the polish, color, and corrugations are similar to other vessels classified as Aztec Black. Bowl restored with unknown adhesive; 100% complete with 10% reconstruction with unknown plaster material. Measurements: 24.5 cm orifice diameter; 11 cm height. Image AMNH29-8701 A:...

IMAGE Lori Reed.

Aztec Black, bowl, Accession AZRU-00001 Catalog #851. Morris FS 5477. Analyzed by Lori Reed 2011. Temper is granular igneous rock suggesting manufacture at Aztec Ruin. Vessel is 98% complete with about 2 percent filled in with unknown plaster material. Measurements: 19.5 cm orifice diameter, 10.5 cm height. Image AZRU1-851 A: side view showing bowl shape and exterior band of corrugations. Image AZRU1-851 B: side view showing bowl shape. Image AZRU1-851 C: side view showing bowl shape. Image...

IMAGE Lori Reed.

Chaco Black-on-white, bowl, AMNH Accession 29.0, Catalog #7521, Morris FS 1114. Analyzed by Lori Reed 2004. Temper is medium quartz sand in a silty low fired paste suggesting local production at Aztec. Image AMNH 29.0/7521 A: interior view. Image AMNH 29.0/7521 B: interior closeup of repair. Image AMNH 29.0/7521 C: exterior design view. Image AMNH 29.0/7521 D: view of interior base wear. Image AMNH 29.0/7521 E: closeup of interior design. Recovered from Earl Morris' excavation of Room 48, West...

IMAGE Lori Reed.

Chaco-McElmo Black-on-white (Early style), bowl (fragmentary), Accession AZRU-00008, Catalog #4603, Morris FS 4584. Analyzed by Lori Reed 2006. Sand/sherd/shale temper in a silty, low-fired paste suggests the bowl was manufactured at Aztec. Measurements: 13 cm orifice diameter (estimate); 13 cm height (estimate). Image AZRU8-4603 A: interior view of bowl sherds showing design around rim and sandal imagery on the bowl base. Recovered from Earl Morris excavation of Kiva R, Aztec West Ruin. No...

IMAGE Lori Reed.

Chaco-McElmo Black-on-white, human humpback effigy, Chaco Cibola, AMNH Accession 29.1 Catalog #3209. Analyzed by Lori Reed 2004. Medium quartz sand temper (exposed on effigy base) and washy white slip indicate manufacture in the Chaco region. During vessel restoration the head was attached to the effigy by means of a plaster material reconstruction. Based on differences in paint and the location of use wear, it is unlikely that the attached head is the original head for this effigy. The designs...

IMAGE Lori Reed.

Chaco-McElmo Black-on-white sherds of local and nonlocal production from Room 225, Aztec West Ruin, Accession AZRU-00061. Analysis by Tori Myers and Lori Reed, 2005. Image Aztec Acc61 Ceramic 26: top left: Catalog #6845 FS166 bowl rim of Chaco-Cibola origin; top right: Catalog #7595 FS166 jar fragment of Chaco-Cibola origin; bottom left: Catalog #6679 FS143 bowl rim of local origin (Animas Variety); bottom right: Catalog #7593 FS169 bowl rim of local origin (Animas Variety).

IMAGE Lori Reed.

Chaco-McElmo Black-on-white jar fragment from West Plaza Trench, Aztec West Ruin, Accession AZRU-00061, Catalog #7226, FS126. Analysis by Tori Myers and Lori Reed, 2005. Image Aztec Acc61 Ceramic 42: exterior view of Chaco-McElmo B/w jar fragment of nonlocal Chaco-Cibola origin.

IMAGE Lori Reed.

Chaco-McElmo Black-on-white, bowl (fragmentary), Accession AZRU-00008, Catalog #4991, Morris FS 4585. Analyzed by Lori Reed 2006. Sherd/sand/shale temper and low-fired silty paste suggest the bowl was manufactured at Aztec or another site in the Middle San Juan region. Bowl fragments represent only about 40% of vessel. Measurements: 21 cm orifice diameter; height unknown. Image AZRU8-4991 A: rim fragments showing interior design (top and lower left) and exterior surface of rim fragment showing...

IMAGE Lori Reed.

Chaco-McElmo Black-on-white, bowl (fragmentary), Accession AZRU-00008, Catalog #4992, Morris FS 4586. Analyzed by Lori Reed 2006. Sand temper and low-fired silty paste suggest the bowl was manufactured at Aztec or another site in the Middle San Juan region. Bowl fragments represent only about 40% of vessel. Measurements: 18 cm orifice diameter; height unknown. Image AZRU8-4992 A: rim fragments showing interior design. Recovered from Earl Morris excavation of Kiva R, Aztec West Ruin. No...

IMAGE Lori Reed.

Chaco-McElmo Black-on-white, bowl (fragmentary), Accession AZRU-00008, Catalog #4993, Morris FS 4587. Analyzed by Lori Reed 2006. Sand/sherd temper and low-fired silty paste suggest the bowl was manufactured at Aztec or another site in the Middle San Juan region. Bowl fragments represent only about 40% of vessel. Measurements: 16 cm orifice diameter, 8 cm height. Image AZRU8-4993 A: rim fragments (restored) showing interior design. Recovered from Earl Morris excavation of Kiva R, Aztec West...

IMAGE Lori Reed.

Chaco-McElmo Black-on-white, bowl, Accession 29.0, Catalog #6898. Morris FS 505. Analyzed by Lori Reed 2004. Temper is sand and sherd in a well-fired paste suggesting production in the Chaco Cibola region. Bowl is restored with unknown adhesive but roughly 30% is missing. Measurements: 24.5 cm orifice diameter; 9.5 cm height. Image AMNH 29.0/6898 A: closeup of interior design. Image AMNH 29.0/6898 B: interior view showing full design layout. Note: exterior surface is slipped and unpainted....

IMAGE Lori Reed.

Chaco-McElmo Black-on-white, bowl, AMNH Accession 29.0, Catalog #6980, Morris FS 587. Analyzed by Lori Reed 2004. Temper is fine sand and shale in a silty paste suggesting manufacture at Aztec or in the Middle San Juan region. Bowl is 45% complete with restoration using unknown adhesive. Image AMNH 29.0/6980a: exterior view. Image AMNH 29.0/6980b: interior view. Recovered from Earl Morris' excavation of Room 47, West Ruin, Aztec Ruins. Room 47 is in the east wing of West Ruin. Earl Morris’...

IMAGE Lori Reed.

Chaco-McElmo Black-on-white, bowl, AMNH Accession 29.0, Catalog #6986, Morris FS 597. Analyzed by Lori Reed 2004. Temper is fine sand in a silty paste suggesting manufacture at Aztec or in the Middle San Juan region. Bowl is 60% complete with reconstruction using an unknown adhesive. Image AMNH 29.0/6986 A: interior view. Image AMNH 29.0/6986 B: exterior view. Image AMNH 29.0/6986 C: interior design view. Recovered from Earl Morris' excavation of Room 47, West Ruin, Aztec Ruins.Room 47 is in...

IMAGE Lori Reed.

Chaco-McElmo Black-on-white, pitcher, AMNH Accession 29.0, Catalog #6988, Morris FS 588. Analyzed by Lori Reed 2004. Medium sand temper, well-fired paste, and bright washy white slip indicates manufacture in the Chaco Cibola region. Pitcher is 70% complete with reconstruction using an unknown adhesive. Image AMNH 29.0/6988 A: side view. Image AMNH 29.0/6988 B: side view. AMNH 29.0/6988 C: handle side view. Recovered from Earl Morris' excavation of Room 47, West Ruin, Aztec Ruins. Room 47 is in...

IMAGE Lori Reed.

Chaco-McElmo Black-on-white, bowl, Accession 29.0, Catalog #8096. Morris FS 1642. CULTURALLY SENSITIVE: NAGPRA ARTIFACT; ACCESS RESTRICTED. Analyzed by Lori Reed 2004. Temper not analyzed; not visible. Well fired paste, washy slip, and slipslop over exterior suggests Chaco Cibola manufacture. Measurements: 22.4 cm orifice diameter; 9.6 cm height. Image AMNH29-8096 A: exterior view of base showing painted X and edges of slipslop visible in lower right. Image AMNH29-8096 B: interior view showing...

IMAGE Lori Reed.

Chaco-McElmo Black-on-white, bowl, Accession AZRU-00001, Catalog #827, Morris FS 4274. Analyzed by Lori Reed 2006. Temper is sand and sherd, but based on paste and slip textures the bowl may have been manufactured at Aztec. Bowl is 99% complete with minimal reconstruction with unknown plaster material. Measurements: 22.5 cm orifice diameter, 8.5 cm height. Image AZRU1-825 A: oblique view of exterior showing bowl shape; note the slip-slop over exterior rim edge typical of Chaco-McElmo. Image...

IMAGE Lori Reed.

Chaco-McElmo Black-on-white, bowl, Accession AZRU-00001, Catalog #839, Morris FS 4575. Analyzed by Lori Reed 2006. Bright white washy slip and sand/sherd indicated manufacture in the Chaco-Cibola region. Bowl is 85% complete with restoration using unknown adhesive. Measurements: 22.4 cm orifice diameter, 9.4 cm height. Image AZRU1-839 A: closeup of interior design. Image AZRU1-839 B: view of interior design. Image AZRU1-824 C: view of exterior showing shape of bowl and slip-slop over rim edge....

IMAGE Lori Reed.

Chaco-McElmo Black-on-white, bowl, Accession AZRU-00001, Catalog #965, Morris FS 4281. Analyzed by Lori Reed 2006. Bright white washy slip and sand/sherd indicated manufacture in the Chaco-Cibola region. Bowl is 75% complete with roughly 25% restoration using unknown adhesive. Measurements: 21.2 cm orifice diameter, 9.5 cm height. Image AZRU1-965 A: exterior view showing bowl shape and slip-slop over exterior rim. Image AZRU1-965 B: closeup of interior design also showing washy application of...