Administrative Report on the Status of the Anasazi Origins Project (AOP I) Collections Curated at Eastern New Mexico University

Summary

The Anasazi Origins Project was initiated by Cynthia Irwin-Williams as part of a long-term research program to identify the Archaic hunting and gatherers predecessors of the Anasazi. This work was conducted in the Arroyo Cuervo Region area located to northwest Albuquerque, NM near Rio Rancho. The fieldwork of the Anasazi Origins Project (AOP I) began during the summer of 1967 and was completed by the summer of 1971; however, the work conducted during the summers of 1970 and 1971 also included long range surveys into adjacent Puerco River Valley. Excavations of 18 major archaeological sites, consisting of both open air and rockshelters: Armijo Shelter, Casa Redondo, Collier Dune, Cuervo Shelter, Dunas Altas, En Medio Shelter, Mosca Dunes, Mud Lump, Ojito Dune, Ojito Shelter, Sandoval Springs, Shelten’s Shelter, Sky Village, Tompsett Shelter and Westover Shelter. All of these sites are located in the Arroyo Cuervo area; however, work was also conducted at Moguino and Jackpiles sites near the Laguna, New Mexico, and analysis of previously collected materials from La Bajada site near Cochiti, New Mexico. Besides the excavations, a number of sites were tested and surveyed with archaeological materials were also collected. A second field campaign, referred as AOP II, was conducted during the summers of 1982 to 1986. Most of the work consisted of survey and infield analysis with limited excavations and some re-documentation of earlier AOP I sites. This report presents the preliminary results of the inventory and assessment of the AOP I collections curated here at Eastern New Mexico University.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Anasazi Origins Project Publications

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