Exploring the Diagnostic Projectile Points of the Valles Caldera, Jemez Mountains, New Mexico

Summary

The Valles caldera holds a key position in the prehistoric human landscape of North America. Located in north-central New Mexico at the highest point of the Jemez Mountains, this area connects the Southwest with the Plains and anchors the southern extent of the Rocky Mountains. In addition to an abundance of high elevation resources, the Jemez volcanic field offered North America’s easternmost sources of high-quality obsidian toolstone. The caldera provides a unique setting for investigating high-elevation landscapes and a long chronology of prehistoric obsidian use. This poster investigates the diagnostic projectile points found in the Valles Caldera National Preserve to explore Paleoamerican though Puebloan uses of the caldera. We examine point styles and function, raw material usage, obsidian hydration data, and spatial distribution of artifacts to consider landscape use, transport of artifacts and materials, obsidian hydration dating methodology, and potential interactions beyond this pivotal location.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage