Ornaments, Pigments, and Household Production: Spatial Patterning and Residue Analysis of Ground Stone Artifacts from Pueblo Bonito, Chaco Canyon, New Mexico (A.D. 800-1200)

Summary

Previous investigations of craft industries at Chacoan great houses have focused largely on finished objects (e.g., ceramics, turquoise, and shell). This study explores an often overlooked but ubiquitous and highly diverse class of artifacts – ground stone abraders – in an effort to better understand the organization of production at Pueblo Bonito great house. Analysis of variation in form of these versatile implements provides insight into the range of craft items manufactured. Drawing on the recent results of a comprehensive radiocarbon dating project, GIS and pXRF analysis reveals the spatial patterning of and temporal trends in craft production, pigment processing, and subsistence activity. Discrete clusters of heavily-used lapidary and mealing tools confirm that both craft manufacture and food processing occurred at Pueblo Bonito and that, over the long-term, these activities were spatially associated with specific areas of the pueblo. We further contend that these spatial clusters reflect individual households or working groups of craft laborers in Pueblo Bonito.

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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