Farming the Great Sage Plain: Mesa Verde Loess, Soils, and Agriculture

Summary

The Pueblo Farming Project (PFP) seeks to preserve traditional farming knowledge and educate the public concerning traditional farming practices and the place of corn cultivation in Pueblo cultures. Soil profiles inside and adjacent to project gardens reveal the impact of farming on soils over relatively small temporal and spatial scales.

The Basketmaker Communities Project (BCP) focuses on better understanding the Basketmaker III Period, as well as the development of Early Pueblo communities. BCP geoarchaeological investigations at Basketmaker III (1250-1500 BP) sites focus on the soils’ development and tilth. Soil profiles on- and off-site demonstrate differences between farmed and un-farmed soils over larger temporal and spatial scales.

Examination of modern non-irrigation farming practices suggests intimate connections between fertility, soil identity, and management. Both PFP and BCP soils exhibit soil hardening and pan development to varying degrees. As pan accumulation limits productivity, its rate of formation is an important factor with implications for Ancient Puebloan site choice and residence time. Understanding the interplay of climate, cultural practice, and pedogenesis is, therefore key to deciphering this geocultural record.

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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