Investigating Activities in Spanish Colonial Ranches in 17th-Century New Mexico

Summary

In 17th-century New Mexico, Spanish colonists’ households were an important location for ethnogenesis as colonists and indigenous Pueblo peoples together labored at basic subsistence activities. LA 20,000, a Spanish ranch located about 12 mi southwest of Santa Fe, has the potential to shed light on colonists’ activities and their interactions with indigenous Pueblo and Plains peoples. This site is the most complex rural ranch of the period, with extensive architecture and material culture. Using GIS, we explore the distribution of various artifacts, imported Mexican majolica and Pueblo ceramics, lithic tools and debitage, and other material remains, within the domestic structure and associated buildings to explore the nature and types of activities that occurred in this multi-ethnic household. This sort of analysis is key to understanding the incorporation of Spanish, Pueblo and perhaps Plains peoples’ knowledge into the new cultural frontier that such households represented.

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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