Pollen Analysis of Coprolite Samples from Chaco Canyon, New Mexico

Summary

Chaco Canyon is an important archaeological region for providing information about the ancestral Puebloan cultures.By analyzing 12 coprolites from Prehispanic sites within Chaco Canyon, we found large concentrations of Zea mays pollen grains. The differences in size-frequency of these creates the hypothesis that there were different species of Maize being consumed. The size distributions of the earliest Zea grain populations are not normal, suggesting the possibility that more than one variety of Maize is represented by the pollen. The occurrence of large numbers of maize pollen grains as well as pollen from weedy plants indicates the nearby presence of a cornfield, now buried in alluvial fill adjacent to the cliff. The implication is that more than one population of Zea pollen is represented, suggesting in turn that more than one variety of maize was being grown in the canyon.

It is noteworthy that some of the best preserved and abundant maize pollen comes from an Atlatl Cave coprolite. If this sample proves to be as old as the demonstrated age of the site, ca. 950 to 450 cal BC, then the maize pollen from this sample may represent a very early cultivation and use of maize in Chaco Canyon.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage