Closing the Gap at Aztec Ruins: Refining the Dating Sequence Using Corn and Pottery

Summary

Excavation of a recent test unit at Aztec West revealed stratigraphic deposits yielding corn samples that were well distributed throughout. The primary research objective was to use Accelerator Mass Spectometry (AMS) Radiocarbon dating to date charred corn from the test unit and compare the results with date ranges for pottery from the same levels. A tree-ring date of AD 1130 was also obtained from charred wood in a pit feature below the levels yielding corn, suggesting that the deposits, corn, and pottery in the levels above post-date AD 1130. AMS dates on the corn samples correlate well with the relative ceramic dates and the tree-ring date, supporting the initial interpretations of the stratigraphy in the test unit. The study provides well-dated evidence of the McElmo phase occupation of Aztec West, which Earl Morris doubted during his early 20th century excavation of the site.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Aztec at the Crossroads and in the Crosshairs: 101 years of Research in One Convenient Symposium   •
• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16982