Evaluating and Re-evaluating the Importance of Cacao, Nicotine, and Macrobotanicals at Alkali Ridge Site 13, an Early Pueblo I Site in Southeast Utah

Summary

Alkali Ridge Site 13 is one of the largest and earliest Pueblo I sites ever found in the American Southwest. Located in southeast Utah, the site was originally excavated by J.O. Brew in the early 1930s. Brew’s final site report includes brief descriptions of most major artifact types found at the site, but largely ignores the abundant botanical remains discovered there. Even though little research has been conducted on the macrobotanical remains, recent residue studies on pottery have shown surprising evidence for cacao at this early site. Recent excavations and re-excavations at Site 13 in 2012 and 2013 have provided new and better controlled datasets from which to study plant use. While maize was by far the most dominate botanical material recovered from the site, other charred remains as well as residues from a variety of ceramic types have helped us gain a broader understanding of what plant materials were and were not commonly used at this important Pueblo I site.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 17439