Changes in Turkey and Artiodactyl Abundance in Central Mesa Verde and Northern Rio Grande Archaeological Assemblages

Author(s): Laura Ellyson; William Lipe; R.G. Matson

Year: 2017

Summary

Previous zooarchaeological studies in the Southwest indicate that over time, larger animal resources such as deer are replaced by smaller ones such as lagomorphs (cottontails and jackrabbits) and domesticated turkey in Ancestral Pueblo sites. These trends are identified on the basis of various faunal indices that measure the proportional abundance of one animal resource against another. In this study, we utilize an index that measures the proportion of domesticated turkey relative to artiodactyl (primarily deer) remains to explore temporal changes in the dietary importance of domesticated turkey. We use this index to make regional and temporal comparisons between the central Mesa Verde (CMV) and northern Rio Grande regions (NRG). Our results indicate that in the CMV, turkey became an important source of animal protein in later periods as artiodactyls decreased in abundance on the landscape. For the NRG, where artiodactyls evidently remained more accessible through time, people in this region did not rely as heavily upon turkeys.

Cite this Record

Changes in Turkey and Artiodactyl Abundance in Central Mesa Verde and Northern Rio Grande Archaeological Assemblages. Laura Ellyson, William Lipe, R.G. Matson. Presented at The 81st Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Vancouver, British Columbia. 2017 ( tDAR id: 430670)

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Spatial Coverage

min long: -115.532; min lat: 30.676 ; max long: -102.349; max lat: 42.033 ;

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15584