Characterizing Hunter-Gatherer Ground Stone Bedrock Features in the Northeastern Chihuahuan Desert

Summary

Ground stone bedrock features are common at archaeological sites in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands of southwest Texas. These features are human-made depressions pecked, ground, or worn into bedrock or large boulders, and were used for a variety of processing activities by the indigenous peoples. Although archaeologists in the region have informally recognized different "types" of ground stone bedrock features (e.g., slicks, grinding facets, deep mortars), there have been no dedicated studies of bedrock features. Due to their widespread occurrence in the region, bedrock features represent an untapped research avenue regarding the lifeways of Lower Pecos hunter-gatherers. Therefore, to gain a better understanding of these features, 824 bedrock features were mapped, documented, and analyzed at ten sites across the Lower Pecos. Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry was utilized to map the bedrock features and provide high resolution three-dimensional data to gather metric measurements. Statistical analyses were employed to characterize the range of bedrock feature variation. This paper discusses the potential implications of bedrock feature morphological variation and explores the role(s) these features played in Lower Pecos hunter-gatherer lifeways.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Investigating a Ten-Millennia Record of Hunter-Gatherer Lifeways in the Northeastern Chihuahuan Desert

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 17401