Evaluating the Radiocarbon Record of the Lower Pecos Canyonlands

Summary

The Lower Pecos Canyonlands archaeological region in southwest Texas and northern Mexico at the eastern limit of the Chihuahuan Desert is best known for the excellent organic preservation and polychrome pictographs found in dry limestone rockshelters. Radiocarbon dates from the Lower Pecos Canyonlands (LPC) can be used to address broad research questions pertaining to economic strategies (e.g., earth oven plant baking and bison hunting), and settlement patterns, as well as narrower topics such as the development of distinctive material culture (e.g., sandal types). The LPC radiocarbon data, consisting of over 500 assays, are derived from upland, terrace, and rockshelter sites excavated over the last 60 years, as well as curated objects spanning from the Paleoindian through Proto-historic periods. The majority of these data, over 300 assays, are from rockshelters. Preliminary analyses highlight the potential and limitations of the extant LPC radiocarbon data.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21900