Raising a Rafter: A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Ancestral Pueblo Intensification of Turkey Husbandry in the Northern Rio Grande Region, New Mexico

Summary

Zooarchaeological research in the Northern Rio Grande shows that turkey husbandry became increasingly important to the Ancestral Pueblo during the Classic Period (AD 1350-1600). During this time, immigrant and local communities coalesced into increasingly larger villages and towns, with abundant evidence for turkey husbandry. Turkeys served as a critical resource for both subsistence and ritual uses. Yet, it remains uncertain at what scale (household, sub-community, or community) turkey management was organized. We develop cost-benefit models for the intensification of turkey husbandry, incorporating ethnographic and archaeological data with research into animal sciences on turkey raising. These socio-ecological models are then tested against the archaeological record of Sapa’owingeh (LA306), one of the largest Ancestral Pueblo communities in the region.

Cite this Record

Raising a Rafter: A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Ancestral Pueblo Intensification of Turkey Husbandry in the Northern Rio Grande Region, New Mexico. Rachel Burger, Ian Jorgeson, Michael Aiuvalasit. Presented at The 82nd Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Washington, DC. 2018 ( tDAR id: 443654)

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Spatial Coverage

min long: -124.365; min lat: 25.958 ; max long: -93.428; max lat: 41.902 ;

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 20380