Challenges of Archaeology in the Wilderness at South Diamond Creek Pueblo

Summary

Archaeological excavation in the wilderness is a new frontier in archaeological data collection. With most of the documented and excavated sites being outside the wilderness, usually within driving distance of a town or city, this offers an untouched and uncorrupted view of past cultures and their material remains. Most archaeology conducted in the wilderness takes the form of surveying, with little to no excavation being done. The South Diamond Creek Pueblo Project offered us one of the first opportunities to do a complete excavation in the wilderness. Through a collaboration between the U.S. Forest Service and New Mexico State University, students and volunteers were able to completely excavate and collect data from a Classic Mimbres period Pueblo. We shall discuss the entirety of the project, from its first rediscovery in modern times through the completion of excavation, including the challenges we faced while working at an archaeological site in the wilderness.

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): 22764