Camping and Hot-Rock Cooking: Hunter-Gatherer Land Use Across the Southwest Pecos Slopes

Summary

Understanding changes in mobility and subsistence practices among Jornada Mogollon hunter-gatherer groups remains a substantial research issue. Residents across the Permian Basin largely maintained a hunting-and-gathering cultural adaption throughout prehistoric times, although some segment of the local population practiced cultivation during the Late Formative period. The Southwest Pecos Slopes reflects transitional vegetation community that interfaces between succulent-rich uplands and mesquite-dominated lowlands. Available resources, such as lithic raw materials and edible plants, are scarce within this region; however, numerous small sites related to resource-processing and cooking activities persist across the area. The BLM Carlsbad Field Office requested an evaluation of existing site and feature typologies, to explore the potential for deriving more-meaningful behavioral interpretations regarding prehistoric use of region. This investigation aimed to better understand local patterns of lithic sources, procurement, reduction, transport, use, and discard, in addition to examining temporal and spatial trends in the prehistoric occupation across the region related to mobility patterns. The combination of these detailed studies were used to elucidate the function and chronological placement of small sites, and enhance the BLM’s ability to manage sites within the developing region, especially in regard to understanding issues of site eligibility and research potential.

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Principal Investigator(s): Monica Murrell

Record Identifiers

Bureau of Land Management(s): Carlsbad Field Office

File Information