Archaeology at the Mission of Sorrows: Archaeological Test Excavations at the Guevavi Mission, AZ EE:9:1 (ASM), Santa Cruz County, Arizona

Summary

The University of Arizona Spring Field School was held at the Guevavi Mission, AZ EE:9:1 (ASM), from 2013 to 2015. A previous survey at the site had revealed that rodent burrowing was damaging a Mission-era (circa 1690s-1810s) midden. Vehicular traffic and weather-related erosion were damaging features in a dirt road. Among the goals of the fieldwork were to collect information from threatened features to then address several research questions.

One question concerned the precontact history of the site. Numerous Early Agricultural period projectile points were previously found at the site. One area along the south edge of the site looked promising for an Early Agricultural period settlement; instead, a test unit revealed Sobaipuri and Hohokam artifacts. The Hohokam settlement, as revealed by pit structures and other features in the dirt roadbed and nearby areas, dates to the Colonial and Sedentary periods, from about A.D. 750 to 1150. It may be one of the largest Hohokam sites in this portion of the Santa Cruz River floodplain. The yet undiscovered Early Agricultural period settlement may lie in the floodplain of the river, with the recovered lithic artifacts having made their way to the site when incorporated into adobe bricks.

Previous researchers identified an adobe structure, feature 20, and two areas with light-colored soil, Features 18 and 19, on the City of Nogales property. Another question was to determine the function of these three features. It was unknown if the structure was a multiroom residence or a church. Excavation of the northern room revealed it was a dwelling that had burned after it was abandoned. It was likely the home of some of the Christianized Native Americans at the mission. Feature 18 was revealed to be a pen and chute area for animal management, and Feature 19 was a corral. These types of features are not usually preserved at Spanish mission sites, due to their ephemeral nature and postmission disturbances. The unusual preservation of these animal management features provides significant information about how residents of the site took care of the horses, cattle, and sheep raised there.

The final research question focused on the mission midden, feature 26, located on a steep slope on National Park Service property. Two 2-m square excavation units provided a sample of Mission-era and post-mission (1810s) trash, including Native American ceramics, faunal bone, plant remains, and items manufactured in Mexico, Spain, and China. The primary meat source was cattle, and residents ate a variety of Old World and New World plants. The oldest known peach pits and chili seeds in Arizona were recovered from the Guevavi Mission midden. The few imported goods revealed that trade networks allowed luxury goods from far-away places to be carried to the mission. The discovery of slag, lime, and copper ore in the upper portions of the midden verify findings made in the 1960s that Yaqui miners lived at the mission after it was abandoned.

Data collected during the field school were used by students in their final class presentations. Those student papers have been edited and form the bulk of the text in this report. The new information from these excavations will help National Park Service personnel interpret their portion of the site. It may also spur efforts to help preserve the City of Nogales portion of the site, which is being affected by vehicular traffic, natural erosion, and cattle traffic.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Desert Archaeology DAHA Resources   •
• Digital Archive of Huhugam Archaeology (DAHA)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Desert Archaeology, Inc.

Contributor(s): Mark Olguin Alexander; Nicholas Alexandre; Jordan Alford; Eric Bondra; Tessa Branyan; Katrina Bunyard; Katelyn Canez; Joanna Ness Clarkson; Shelby Constandaki; Branden Crismon; Ann Curry; Fabiola Delgado; Michael W. Diehl; Sarah N. Dorsey; Kristen Fletez; Marla France; Alysha Frias; James M. Heidke; Ciara Hendrikson; Letitia Jones; William Martin; Nicole Mathwich; Jeremy Moss; James Mustard; Luke Nelson; Lisa Palacios; Barnet Pavao-Zuckerman; Stephanie Reyes; Kellie Rorex; Anthony Rovero; Lillian Stolar; Carlyn Stewart; Kira C. Sund; J. Homer Thiel; Giselle Webb; Kelli Williams; Whitney Wilson; Sarah Wolff; The City of Nogales, Arizona

Translator(s): Toby Pitroff

Submitted To(s): National Park Service

Record Identifiers

Arizona State Museum Burial Permit (s): 2013-002

Arizona State Museum Project Specific Permit(s): 2013-059ps

Accession Number(s): 2013-43

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