Archaeological Excavations at the Arivaca Wash Cemetery, AZ DD:7:26 (ASM), Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge
Author(s): J. Homer Thiel; Penny Dufoe Minturn; Lorrie Lincoln-Babb
Year: 1995
Summary
Erosion along a wash running into Arivaca Creek resulted in the exposure of skeletal remains from a prehistoric cemetery. Under contract to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Desert Archaeology conducted emergency excavations in November of 1994 to rescue those remains that had partially fallen into the wash. The surviving portions of four burials were removed, and a fifth burial was discovered but left in situ. The presence of five burials in such a restricted area suggests that a larger cemetery may be present.
Three adult males, an adult female, and a teenage male were present. All were buried in pits that originated from 1 to VA m below modem ground surface. Four burials had partially eroded into the wash, and three of these were flexed. No burial goods were present. The adult female burial (Burial 5) was left in place due to the presence of a large tree immediately above the burial.
Examination of the skeletal remains indicated that these were Native Americans. The individuals appear to be quite healthy, with most pathological conditions present on the teeth. One of the adult males had many small caries, and the teenage male had unusual wear and modification on two teeth. The type of modification found on one tooth has never been documented at a prehistoric site in Arizona.
The cemetery appears to date to the protohistoric or early historic period. Radiocarbon dates from two features place the probable period of usage from about 1450 to the early 1800s. It is recommended that preventative measures be undertaken to stop the continued erosion of the south wall of the wash. If erosion continues, other burials (including Burial 5) will probably be exposed.
Cite this Record
Archaeological Excavations at the Arivaca Wash Cemetery, AZ DD:7:26 (ASM), Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, 17. J. Homer Thiel, Penny Dufoe Minturn, Lorrie Lincoln-Babb. 1995 ( tDAR id: 448462) ; doi:10.48512/XCV8448462
This Resource is Part of the Following Collections
Keywords
Culture
Archaic
•
Historic
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Hohokam
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Huhugam
Material
Ceramic
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Charcoal
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Chipped Stone
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Dating Sample
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Glass
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Ground Stone
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Human Remains
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Macrobotanical
•
Shell
Site Name
Arivaca Wash cemetery
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AZ DD:7:21 (ASM)
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AZ DD:7:22 (ASM)
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AZ DD:7:26 (ASM)
Site Type
Burial Pit
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Cemetery
Investigation Types
Bioarchaeological Research
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Data Recovery / Excavation
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Historic Background Research
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Research Design / Data Recovery Plan
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Site Evaluation / Testing
General
dental analysis
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Osteological Analysis
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Radiocarbon Dating
Geographic Keywords
Arivaca, AZ
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Arizona (State / Territory)
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Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge
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Interstitial Zone D
Temporal Keywords
Prehistoric Period
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Protohistoric Period
Spatial Coverage
min long: -111.333; min lat: 31.583 ; max long: -111.307; max lat: 31.599 ;
Individual & Institutional Roles
Contact(s): Desert Archaeology, Inc.
Contributor(s): Lisa Huckell
Prepared By(s): Center for Desert Archaeology
Submitted To(s): U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
File Information
| Name | Size | Creation Date | Date Uploaded | Access | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| tr94-17_final_OCR_PDFA_Redacted.pdf | 2.06mb | Dec 1, 2020 2:56:37 PM | Public | ||
| This file is the redacted version of the resource. | |||||
| tr94-17_final_OCR_PDFA.pdf | 2.16mb | Apr 1, 1995 | Apr 15, 2019 12:18:15 PM | Confidential | |
| This file is the unredacted version of the resource. | |||||
Accessing Restricted Files
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Contact(s): Desert Archaeology, Inc.