Home Is Where the Plants Are: Spatial Analysis of Land Use during the Archaic Occupation of Coronado National Memorial

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2019: General Sessions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Coronado National Memorial in the Huachuca Mountains is best known as a possible entry point into the American Southwest by Spanish conquistador Francisco Vázquez de Coronado. While Coronado’s historic presence remains a mystery, this small park on the border of Mexico has a rich prehispanic archaeological heritage ranging from Early to Late Archaic period. Forty-three archaic sites recorded on only 178 acres; however, there is no indication of any Ceramic Period occupations. For Archaic hunter-gatherers, availability of natural resources and the maximization of return for output of energy were likely important factors for the selection of short-term camp locations. Using spatial analysis, this paper explores the question "why was this area repeatedly visited during the Archaic?" When making site location decisions hunter-gatherers likely took many factors into account, I explore six: water, soil, site vegetation, elevation, slope, and aspect –on a landscape level to establish possible land use patterns. These data are then compared to the environmental background of the park to determine whether the Archaic land use in Coronado National Memorial was representative of randomly selected campsites in the Huachuca Mountains or areas chosen specifically for the availability of discrete natural resources.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 25306