The Roots of Lithic Exchange Routes in the Taos Region

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Northern Rio Grande History: Routes and Roots" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This presentation uses lithic-sourcing data from two large northern Rio Grande Pueblo communities, Pot Creek Pueblo (1250–1320 CE) and Picuris Pueblo (1000–Present CE), to delve into the social and economic dynamics that shaped the exchange of obsidian and chert over the past millennium in the Taos region. Drawing on data from over 2,000 pieces of debitage and tools, we detail significant shifts in the use of, or access to, obsidian sources in northern and central New Mexico, as well as high-quality cherts on the Southern Plains and beyond. Changing residential emphases, social organizational schemes, and later colonial disruptions of long-standing exchange partnerships are considered as potential explanations for the long-term shifts in obsidian exchange in the region.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• Northern Rio Grande History: Routes and Roots

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 33035