Balance on South Diamond: Using Faunal Analysis to Understand Biodiversity and Resource Use Trends in the Northern Mimbres Region

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2021: General Sessions" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The Gila National Forest/Wilderness comprised of rich mountainous land spanning between western New Mexico and eastern Arizona. This land was once home to the people of the Mimbres culture. The environments within these natural areas vary due to different altitudes and precipitation, which also affect the variety and amount of ecological resources. Two sites that have been excavated in the Northern Mimbres region by New Mexico State University students, professors, and volunteers include South Diamond Creek Pueblo (SDCP) and Twin Pines Village (TPV). Both settlement size and resource availability would have worked to dictate what resources were being exploited on each site. Beyond just these two sites, the differences of resource availability within the Northern Mimbres region and other Mimbres occupied areas outside of it may also be apparent within the archaeological record. The goal of the study is to determine if diversity trends and species abundances from the faunal assemblages of SDCP and TPV are similar to or different from other Mimbres sites of the same time range and to determine if it is possible to accurately estimate what transitional phase of the adaptive cycle these sites were in during the Classic Mimbres Phase.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• SAA 2021: General Sessions

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 33588