Preliminary Draft: Excavation of LA 148019: New Light on the Late Archaic Occupation of Kirtland Air Force Base

Summary

This report describes the results of testing at LA 148019/AR-03-03-05-797, a small site with few surface artifacts that contains an eroding prehistoric structure exposed in a cutbank channel that drains into the headwaters of Coyote Canyon at Kirtland Air Force Base. The site was discovered during a pedestrian survey in 2004 and recommended eligible to the National Register of Historic Places based on the presence of a buried charcoal and ash feature. However, the buried feature was in danger of loss to erosion and required immediate attention. In 2005, we conducted limited testing to investigate the extent of the site and evaluate the exposed ash and charcoal layer associated with a ground stone metate collapsed into the gully channel. Located along a lower hillside and ridgeline saddle, the site area is drained by small rills and three larger gullies that may have recently incised their channels. Reinspection of the channel areas during testing in 2005 led to the new discovery of a possible prehistoric water control features. Hillside instability was confirmed with the placement of three 1 x 1 m units across the length of the site. The test produced few artifacts and revealed shallow and eroded rocky soils. The focus of our work was the area of the exposed ash and charcoal layer in the cutbank. The placement of a 1 x 3 unit along top edge of the cutbank resulted in the exposure of a shallow structure containing groundstone, fire cracked rock and lithic artifacts. A single radiocarbon sample indicates that structure dates to the Late Archaic. Despite the eroded nature of the site, the buried structure at the site is unique to Coyote Canyon and provides one of the first dates for a Late Archaic occupation in the area. Together with the water control feature, the site provides a new glimpse into land use patterns in the Manzanita Mountains.

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Kirtland Air Force Base CRM Manager

Record Identifiers

New Mexico Cultural Resources Information System No.(s): 102068

NMCRIS No.(s): 102068

Contract No.(s): DACA45-03-D-0005

File Information