Improving Understanding of the Location and Utility of Pueblo Gravel Mulch Fields Using Remote Sensing

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Adventures in Spatial Archaeometry: A Survey of Recent High-Resolution Survey and Measurement Applications" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

In this paper, I present the preliminary results of a study using remote sensing to document and better understand the functioning of Pueblo agricultural features. This study built on my dissertation research, which focused on recording and understanding precontact and historic Pueblo agricultural practices in the northern Rio Grande area of New Mexico. One of the most interesting dissertation findings was that Pueblo people were successfully growing certain crops in areas where, based on environmental conditions, they could not grow. Cobble-bordered gravel mulch field systems are found in these locations. Gravel mulch is thought to help retain heat and moisture. I attempted to assess the extent of heat retention to determine if it was enough to overcome the environmental constraints, or if other technologies also had to be used. This paper discusses the utility of airborne photogrammetry to find and map gravel mulch fields on the landscape, as well as the potential of handheld and airborne infrared imaging for assessing the thermoregulatory capabilities of gravel mulch fields. Through better understanding the utility and long-term functionality of these gravel mulch fields, communities will be able to assess how they would like to use these features for arid-land farming today.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Adventures in Spatial Archaeometry: A Survey of Recent High-Resolution Survey and Measurement Applications   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36741.0