Ceramic Analysis of the Late Pithouse Component at the Black Mountain Ruin Site (LA 49) in Southwestern New Mexico

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Recent Archaeological Work by Chronicle Heritage Staff" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Black Mountain is one of the largest villages in the southern Mimbres valley of southwestern New Mexico and the type site for the Postclassic period (A.D. 1130-1450) Black Mountain phase (A.D. 1130-1300). In 2023, Chronicle Heritage conducted limited data recovery excavations for a compliance-based project at the Black Mountain site (LA 49). Materials from Chronicle Heritage’s work date to the Late Pithouse through Classic Mimbres period components (A.D. 550-1130), unlike prior investigations at the site that recovered primarily Black Mountain phase artifacts. Chronicle Heritage encountered and excavated a series of features, including structures and extramural pits, and recovered nearly 20,000 artifacts, including over 6,200 pottery sherds. This poster summarizes Chronicle Heritage’s work at the site and presents key findings from the pottery analysis. Results from pottery analysis are compared to data from contemporary sites in the southern Mimbres valley and Deming Plain to elucidate the site's occupational history and examine larger patterns of cultural transformation that occurred in the Mimbres region during this time.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• Recent Archaeological Work by Chronicle Heritage Staff

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 52222