Beyond Perry Mesa: The Archaeology of the Greater West Verde Region, Arizona

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.

In 2022-2024, Chronicle Heritage surveyed 3700 acres along 70 miles of road between Cave Creek, Perry Mesa, and the Verde River on behalf of the Tonto National Forest. The survey resulted in an over 50% increase in the number of known sites in the project area and a 30% increase in the known room count. This area has seen relatively little archaeological work. However, it comprises a key zone between settlement clusters along the Verde River and on Perry Mesa, particularly during the Pueblo III-IV transitional period. Our work found a much more continuous settlement pattern than expected and strong cultural similarities to the Perry Mesa Tradition, make the latter much less of a settlement island than typically thought. The survey also demonstrated south-to-north shifts in settlement over time and similarly shifting south-to-north patterns of cultural interaction. The results provide new insights into migration patterns and cultural interaction in Central Arizona.

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): 52990