Michael Searcy | Brigham Young University (original) (raw)

Books by Michael Searcy

Hinterlands to Cities: The Archaeology of Northwest Mexico and Its Vecinos, 2022

This approachable book is a comprehensive synthesis of Northwest Mexico from the US border to the... more This approachable book is a comprehensive synthesis of Northwest Mexico from the US border to the Mesoamerican frontier. Filling a vital gap in the regional literature, it serves as an essential reference not only for those interested in the specific history of this area of Mexico but western North America writ large. A period-by-period review of approximately 14,000 years reveals the dynamic connections that knitted together societies inhabiting the Sea of Cortez coast, the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts, and the Sierra Madre Occidental. Networks of interaction spanned these diverse ecological, topographical, and cultural terrains in the millennia following the demise of the megafauna. The authors provide a fresh perspective that refutes depictions of the Northwest as a simple filter or conduit of happenings to the north or south, and they highlight the role local motivations and dynamics played in facilitating continental-scale processes.

Papers by Michael Searcy

KIVA, 2022

Over several field seasons, ceramic and stone pipes were recovered from the Fremont site of Wolf ... more Over several field seasons, ceramic and stone pipes were recovered from the Fremont site of Wolf Village (AD 1000-1100). Nine of the more complete pipes included residue and burned dottle that were analyzed for macrobotanical and microbotanical remains. Three were subjected to FTIR. These analyses represent the first Fremont pipes ever analyzed for botanical remains, and the results reported in this paper provide conclusions regarding possible smoke mixtures used by the Fremont. Contents of the pipes included remains of tobacco, plants from the Amaranthaceae family, maize fragments, grasses, and various fuel woods.

Después de varias temporadas de excavación, se recuperaron pipas de cerámica y piedra del sitio Wolf Village (1000-1100 DC). Nueve de las pipas más completas con contenidos quemados fueron analizadas para identificar macrobotánicos y microbotánicos. Tres fueron analizados por el método de FTIR. Estos representan los primeros análisis de los contenidos de pipas de la gente Fremont, y los resultados en este estudio incluyen conclusiones con respecto a las mezclas posibles de humo utilizadas por los Fremont. Los contenidos de las pipas incluían tabaco, plantas de la familia Amaranthaceae, fragmentos de maíz, pastos, y varias maderas combustibles.

Journal of Archaeological Sciences: Reports, 2017

To better understand the diets of the prehistoric people of Casas Grandes, Mexico, we collected d... more To better understand the diets of the prehistoric people of Casas Grandes, Mexico, we collected dental calculus from human remains of 110 individuals. Our goal was to identify any microfossils present in the calculus matrix preserved on ancient human teeth. Once identified, we used the results to reconstruct aspects of prehistoric diets during the Viejo (700–1200 CE) and Medio (1200–1450 CE) periods in and nearby Paquimé, the regional center of the Casas Grandes cultural tradition. Our data support the conclusion that maize was cultivated and consumed throughout both time periods, supplemented by local plants and possibly marine resources. Further, evidence for cultural food modification such as fermentation, roasting, grinding, and nixtamalization (an alkaline treatment of maize) was identified. The data suggest prehistoric plant use may have exceeded simple subsistence, being modified for other purposes such as alcohol production. Free full-text download at: https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1W00v,rVDBK0Y1

Researchers have noted and studied the finely formed manos and metates of the Casas Grandes regio... more Researchers have noted and studied the finely formed manos and metates of the Casas Grandes region of northern Mexico, but little is known about how and where they were produced. During a survey project in 2013, we located a quarry, the first discovered in this region, where grinding stones were manufactured using a suite of stone tools. We report the morphology of the site, the tool kit of the metateros (metate makers), and ethnoarchaeological implications resulting from the study of modern metateros that can aid in the interpretation of prehistoric ground stone quarries. Las manos y metates finamente trabajados de la región de Casas Grandes en el norte de México han sido observados y estudiados, pero poco se sabe sobre su manera y lugar de producción. Durante un proyecto de reconocimiento en 2013 localizamos una cantera, la primera descubierta en esta región, donde las piedras de moler de basalto vesicular fueron fabricadas usando un conjunto de herramientas de piedra. Reportamos la morfología del lugar, las herramientas de los metateros y las implicaciones etnoarqueológicas resultantes del estudio de metateros modernos que pueden auxiliar la interpretación de las canteras prehispánicas para piedras de moler.

Since Charles Di Peso’s excavations from 1958 to 1961, there has been little research on the Viej... more Since Charles Di Peso’s excavations from 1958 to 1961, there has been little research on the Viejo period (700–1200 A.D.) in the northern Casas Grandes area. As director of the Proyecto Arqueológico Chihuahua, Jane Kelley and her colleagues have added significantly to our knowledge of this time period in the southern area where this cultural tradition also flourished. Following her lead, we recently embarked to better understand the Viejo period in the north by excavating at a site along the Palanganas River, just south of the Casas Grandes River valley. This paper reports the initial results of our 2015 excavations at the Vista del Valle site with an emphasis on architecture and site integrity.

Many studies have explored the household to understand social organization, production, and other... more Many studies have explored the household to understand social organization, production, and other dynamics of societies throughout the world. In this work, the approach outlined by Richard Wilk and colleagues is used to investigate households at the Florida Mountain Site, an intermittently occupied Late Pithouse period (550–1000 AD) residential site in the Mimbres Mogollon area of Southwestern New Mexico. Drawing on the similarities of this intermittent residential site to contemporaneous pitstructure sites in the Mimbres area, we suggest that one or more household units occupied the site. Our analysis also supports previous inferences that Mimbres households were integrated into more inclusive levels of social organization (e.g., extended kin groups, villages, communities), but also indicate that this integration maintained cohesion during seasonal residential movements from more permanently occupied pitstructure sites.

In the summer 2015, as part of the "Roots of Casas Grandes" project directed by Dr. Michael Searc... more In the summer 2015, as part of the "Roots of
Casas Grandes" project directed by Dr. Michael Searcy, we conducted aerial reconnaissance of Paquimé using a small fixed-wing UAV. Unlike Di Peso's original aerial photos, we had the advantages of using an unmanned aerial system (UAS) equipped with a GPS unit and a high-resolution digital camera, high-speed computers, and Pix4Dmapper, a powerful photogrammetry application made by Pix4D. Our goal
was to capture high-detail, georeferenced, imagery of Paquimé in order to produce a series of new maps,
models, and visualizations to update Di Peso's maps and images that are now nearly fifty years old.

In the Casas Grandes world of northwestern Chihuahua, Mexico, the Medio period (A.D. 1200-1450) m... more In the Casas Grandes world of northwestern Chihuahua, Mexico, the Medio period (A.D. 1200-1450) marks a dramatic shift from predominately red-on-brown pottery to multiple polychromes, from pit houses to surface adobe structures, and undoubtedly changes in ideology. What are the reasons for these transitions? Unfortunately, there is a paucity of data concerning the preceding Viejo period (pre-A.D. 1200) and the people who occupied the area in this earlier time. We selectively review the present condition of understanding on this period and suggest that the situation requires a long-term program of research focused on the Viejo period.

Saa Archaeological Record, 2008

SAA Archaeological Record, 2008

Hinterlands to Cities: The Archaeology of Northwest Mexico and Its Vecinos, 2022

This approachable book is a comprehensive synthesis of Northwest Mexico from the US border to the... more This approachable book is a comprehensive synthesis of Northwest Mexico from the US border to the Mesoamerican frontier. Filling a vital gap in the regional literature, it serves as an essential reference not only for those interested in the specific history of this area of Mexico but western North America writ large. A period-by-period review of approximately 14,000 years reveals the dynamic connections that knitted together societies inhabiting the Sea of Cortez coast, the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts, and the Sierra Madre Occidental. Networks of interaction spanned these diverse ecological, topographical, and cultural terrains in the millennia following the demise of the megafauna. The authors provide a fresh perspective that refutes depictions of the Northwest as a simple filter or conduit of happenings to the north or south, and they highlight the role local motivations and dynamics played in facilitating continental-scale processes.

KIVA, 2022

Over several field seasons, ceramic and stone pipes were recovered from the Fremont site of Wolf ... more Over several field seasons, ceramic and stone pipes were recovered from the Fremont site of Wolf Village (AD 1000-1100). Nine of the more complete pipes included residue and burned dottle that were analyzed for macrobotanical and microbotanical remains. Three were subjected to FTIR. These analyses represent the first Fremont pipes ever analyzed for botanical remains, and the results reported in this paper provide conclusions regarding possible smoke mixtures used by the Fremont. Contents of the pipes included remains of tobacco, plants from the Amaranthaceae family, maize fragments, grasses, and various fuel woods.

Después de varias temporadas de excavación, se recuperaron pipas de cerámica y piedra del sitio Wolf Village (1000-1100 DC). Nueve de las pipas más completas con contenidos quemados fueron analizadas para identificar macrobotánicos y microbotánicos. Tres fueron analizados por el método de FTIR. Estos representan los primeros análisis de los contenidos de pipas de la gente Fremont, y los resultados en este estudio incluyen conclusiones con respecto a las mezclas posibles de humo utilizadas por los Fremont. Los contenidos de las pipas incluían tabaco, plantas de la familia Amaranthaceae, fragmentos de maíz, pastos, y varias maderas combustibles.

Journal of Archaeological Sciences: Reports, 2017

To better understand the diets of the prehistoric people of Casas Grandes, Mexico, we collected d... more To better understand the diets of the prehistoric people of Casas Grandes, Mexico, we collected dental calculus from human remains of 110 individuals. Our goal was to identify any microfossils present in the calculus matrix preserved on ancient human teeth. Once identified, we used the results to reconstruct aspects of prehistoric diets during the Viejo (700–1200 CE) and Medio (1200–1450 CE) periods in and nearby Paquimé, the regional center of the Casas Grandes cultural tradition. Our data support the conclusion that maize was cultivated and consumed throughout both time periods, supplemented by local plants and possibly marine resources. Further, evidence for cultural food modification such as fermentation, roasting, grinding, and nixtamalization (an alkaline treatment of maize) was identified. The data suggest prehistoric plant use may have exceeded simple subsistence, being modified for other purposes such as alcohol production. Free full-text download at: https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1W00v,rVDBK0Y1

Researchers have noted and studied the finely formed manos and metates of the Casas Grandes regio... more Researchers have noted and studied the finely formed manos and metates of the Casas Grandes region of northern Mexico, but little is known about how and where they were produced. During a survey project in 2013, we located a quarry, the first discovered in this region, where grinding stones were manufactured using a suite of stone tools. We report the morphology of the site, the tool kit of the metateros (metate makers), and ethnoarchaeological implications resulting from the study of modern metateros that can aid in the interpretation of prehistoric ground stone quarries. Las manos y metates finamente trabajados de la región de Casas Grandes en el norte de México han sido observados y estudiados, pero poco se sabe sobre su manera y lugar de producción. Durante un proyecto de reconocimiento en 2013 localizamos una cantera, la primera descubierta en esta región, donde las piedras de moler de basalto vesicular fueron fabricadas usando un conjunto de herramientas de piedra. Reportamos la morfología del lugar, las herramientas de los metateros y las implicaciones etnoarqueológicas resultantes del estudio de metateros modernos que pueden auxiliar la interpretación de las canteras prehispánicas para piedras de moler.

Since Charles Di Peso’s excavations from 1958 to 1961, there has been little research on the Viej... more Since Charles Di Peso’s excavations from 1958 to 1961, there has been little research on the Viejo period (700–1200 A.D.) in the northern Casas Grandes area. As director of the Proyecto Arqueológico Chihuahua, Jane Kelley and her colleagues have added significantly to our knowledge of this time period in the southern area where this cultural tradition also flourished. Following her lead, we recently embarked to better understand the Viejo period in the north by excavating at a site along the Palanganas River, just south of the Casas Grandes River valley. This paper reports the initial results of our 2015 excavations at the Vista del Valle site with an emphasis on architecture and site integrity.

Many studies have explored the household to understand social organization, production, and other... more Many studies have explored the household to understand social organization, production, and other dynamics of societies throughout the world. In this work, the approach outlined by Richard Wilk and colleagues is used to investigate households at the Florida Mountain Site, an intermittently occupied Late Pithouse period (550–1000 AD) residential site in the Mimbres Mogollon area of Southwestern New Mexico. Drawing on the similarities of this intermittent residential site to contemporaneous pitstructure sites in the Mimbres area, we suggest that one or more household units occupied the site. Our analysis also supports previous inferences that Mimbres households were integrated into more inclusive levels of social organization (e.g., extended kin groups, villages, communities), but also indicate that this integration maintained cohesion during seasonal residential movements from more permanently occupied pitstructure sites.

In the summer 2015, as part of the "Roots of Casas Grandes" project directed by Dr. Michael Searc... more In the summer 2015, as part of the "Roots of
Casas Grandes" project directed by Dr. Michael Searcy, we conducted aerial reconnaissance of Paquimé using a small fixed-wing UAV. Unlike Di Peso's original aerial photos, we had the advantages of using an unmanned aerial system (UAS) equipped with a GPS unit and a high-resolution digital camera, high-speed computers, and Pix4Dmapper, a powerful photogrammetry application made by Pix4D. Our goal
was to capture high-detail, georeferenced, imagery of Paquimé in order to produce a series of new maps,
models, and visualizations to update Di Peso's maps and images that are now nearly fifty years old.

In the Casas Grandes world of northwestern Chihuahua, Mexico, the Medio period (A.D. 1200-1450) m... more In the Casas Grandes world of northwestern Chihuahua, Mexico, the Medio period (A.D. 1200-1450) marks a dramatic shift from predominately red-on-brown pottery to multiple polychromes, from pit houses to surface adobe structures, and undoubtedly changes in ideology. What are the reasons for these transitions? Unfortunately, there is a paucity of data concerning the preceding Viejo period (pre-A.D. 1200) and the people who occupied the area in this earlier time. We selectively review the present condition of understanding on this period and suggest that the situation requires a long-term program of research focused on the Viejo period.

Saa Archaeological Record, 2008

SAA Archaeological Record, 2008