Sean G Dolan | Los Alamos National Laboratory (original) (raw)

Publications by Sean G Dolan

Research paper thumbnail of The Similarities and Differences Between Mimbres Classic Sites in the Mimbres Valley and the Basin and Range: Insights from a BLM Survey Project

Documenting the Roads Less Traveled: Papers in Honor of John R. Roney, 2024

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Research paper thumbnail of Understanding Turkey Management in the Mimbres Valley of Southwestern New Mexico Using Ancient Mitochondrial DNA and Stable Isotopes

American Antiquity, 2023

In the US Southwest and Northwest Mexico, people and turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) have had a rec... more In the US Southwest and Northwest Mexico, people and turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) have had a reciprocal relationship for millennia; turkeys supplied feathers, meat, and other resources, whereas people provided food, shelter, and care. To investigate how turkeys fit within subsistence, economic production, sociopolitical organization, and religious and ritual practice in the Mimbres Valley of southwestern New Mexico, we report on genetic (mtDNA) and stable isotope (δ 13 C, δ 15 N) data from turkeys recovered from Mimbres Classic period (AD 1000-1130) sites. Results indicate that Mimbres aviculturists had haplogroup H1 and H2 turkeys, and most ate maize-based diets similar to humans, but some ate nonmaize and mixed diets. We contextualize these data to other turkey studies from the northern Southwest and discuss how the human-turkey relationship began, the evidence for pens and restricting turkey movement, and the socioecological factors related to turkey management during the Classic period, particularly the challenges associated with providing maize to turkeys during times of environmental stress. This study has broad relevance to places where people managed wild, tame, and domestic animals, and we offer new insights into how prehispanic, small-scale, middle-range agricultural societies managed turkeys for ritual and utilitarian purposes.

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Research paper thumbnail of Pachuca Obsidian Blades from the U.S. Southwest: Implications for Mesoamerican Connections and Coronado's Mexican Indian Allies

American Antiquity, 2021

The connection between people in the prehispanic U.S. Southwest / Northwest Mexico (SW/NW) and Me... more The connection between people in the prehispanic U.S. Southwest / Northwest Mexico (SW/NW) and Mesoamerica is one of the most debated research topics in American archaeology. SW/NW groups used objects from Mesoamerica, but did they also trade for obsidian? Archaeologists have yet to find Mesoamerican obsidian from confirmed prehispanic SW/NW contexts, but here we discuss four green obsidian prismatic blades from New Mexico and Arizona. Using EDXRF spectrometry, we demonstrate that the blades are from the Pachuca source in Mesoamerica. The blades were found at four sites that the Spanish and their Mexican Indian allies used or potentially visited beginning in AD 1540. Using lithic technological organization and historical narratives, we assess the credibility of the different hypothesized models of prehispanic SW/NW-Mesoamerican interaction and obsidian use by the Mexican Indian allies. We suggest that green Pachuca blades would have been traded into the SW/NW if interaction with Mesoamerica had occurred more frequently. We also offer reasons why archaeologists have found so few Mesoamerican obsidian blades at post-1540 sites. This research is relevant because it expands our knowledge about SW/NW-Mesoamerican connections and the Mexican Indian allies of the Spanish, who are an underrepresented group in the archaeological and historical records.

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Research paper thumbnail of New Insights into the Use of Obsidian at Cottonwood Springs Pueblo (LA 175), Doña Ana County, New Mexico

International Association for Obsidian Studies Bulletin, 2020

Cottonwood Springs Pueblo (LA 175) is a multicomponent site in southern New Mexico that was occup... more Cottonwood Springs Pueblo (LA 175) is a multicomponent site in southern New Mexico that was occupied from A.D. 1000–1450. In an earlier paper, Dolan et al. (2017) analyzed 40 obsidian artifacts from area A of the site using EDXRF spectrometry to evaluate regional and long-distance social interaction, and how people in the Jornada Mogollon region organized their lithic technology. In this paper, we report on an additional 24 obsidian artifacts from areas A and E of the site. The obsidian is from similar sources found in the earlier study, including Cerro Toledo Rhyolite, Antelope Creek, Grants Ridge, and Nutt Mountain, as well as one new source (Cow Canyon). With these new data, we provide further insights into obsidian procurement at Cottonwood Springs including differences in source use at the site, and how the residents maintained connections to outside social groups by acquiring nonlocal obsidian, while at the same time using the locally available obsidian.

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Research paper thumbnail of Obsidian Provenance Data Reveals New Insights into Archaic Lifeways in Chihuahua, Mexico

Lithic Technology, 2019

Archaeologists know less about how hunter-gatherers and early agriculturists lived during the Arc... more Archaeologists know less about how hunter-gatherers and early agriculturists lived during the Archaic period in the Mexican Northwest compared to the U.S. Southwest. To evaluate Archaic period mobility, lithic technology, and regional and temporal patterns in raw material procurement in northwestern Chihuahua, Mexico, we characterized the trace elemental composition of 61 obsidian artifacts from Rancho Santa María I, II, and El Peñón del Diablo using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. People predominantly used Los Jagüeyes obsidian procured locally from secondary deposits, but they also used three additional sources from upland and lowland environments in the Mexican Northwest to make dart projectile points and debitage. Also, they reduced obsidian using bipolar percussion, and there is regional and temporal variation in obsidian source use. This study contributes new insights into how mobility, raw material availability, and nodule size affected lithic technological organization in an understudied region.

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Research paper thumbnail of Ancestral Pueblo Fieldhouses: A View from Northern New Mexico

NewsMAC, 2018

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Research paper thumbnail of Long-distance conveyance of California obsidian at the Hayhurst lithic cache site (34ML168) in Oklahoma

Plains Anthropologist, 2018

A piece of obsidian was found during excavations of a possible Middle Holocene Calf Creek biface ... more A piece of obsidian was found during excavations of a possible Middle Holocene Calf Creek biface cache at site 34ML168 in Oklahoma. Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis of the obsidian flake shows that the source material derives from Glass Mountain in California. This is the first instance of California obsidian in this region. However, most intriguing is that Glass Mountain erupted thousands of years after the presumed Calf Creek artifacts were made. By examining the depositional history and lithic technology of the cache, and source provenance of the obsidian, we discuss the significance of this find and present possible scenarios regarding the long-distance conveyance of the obsidian artifact. This study complements other archaeological cases where the use of geochemical sourcing connects people, places, and things of unexpected distances across ancient North America.

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Research paper thumbnail of Source Characterization of Obsidian Artifacts from Six Sites in the Jornada Mogollon Region of Southern New Mexico

International Association for Obsidian Studies Bulletin , 2017

The results of a small obsidian sourcing study are presented here to contribute to a better under... more The results of a small obsidian sourcing study are presented here to contribute to a better understanding of local and nonlocal obsidian procurement in the Jornada Mogollon region of southern New Mexico. Sixteen artifacts from six Archaic/Pueblo period sites were sourced using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) spectrometry. Fourteen artifacts derive from four geochemically distinct sources that the primary outcrop is in the Jemez Mountains of northern New Mexico, but are also present in Rio Grande gravels in southern New Mexico. The remaining two artifacts derive from a nonlocal source (Gwynn/Ewe Canyon), and a geographically unknown source. These data are contextualized and results corroborate other studies from the region.

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Research paper thumbnail of KIVA Journal of Southwestern Anthropology and History El Paso Phase Obsidian Procurement in Southern New Mexico: Implications for Jornada Mogollon Regional Interaction and Exchange

Archaeologists rarely discuss obsidian procurement for the Jornada Mogollon region, but studies i... more Archaeologists rarely discuss obsidian procurement for the Jornada Mogollon region, but studies indicate groups overwhelmingly used obsidian that can be collected from Rio Grande gravels in southern New Mexico. Obsidian artifacts from two El Paso phase sites, Cottonwood Spring Pueblo and Madera Quemada Pueblo, were sourced using EDXRF spectrometry to determine: (1) is there evidence for non-Rio Grande gravel obsidian use, (2) is there a difference between the sites, and (3) how do these sourcing results compare with contemporaneous sites in the Casas Grandes area? This study has implications for regional interaction and exchange as the results validate the high frequency of Cerro Toledo Rhyolite obsidian in assemblages, but non-Rio Grande gravel sources were also used including Mule Creek projectile
points. People at both sites used similar sources, with a few noted exceptions. Furthermore, groups in the Jornada Mogollon and Casas Grandes regions utilized dramatically different sources.

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Research paper thumbnail of El Paso Phase Obsidian Procurement in Southern New Mexico: Implications for Jornada Mogollon Regional Interaction and Exchange

Kiva, Jun 1, 2017

Archaeologists rarely discuss obsidian procurement for the Jornada Mogollon region, but studies i... more Archaeologists rarely discuss obsidian procurement for the Jornada Mogollon region, but studies indicate groups overwhelmingly used obsidian that can be collected from Rio Grande gravels in southern New Mexico. Obsidian artifacts from two El Paso phase sites, Cottonwood Spring Pueblo and Madera Quemada Pueblo, were sourced using EDXRF spectrometry to determine: (1) is there evidence for non-Rio Grande gravel obsidian use, (2) is there a difference between the sites, and (3) how do these sourcing results compare with contemporaneous sites in the Casas Grandes area? This study has implications for regional interaction and exchange as the results validate the high frequency of Cerro Toledo Rhyolite obsidian in assemblages, but non-Rio Grande gravel sources were also used including Mule Creek projectile points. People at both sites used similar sources, with a few noted exceptions. Furthermore, groups in the Jornada Mogollon and Casas Grandes regions utilized dramatically different sources.

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Research paper thumbnail of Obsidian in the Casas Grandes World: Procurement, Exchange, and Interaction in Chihuahua, Mexico, CE 1200-1450

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2017

The Casas Grandes area in Chihuahua, Mexico and the site of Paquimé was the center of one the lar... more The Casas Grandes area in Chihuahua, Mexico and the site of Paquimé was the center of one the largest regional systems in the U.S. Southwest and Mexican Northwest (SW/NW) during the Medio period (CE 1200–1450). People participated in local and distant exchange networks with groups in the SW/NW, Mesoamerica, and West Mexico. Our knowledge of which obsidian sources people used in Casas Grandes is limited, despite how obsidian could have derived from many different places. We examine how the use of specific obsidian sources may relate to broader political and economic relationships within the Casas Grandes regional system and its association with the Mimbres and Animas regions of the SW/NW. We sourced 116 artifacts using EDXRF spectrometry from four sites that neighbor Paquimé. Results demonstrate people used obsidian from Chihuahua, Sonora, and New Mexico. There were varying levels of social interaction and regional integration because there is diversity in source use at the site level, and Casas Grandes were more connected to the Animas region than Mimbres regarding obsidian resource procurement. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

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Research paper thumbnail of Is There Mahogany Obsidian in Northeastern Sonora, Mexico?

International Association for Obsidian Studies Bulletin, 2017

A piece of mahogany obsidian came to the attention of the senior author during an excavation proj... more A piece of mahogany obsidian came to the attention of the senior author during an excavation project near the town of Mata Ortiz, Chihuahua, Mexico in 2015. Because mahogany obsidian in northwestern Mexico is particularly rare, the question was raised, what obsidian source did this sample derive? Using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) spectrometry, we demonstrate it comes from the Agua Fria obsidian source in northeastern Sonora, Mexico. Unfortunately, we do not know where this sample was collected from. We discuss these results and the significance of this find in this paper, but more investigation is certainly warranted.

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Research paper thumbnail of Geologic Origin of the Source of Bearhead Rhyolite (Paliza Canyon) Obsidian, Jemez Mountains, Northern New Mexico

New Mexico Geology, 2016

Recent field and analytical studies of what has been traditionally called "Paliza Canyon obsidian... more Recent field and analytical studies of what has been traditionally called "Paliza Canyon obsidian" in the archaeological vernacular show it to be Bearhead Rhyolite that is part of the Late Tertiary (Neogene) Keres Group of the Jemez Mountains, northern New Mexico. The geological origin of all other archaeological obsidian sources in the Jemez Mountains have been reported and are well documented in the literature. But the so-called "Paliza Canyon" source, important as a toolstone to Pueblo Revolt Colonial period occupants of the Jemez Mountains area and present in regional archaeological contexts throughout prehistory, had remained unlocated and undocumented. The Bearhead Rhyolite origin for the "Paliza Canyon" obsidian (which we suggest should now be named "Bearhead Rhyolite") solves this ambiguity and provides more precise geological and geographical data for archaeological obsidian source provenance in the region.

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Research paper thumbnail of The Source Provenance of an Obsidian Eden Point from Sierra County, New Mexico

PaleoAmerica, 2016

Eden projectile points associated with the Cody complex are underrepresented in the late Paleoind... more Eden projectile points associated with the Cody complex are underrepresented in the late Paleoindian record of the American Southwest. EDXRF analysis of an obsidian Eden point from a site in Sierra County, New Mexico demonstrates this artifact is from the Cerro del Medio (Valles Rhyolite) source in the Jemez Mountains. We contextualize our results by examining variability in obsidian procurement practices beyond the Cody heartland in southcentral New Mexico.

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Research paper thumbnail of Notes for the Next Century

Kiva, 2015

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PhD Dissertation by Sean G Dolan

Research paper thumbnail of Black Rocks in the Borderlands: Obsidian Procurement in Southwestern New Mexico and Northwestern Chihuahua, Mexico, A.D. 1000 to 1450

Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Anthropology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, 2016

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Masters Thesis by Sean G Dolan

Research paper thumbnail of A Critical Examination of the Bone Pathology on KNM-ER 1808, a 1.6 Million Year Old Homo erectus from Koobi Fora, Kenya

Masters Thesis, Department of Anthropology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico, 2011

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Conference Proceedings by Sean G Dolan

Research paper thumbnail of Stone Tool and EDXRF Analysis of Obsidian Tools from Elk Ridge Ruin (LA 78963)

Collected Papers from the 20th Biennial Mogollon Archaeology Conference, 2019

Mimbres groups during the Late Pithouse and Classic periods manufactured corner-notched, side-not... more Mimbres groups during the Late Pithouse and Classic periods manufactured corner-notched, side-notched, stemmed, and triangular-shaped projectile points, and obsidian was the raw material of choice. To increase our understanding of chipped stone tool technology and raw material procurement in the Mimbres Valley, in this paper, I examine which projectile point types and sources of obsidian people at Elk Ridge Ruin (LA 78963) used. I typed the 31 tools using Dockall's (1991) terminology, and the artifacts were sourced using EDXRF spectrometry. With these data, I discuss how point type and obsidian source use compares regionally, and the implications for lithic technological organization. There is continuity in arrow point manufacture and obsidian procurement in the Mimbres Valley because the six morphologically distinct arrow point types at Elk Ridge are similar types found at other contemporaneous sites, and the overwhelming use of Mule Creek obsidian (n = 30) is ubiquitious valley wide, but the presence of one Sierra Fresnal obsidian point suggests trade further south.

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Research paper thumbnail of Mimbres Traditions and Practices past the Mimbres Valley: Results and Investigations from Six Field Seasons of the Southern Mimbres Archaeological Project

Collected Papers from the 18th biennial Mogollon Archaeology Conference, 2015

The purpose of the Southern Mimbres Archaeological Project is to record sites on BLM property tha... more The purpose of the Southern Mimbres Archaeological Project is to record sites on BLM property that augment the archaeological record in understudied parts of southwestern New Mexico. This survey project allows for an evaluation of site and artifact relationships, and thus people's relationships at a large geographic scale within the larger Mogollon region. What are the cultural traditions and historical processes that people practiced in areas other than the more intensively studied Mimbres Valley heartland? To answer this critically important question, we use obsidian and Mimbres painted pottery collected during six field seasons. We examine whether Mimbres farmers participated in similar and/or different traditions and practices relating to obsidian procurement and ceramic style and manufacture. We then assess the degree of social interaction and possible cultural affiliation and identity among Mimbres groups west, south, and east of the Mimbres Valley during the Late Pithouse and Classic periods. In sum, we are able to recognize independent local traditions through the differences in obsidian and ceramics that may reflect communities of practice within groups participating in multiple Mimbres "ways of doing."

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Research paper thumbnail of Source Provenance Analysis of Archaeological Obsidian from Kipp Ruin (LA 153465), Luna County, New Mexico

Collected Papers from the 16th Biennial Mogollon Archaeology Conference, 2012

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Research paper thumbnail of The Similarities and Differences Between Mimbres Classic Sites in the Mimbres Valley and the Basin and Range: Insights from a BLM Survey Project

Documenting the Roads Less Traveled: Papers in Honor of John R. Roney, 2024

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Research paper thumbnail of Understanding Turkey Management in the Mimbres Valley of Southwestern New Mexico Using Ancient Mitochondrial DNA and Stable Isotopes

American Antiquity, 2023

In the US Southwest and Northwest Mexico, people and turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) have had a rec... more In the US Southwest and Northwest Mexico, people and turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) have had a reciprocal relationship for millennia; turkeys supplied feathers, meat, and other resources, whereas people provided food, shelter, and care. To investigate how turkeys fit within subsistence, economic production, sociopolitical organization, and religious and ritual practice in the Mimbres Valley of southwestern New Mexico, we report on genetic (mtDNA) and stable isotope (δ 13 C, δ 15 N) data from turkeys recovered from Mimbres Classic period (AD 1000-1130) sites. Results indicate that Mimbres aviculturists had haplogroup H1 and H2 turkeys, and most ate maize-based diets similar to humans, but some ate nonmaize and mixed diets. We contextualize these data to other turkey studies from the northern Southwest and discuss how the human-turkey relationship began, the evidence for pens and restricting turkey movement, and the socioecological factors related to turkey management during the Classic period, particularly the challenges associated with providing maize to turkeys during times of environmental stress. This study has broad relevance to places where people managed wild, tame, and domestic animals, and we offer new insights into how prehispanic, small-scale, middle-range agricultural societies managed turkeys for ritual and utilitarian purposes.

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Research paper thumbnail of Pachuca Obsidian Blades from the U.S. Southwest: Implications for Mesoamerican Connections and Coronado's Mexican Indian Allies

American Antiquity, 2021

The connection between people in the prehispanic U.S. Southwest / Northwest Mexico (SW/NW) and Me... more The connection between people in the prehispanic U.S. Southwest / Northwest Mexico (SW/NW) and Mesoamerica is one of the most debated research topics in American archaeology. SW/NW groups used objects from Mesoamerica, but did they also trade for obsidian? Archaeologists have yet to find Mesoamerican obsidian from confirmed prehispanic SW/NW contexts, but here we discuss four green obsidian prismatic blades from New Mexico and Arizona. Using EDXRF spectrometry, we demonstrate that the blades are from the Pachuca source in Mesoamerica. The blades were found at four sites that the Spanish and their Mexican Indian allies used or potentially visited beginning in AD 1540. Using lithic technological organization and historical narratives, we assess the credibility of the different hypothesized models of prehispanic SW/NW-Mesoamerican interaction and obsidian use by the Mexican Indian allies. We suggest that green Pachuca blades would have been traded into the SW/NW if interaction with Mesoamerica had occurred more frequently. We also offer reasons why archaeologists have found so few Mesoamerican obsidian blades at post-1540 sites. This research is relevant because it expands our knowledge about SW/NW-Mesoamerican connections and the Mexican Indian allies of the Spanish, who are an underrepresented group in the archaeological and historical records.

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Research paper thumbnail of New Insights into the Use of Obsidian at Cottonwood Springs Pueblo (LA 175), Doña Ana County, New Mexico

International Association for Obsidian Studies Bulletin, 2020

Cottonwood Springs Pueblo (LA 175) is a multicomponent site in southern New Mexico that was occup... more Cottonwood Springs Pueblo (LA 175) is a multicomponent site in southern New Mexico that was occupied from A.D. 1000–1450. In an earlier paper, Dolan et al. (2017) analyzed 40 obsidian artifacts from area A of the site using EDXRF spectrometry to evaluate regional and long-distance social interaction, and how people in the Jornada Mogollon region organized their lithic technology. In this paper, we report on an additional 24 obsidian artifacts from areas A and E of the site. The obsidian is from similar sources found in the earlier study, including Cerro Toledo Rhyolite, Antelope Creek, Grants Ridge, and Nutt Mountain, as well as one new source (Cow Canyon). With these new data, we provide further insights into obsidian procurement at Cottonwood Springs including differences in source use at the site, and how the residents maintained connections to outside social groups by acquiring nonlocal obsidian, while at the same time using the locally available obsidian.

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Research paper thumbnail of Obsidian Provenance Data Reveals New Insights into Archaic Lifeways in Chihuahua, Mexico

Lithic Technology, 2019

Archaeologists know less about how hunter-gatherers and early agriculturists lived during the Arc... more Archaeologists know less about how hunter-gatherers and early agriculturists lived during the Archaic period in the Mexican Northwest compared to the U.S. Southwest. To evaluate Archaic period mobility, lithic technology, and regional and temporal patterns in raw material procurement in northwestern Chihuahua, Mexico, we characterized the trace elemental composition of 61 obsidian artifacts from Rancho Santa María I, II, and El Peñón del Diablo using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. People predominantly used Los Jagüeyes obsidian procured locally from secondary deposits, but they also used three additional sources from upland and lowland environments in the Mexican Northwest to make dart projectile points and debitage. Also, they reduced obsidian using bipolar percussion, and there is regional and temporal variation in obsidian source use. This study contributes new insights into how mobility, raw material availability, and nodule size affected lithic technological organization in an understudied region.

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Research paper thumbnail of Ancestral Pueblo Fieldhouses: A View from Northern New Mexico

NewsMAC, 2018

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Research paper thumbnail of Long-distance conveyance of California obsidian at the Hayhurst lithic cache site (34ML168) in Oklahoma

Plains Anthropologist, 2018

A piece of obsidian was found during excavations of a possible Middle Holocene Calf Creek biface ... more A piece of obsidian was found during excavations of a possible Middle Holocene Calf Creek biface cache at site 34ML168 in Oklahoma. Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis of the obsidian flake shows that the source material derives from Glass Mountain in California. This is the first instance of California obsidian in this region. However, most intriguing is that Glass Mountain erupted thousands of years after the presumed Calf Creek artifacts were made. By examining the depositional history and lithic technology of the cache, and source provenance of the obsidian, we discuss the significance of this find and present possible scenarios regarding the long-distance conveyance of the obsidian artifact. This study complements other archaeological cases where the use of geochemical sourcing connects people, places, and things of unexpected distances across ancient North America.

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Research paper thumbnail of Source Characterization of Obsidian Artifacts from Six Sites in the Jornada Mogollon Region of Southern New Mexico

International Association for Obsidian Studies Bulletin , 2017

The results of a small obsidian sourcing study are presented here to contribute to a better under... more The results of a small obsidian sourcing study are presented here to contribute to a better understanding of local and nonlocal obsidian procurement in the Jornada Mogollon region of southern New Mexico. Sixteen artifacts from six Archaic/Pueblo period sites were sourced using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) spectrometry. Fourteen artifacts derive from four geochemically distinct sources that the primary outcrop is in the Jemez Mountains of northern New Mexico, but are also present in Rio Grande gravels in southern New Mexico. The remaining two artifacts derive from a nonlocal source (Gwynn/Ewe Canyon), and a geographically unknown source. These data are contextualized and results corroborate other studies from the region.

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Research paper thumbnail of KIVA Journal of Southwestern Anthropology and History El Paso Phase Obsidian Procurement in Southern New Mexico: Implications for Jornada Mogollon Regional Interaction and Exchange

Archaeologists rarely discuss obsidian procurement for the Jornada Mogollon region, but studies i... more Archaeologists rarely discuss obsidian procurement for the Jornada Mogollon region, but studies indicate groups overwhelmingly used obsidian that can be collected from Rio Grande gravels in southern New Mexico. Obsidian artifacts from two El Paso phase sites, Cottonwood Spring Pueblo and Madera Quemada Pueblo, were sourced using EDXRF spectrometry to determine: (1) is there evidence for non-Rio Grande gravel obsidian use, (2) is there a difference between the sites, and (3) how do these sourcing results compare with contemporaneous sites in the Casas Grandes area? This study has implications for regional interaction and exchange as the results validate the high frequency of Cerro Toledo Rhyolite obsidian in assemblages, but non-Rio Grande gravel sources were also used including Mule Creek projectile
points. People at both sites used similar sources, with a few noted exceptions. Furthermore, groups in the Jornada Mogollon and Casas Grandes regions utilized dramatically different sources.

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Research paper thumbnail of El Paso Phase Obsidian Procurement in Southern New Mexico: Implications for Jornada Mogollon Regional Interaction and Exchange

Kiva, Jun 1, 2017

Archaeologists rarely discuss obsidian procurement for the Jornada Mogollon region, but studies i... more Archaeologists rarely discuss obsidian procurement for the Jornada Mogollon region, but studies indicate groups overwhelmingly used obsidian that can be collected from Rio Grande gravels in southern New Mexico. Obsidian artifacts from two El Paso phase sites, Cottonwood Spring Pueblo and Madera Quemada Pueblo, were sourced using EDXRF spectrometry to determine: (1) is there evidence for non-Rio Grande gravel obsidian use, (2) is there a difference between the sites, and (3) how do these sourcing results compare with contemporaneous sites in the Casas Grandes area? This study has implications for regional interaction and exchange as the results validate the high frequency of Cerro Toledo Rhyolite obsidian in assemblages, but non-Rio Grande gravel sources were also used including Mule Creek projectile points. People at both sites used similar sources, with a few noted exceptions. Furthermore, groups in the Jornada Mogollon and Casas Grandes regions utilized dramatically different sources.

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Research paper thumbnail of Obsidian in the Casas Grandes World: Procurement, Exchange, and Interaction in Chihuahua, Mexico, CE 1200-1450

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2017

The Casas Grandes area in Chihuahua, Mexico and the site of Paquimé was the center of one the lar... more The Casas Grandes area in Chihuahua, Mexico and the site of Paquimé was the center of one the largest regional systems in the U.S. Southwest and Mexican Northwest (SW/NW) during the Medio period (CE 1200–1450). People participated in local and distant exchange networks with groups in the SW/NW, Mesoamerica, and West Mexico. Our knowledge of which obsidian sources people used in Casas Grandes is limited, despite how obsidian could have derived from many different places. We examine how the use of specific obsidian sources may relate to broader political and economic relationships within the Casas Grandes regional system and its association with the Mimbres and Animas regions of the SW/NW. We sourced 116 artifacts using EDXRF spectrometry from four sites that neighbor Paquimé. Results demonstrate people used obsidian from Chihuahua, Sonora, and New Mexico. There were varying levels of social interaction and regional integration because there is diversity in source use at the site level, and Casas Grandes were more connected to the Animas region than Mimbres regarding obsidian resource procurement. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

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Research paper thumbnail of Is There Mahogany Obsidian in Northeastern Sonora, Mexico?

International Association for Obsidian Studies Bulletin, 2017

A piece of mahogany obsidian came to the attention of the senior author during an excavation proj... more A piece of mahogany obsidian came to the attention of the senior author during an excavation project near the town of Mata Ortiz, Chihuahua, Mexico in 2015. Because mahogany obsidian in northwestern Mexico is particularly rare, the question was raised, what obsidian source did this sample derive? Using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) spectrometry, we demonstrate it comes from the Agua Fria obsidian source in northeastern Sonora, Mexico. Unfortunately, we do not know where this sample was collected from. We discuss these results and the significance of this find in this paper, but more investigation is certainly warranted.

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Research paper thumbnail of Geologic Origin of the Source of Bearhead Rhyolite (Paliza Canyon) Obsidian, Jemez Mountains, Northern New Mexico

New Mexico Geology, 2016

Recent field and analytical studies of what has been traditionally called "Paliza Canyon obsidian... more Recent field and analytical studies of what has been traditionally called "Paliza Canyon obsidian" in the archaeological vernacular show it to be Bearhead Rhyolite that is part of the Late Tertiary (Neogene) Keres Group of the Jemez Mountains, northern New Mexico. The geological origin of all other archaeological obsidian sources in the Jemez Mountains have been reported and are well documented in the literature. But the so-called "Paliza Canyon" source, important as a toolstone to Pueblo Revolt Colonial period occupants of the Jemez Mountains area and present in regional archaeological contexts throughout prehistory, had remained unlocated and undocumented. The Bearhead Rhyolite origin for the "Paliza Canyon" obsidian (which we suggest should now be named "Bearhead Rhyolite") solves this ambiguity and provides more precise geological and geographical data for archaeological obsidian source provenance in the region.

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Research paper thumbnail of The Source Provenance of an Obsidian Eden Point from Sierra County, New Mexico

PaleoAmerica, 2016

Eden projectile points associated with the Cody complex are underrepresented in the late Paleoind... more Eden projectile points associated with the Cody complex are underrepresented in the late Paleoindian record of the American Southwest. EDXRF analysis of an obsidian Eden point from a site in Sierra County, New Mexico demonstrates this artifact is from the Cerro del Medio (Valles Rhyolite) source in the Jemez Mountains. We contextualize our results by examining variability in obsidian procurement practices beyond the Cody heartland in southcentral New Mexico.

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Research paper thumbnail of Notes for the Next Century

Kiva, 2015

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Research paper thumbnail of Stone Tool and EDXRF Analysis of Obsidian Tools from Elk Ridge Ruin (LA 78963)

Collected Papers from the 20th Biennial Mogollon Archaeology Conference, 2019

Mimbres groups during the Late Pithouse and Classic periods manufactured corner-notched, side-not... more Mimbres groups during the Late Pithouse and Classic periods manufactured corner-notched, side-notched, stemmed, and triangular-shaped projectile points, and obsidian was the raw material of choice. To increase our understanding of chipped stone tool technology and raw material procurement in the Mimbres Valley, in this paper, I examine which projectile point types and sources of obsidian people at Elk Ridge Ruin (LA 78963) used. I typed the 31 tools using Dockall's (1991) terminology, and the artifacts were sourced using EDXRF spectrometry. With these data, I discuss how point type and obsidian source use compares regionally, and the implications for lithic technological organization. There is continuity in arrow point manufacture and obsidian procurement in the Mimbres Valley because the six morphologically distinct arrow point types at Elk Ridge are similar types found at other contemporaneous sites, and the overwhelming use of Mule Creek obsidian (n = 30) is ubiquitious valley wide, but the presence of one Sierra Fresnal obsidian point suggests trade further south.

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Research paper thumbnail of Mimbres Traditions and Practices past the Mimbres Valley: Results and Investigations from Six Field Seasons of the Southern Mimbres Archaeological Project

Collected Papers from the 18th biennial Mogollon Archaeology Conference, 2015

The purpose of the Southern Mimbres Archaeological Project is to record sites on BLM property tha... more The purpose of the Southern Mimbres Archaeological Project is to record sites on BLM property that augment the archaeological record in understudied parts of southwestern New Mexico. This survey project allows for an evaluation of site and artifact relationships, and thus people's relationships at a large geographic scale within the larger Mogollon region. What are the cultural traditions and historical processes that people practiced in areas other than the more intensively studied Mimbres Valley heartland? To answer this critically important question, we use obsidian and Mimbres painted pottery collected during six field seasons. We examine whether Mimbres farmers participated in similar and/or different traditions and practices relating to obsidian procurement and ceramic style and manufacture. We then assess the degree of social interaction and possible cultural affiliation and identity among Mimbres groups west, south, and east of the Mimbres Valley during the Late Pithouse and Classic periods. In sum, we are able to recognize independent local traditions through the differences in obsidian and ceramics that may reflect communities of practice within groups participating in multiple Mimbres "ways of doing."

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Research paper thumbnail of Source Provenance Analysis of Archaeological Obsidian from Kipp Ruin (LA 153465), Luna County, New Mexico

Collected Papers from the 16th Biennial Mogollon Archaeology Conference, 2012

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Research paper thumbnail of Birds in Archaeology: New Approaches to Understanding the Diverse Roles of Birds in the Past

Recent research in social zooarchaeology has demonstrated the diverse, reciprocal nature of relat... more Recent research in social zooarchaeology has demonstrated the diverse, reciprocal nature of relationships between animals and humans in the past. Despite growing interest in avifaunal remains from archaeological contexts, birds are often understudied and undervalued compared to other classes of fauna. Birds played particularly multifaceted roles in many realms of prehistoric life. Human interaction with birds has been driven by concerns for subsistence and cuisine, economic production and trade, political legitimization and social status, decorative and artistic pursuits, and religion, ideology, and ritual practice; analysis of their remains and archaeological contexts can inform the study of almost every traditional aspect of archaeological research. The outcomes and implications of these interactions, including extinction and extirpation, effects on the environment and local bird populations, and changes in biogeography over time, extends the relevance of avifaunal studies beyond the archaeological spectrum to other social and natural sciences. The papers in this session demonstrate the wide range of research topics that avifaunal analysis can address, and the diverse ways in which birds were involved in prehistoric life. The breadth of this research demonstrates the great explanatory potential of the study of avifaunal remains and the relevance of these inquiries to a social zooarchaeology.

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Research paper thumbnail of Obsidian Provenance Data Reveals New Insights into Archaic Lifeways in Chihuahua, Mexico

Lithic Technology, Aug 25, 2019

Archaeologists know less about how hunter-gatherers and early agriculturists lived during the Arc... more Archaeologists know less about how hunter-gatherers and early agriculturists lived during the Archaic period in the Mexican Northwest compared to the U.S. Southwest. To evaluate Archaic period mobility, lithic technology, and regional and temporal patterns in raw material procurement in northwestern Chihuahua, Mexico, we characterized the trace elemental composition of 61 obsidian artifacts from Rancho Santa María I, II, and El Peñón del Diablo using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. People predominantly used Los Jagüeyes obsidian procured locally from secondary deposits, but they also used three additional sources from upland and lowland environments in the Mexican Northwest to make dart projectile points and debitage. Also, they reduced obsidian using bipolar percussion, and there is regional and temporal variation in obsidian source use. This study contributes new insights into how mobility, raw material availability, and nodule size affected lithic technological...

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