The Tijeras Pueblo Jewelry Project

Abstract

Beads and other personal ornaments were recovered during excavations at Tijeras Pueblo (LA 581). In 2008, a volunteer project was begun (1) to identify potential jewelry artifacts from the site, and their contexts; (2) to develop criteria for classifying artifacts as jewelry; and (3) to make these data accessible to future researchers. Comparisons with other sites show that Pueblo IV jewelry consists mostly of beads and pendants, with a few unusual pieces at each site. The variety of ornament materials, styles, and designs in the Tijeras Pueblo assemblage suggests the flow of objects, ideas, and practices across the Southwest and Northern Mexico. A comparison of the contexts in which jewelry artifacts were recovered at Tijeras Pueblo and Pottery Mound (LA 416) indicates possible differences in jewelry use. This project highlights how volunteers with specific interests and expertise can significantly enhance the research value of legacy collections.

Cuentas, colgantes y otros artículos de adorno personal se recuperaron durante las excavaciones en Tijeras Pueblo (LA 581). En 2008 un grupo de voluntarios comenzaron un proyecto para (1) identificar todos los posibles ejemplares de joyería del sitio, y sus contextos; (2) desarrollar criterios para identificar y clasificar ejemplares de joyería; y (3) asegurar que los datos nuevos son disponibles para investigadores futuros. Las comparaciones con otros sitios demuestran que la joyería del período Pueblo IV consiste principalmente en cuentas y colgantes, con algunas piezas raras en cada sitio. La variedad de materias primas, de estilos y de diseños indica que objetos, ideas y prácticas fluyeron a través del suroeste de los Estados Unidos y del norte de México. Una comparación de las ubicaciones de los artefactos de joyería dentro del sitio con aquellas de Pottery Mound (LA 416) indica posibles diferencias en el uso de la joyería. El proyecto subraya que voluntarios con intereses y habilidades determinados pueden mejorar el valor científico de colecciones hechos en años pasados.

KEYWORDS:

• Tijeras Pueblo
• jewelry
• ornaments
• Pottery Mound
• Pueblo IV
• middle Rio Grande
• Ancestral Pueblo
• legacy collections

Acknowledgements

Figures 1–5. were photographed by Bernie Bernard; the photographer for Figure 6 is unknown. All are used by permission of the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, University of New Mexico. Shell taxa were identified by Ronna Jane Bradley, stone materials by Bruce Huckell, animal bones by Robin Cordero, and ceramics by Hayward Franklin. We also wish to thank Karen Armstrong and her crew of Maxwell Museum volunteers, Sandra Arazi-Coambs, Jean Ballagh, Catherine Baudoin, Charles Carroll, Leslie Cohen, Linda Cordell, Helen Crotty, Nick Damp, Heather Edgar, Judith Habicht-Mauche, Alex Kurota, Joan Mathien, Tony Thibodeau, and Diane Tyink.

Data Availability Statement

The original studies (Schuyler 2011, 2016) are available online at https://maxwellmuseum.unm.edu/research/technical-series. Tijeras Pueblo and Pottery Mound detailed jewelry data are available through the Curator of Archaeology or the Archaeology Senior Collections Manager at the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, University of New Mexico.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The first author, Lucy Schuyler, passed away in 2021 while this article was under review. David Phillips completed the final revisions with substantial assistance from volume editor Judith Habicht-Mauche.

2 Corrections made after publication (Schuyler 2011) reduce the number of turquoise pendants from six to five, the number of pendants from 93 to 92, and the total artifacts in the study from 451 to 450 (Schuyler 2011:Figure A.1, Tables 2.22, 3.1).

3 None of the photographs in this article depicts an item associated with burials.