Demographic and Social Dimensions of the Neolithic Revolution in Southwest Colorado

Abstract

We address aspects of the Neolithic Revolution in the Mesa Verde region of Southwest Colorado. We first propose a new method of dating habitations within the Basketmaker III period (AD 600-725) using vessel forms in pottery assemblages. Then we adapt this method to new survey and excavation data to investigate demographic processes behind the formation of Mesa Verde Pueblo society. Finally, we quantify extramural storage space across Basketmaker III households to investigate the development of private property during this period. Our results indicate that both in-migration and intrinsic growth were involved in the formation of Mesa Verde Pueblo society; that agricultural households became increasingly dispersed over time; and that household agricultural outputs took the form of a log-normal distribution typical of societies with private property rights. Collectively, these findings suggest private property rights co-evolved with agriculture and settled communities, as researchers have suggested for other world areas.

Nos dirigimos a los aspectos de la revolución neolítica en la región de Mesa Verde del suroeste de Colorado. En primer lugar, proponemos un nuevo método de fechar viviendas dentro del período Basketmaker III (dC 600-725), utilizando formas de vasijas en conjuntos cerámicos. A continuación, nos adaptamos este método a los nuevos datos de reconocimiento y excavación para investigar los procesos demográficos en la formación de la sociedad del Pueblo Mesa Verde. Por último, se cuantifica el espacio de almacenamiento afuera de muros de hogares del período Basketmaker III para investigar el desarrollo de la propiedad privada durante este período. Nuestros resultados indican que tanto la inmigración y el crecimiento intrínseco estaban involucrados en la formación de la sociedad del Pueblo Mesa Verde; que los hogares agrícolas hicieron cada vez más dispersos en el tiempo; y que los productos agrícolas domésticos tomaron la forma de una distribución “log-normal” típica de las sociedades con derechos de propiedad privada. En conjunto, estos hallazgos sugieren los derechos de propiedad privada evoluciono con la agricultura y las comunidades asentadas, ya que los investigadores han sugerido para otras áreas del mundo.

KEYWORDS:

• Relative chronology
• Survey methods
• Settlement patterns
• Neolithic Revolution
• Basketmaker period
• Mesa Verde region
• US Southwest

Acknowledgments

Portions of this research were supported by the National Science Foundation (BCS-1144918) and by History Colorado (SHF 2012-01-010; 2013-01-042; 2014-01-046). We wish to thank Scott Travis and Tara Travis of Mesa Verde National Park for access to collections within the Mesa Verde Research Center; to Bridget Ambler and Tracy Murphy at the BLM – Anasazi Heritage Center for access to the Payne Site collections; and to Christina Cain of the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History for access to collections from 5MT1. We thank the Indian Camp Ranch Homeowners Association, and individual homeowners, for permission to conduct survey and excavation research on individual properties within this private residential community. We thank Payson Sheets for preparing the Spanish abstract. Finally, we thank Tim Kohler, Dennis Gilpin, Rich Wilshusen, and several anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on previous versions.