AN INTRODUCTION TO RECENT RESEARCH IN THE EASTERN MESA VERDE REGION

Abstract

The archaeology of the northern Southwest is often thought to have been typified by the events that occurred in the Central Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon areas. In fact, these areas represent only portions of the larger region inhabited by Ancestral Puebloan peoples. The collection of articles in this issue focuses on recent research of Ancestral Puebloan lifeways in the Eastern Mesa Verde area of the northern Southwest, a region that has received little synthesis in recent decades in spite of the large number of CRM projects and academic research programs that have been conducted in the area. The articles in this issue draw upon diverse scientific frameworks and data sets to illuminate the dynamics of ancient Puebloan lifeways and cultural histories that unfolded uniquely within the confines of the Eastern Mesa Verde region. The primary issues discussed include social identity formation and maintenance, demographic movement and population histories, inter- and intra-regional interaction, settlement patterns, land use, and human responses to climatic events. Though synthesis for the region is far from complete, these articles greatly enhance our knowledge and understanding of the nature of the archaeological record in this corner of the Mesa Verde world. This introduction describes the theme of this issue, summarizes recent research in the area, and briefly summarizes each of the articles that follow.

Se piensa a menudo que la arqueología del norte del Suroeste ha sido tipificada por los eventos que ocurrieron en las áreas de Mesa Verde y Chaco Canyon. De hecho, estas áreas representan únicamente porciones de una región más grande habitada por grupos Pueblo Ancestrales. La colección de artículos en esta publicación se enfoca en investigaciones recientes sobre modos de vida Pueblo Ancestrales en el área occidental de Mesa Verde, en la parte norte del Suroeste, una región que ha recibido escasos esfuerzos de síntesis a pesar del gran número de proyectos de CRM y programas de investigación académica que han sido realizados en el área. Los artículos en este número versan desde diversos marcos científicos y conjuntos de datos con el fin de iluminar las dinámicas de los modos de vida de los antiguos Pueblo así como las historias culturales que se desarrollaron de manera particular en los confines de la región oriental de Mesa Verde. Los temas principales de discusión incluyen la formación y mantenimiento de la identidad social, movimientos demográficos e historias de población, interacción inter- e intra-regional, patrones de asentamiento, uso de la tierra, así como respuestas humanas a eventos climáticos. Aunque una síntesis de la región está aún lejos de completarse, estos artículos resaltan nuestro conocimiento y comprensión sobre la naturaleza del record arqueológico en esta esquina del mundo de Mesa Verde. Esta introducción describe el tema de esta publicación, resume investigaciones recientes en el área, y brevemente condensa cada uno de los artículos a continuación.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank Dr. Richard Wilshusen and the other participants and discussants in the 2009 SAA session for their contributions to the session that spurred on the compilation of this issue. Paul Reed and an anonymous reviewer provided valuable comments on earlier drafts of this article and offered comments that greatly improved this final version. Tim Hovezak, Leslie Sesler, Paul Reed, Jonathan Till, Winston Hurst, Chris Maschino, Mona Charles, Kathy Mowerer, and Adam Weatherford also deserve thanks for their contributions of ideas, thoughts, constructive criticism, and encouragement throughout the process of compilation of this issue. I would also like to thank the authors of the articles in this issue for their patience and collaboration in the process of compilation. With deep regret we were not able to include papers by Dean Wilson and H. Wolcott Toll on the Basketmaker III and Pueblo II occupations of the La Plata River Valley, or Timothy Hovezak and Leslie Sesler on early Navajo occupations in the Totah area in this set of articles due to unforeseen circumstances. However, we hope to see these articles in print in the future and encourage them to get them published.