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In this paper we describe a deposit of human bone found on the floor of a large structure on Terrace 18 of La Quemada, a mainly Epiclassic (A.D.600-900) site in Zacatecas, Mexico. Integration of ethnohistorical, archaeological, and osteological evidence allows us to consider alternative interpretations of the bone deposit:(1) that the bones represent the processing of the corpses of slain enemies; (2) that the bones belonged to sacrificial victims, either captives or selected members of the local community; and (3) that the bones are those of revered community members, whose memory was honored by preserving their remains in a charnel structure.The evidence here appears most consistent with charnel treatment; up to six distinct burial practices are ...
Regular unscheduled movements of rancherías within a confined area or settlement district result in the phenomenon described as “village drift,” a process whereby a settlement may change its location gradually by several kilometers over a period of years. This article presents a model of village drift based on data acquired from recent archaeological and geomorphological field studies and archival research on the Akimel O'odham, the Gila River Pima of south‐central Arizona. The model provides an excellent example of human ecodynamics‐‐‐an emerging landscape perspective that emphasizes the coevolution of humans and their ecosystem‐‐‐with implications for understanding prehistoric and historic settlement in desert riverine environments.
While most archaeological measures of population rely on material proxies uncovered through excavation (rooms, hearths, etc.), we identify a technique to estimate population at unexcavated sites (the majority of the archaeological record). Our case study focuses on ancestral Tewa Pueblo villages in northern New Mexico. Uninhabited aerial vehicle (UAV) and instrument mapping enables us to quantify the volume of adobe architectural rubble and to construct a decomposition model that estimates numbers of rooms and roofed over space. The resulting metric is applied at ten Pueblo villages in the region to 'rebuild' architecture, and calculate maximum architectural capacity and the maximum extent of population size. While our focus is on population histories for large Classic period (A.D. 1350-1598) pueblos in the American Southwest, the model and method may be applied to a variety of archaeological contexts worldwide and is not limited to building material, site size, or construction technique.
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