Dissertation Improvement Grant Early Human Occupation of Northeastern Mexico: A Regional Study in the Modern Desert Environment

University Of Kentucky Research Foundation, Lexington KY

Investigators

Abstract

Under the direction of Dr. Thomas Dillehay, Mr. James White will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. He will conduct archaeological research in a 50 km. square region in the modern desert North of Monterey Mexico. Located just South of the Rio Grande river on the western edge of the Sierra Madre Oriental this region has received almost no professional archaeological attention. The goal of the research is to locate sites which date to the early human occupation of the New World - around and slightly before 10,000 years ago - and on this basis reconstruct subsistence and settlement adaptations. The advantage of the selected region lies in its wealth of closely juxtaposed micro-zones which provide a wide range of spatially discrete resources. Sites, unlike most US counterparts have not been subjected to surface collecting and dry desertic conditions, likely dating to the last 7,000 years, are conducive to the preservation of fragile faunal and floral remains. The research will proceed in three stages. The entire 50 km area will be surveyed on foot and all surface materials noted and mapped. On this basis a sample will be selected for limited excavation and the material obtained will be analyzed. With these data in hand, more extensive excavation will be undertaken at the most promising sites. A geologist will place the material into relevant geomorphological context, radiocarbon dates will provide absolute ages and a series of specialist analyses will provide faunal, floral and pollen identifications. Archaeological evidence demonstrates that by 10,000 years ago humans had spread across the Americas and their presence is well documented in both continents. Based on the association between carefully worked stone lance points and the remains of giant buffalo, mammoth and mastodon it is clear that humans utilized these food resources. However there is little agreement on whether these Paleo-Indian peoples were primarily specialized large game hunters, whether they pursued a more generalized subsistence strategy and incorporated large game as only one element of a broader diet or whether some groups adopted one approach and other groups another. Mr. White correctly argues that this question can only be addressed effectively through intensive region-specific studies in which comparison of multiple sites from the same time period permits the reconstruction of settlement and subsistence patterns. He has selected an excellent area for such research. This project is important for several reasons. It will shed light on a little known region of the Americas and provide data of interest to many archaeologists. It will provide insight into the adaptations of early Native Americans and also assist in training a promising young archaeologist.