Culture and Ecology of Chaco Canyon and the San Juan Basin

The Preceramic Period 91However, he thought the Basketmaker III period wasprobably representative; locations of these sites werequite different from those in earlier periods. Environmentalreconstructions were incomplete and oftenconflicting, especially with regard to the extent andtiming of the Altithermal period. As a result, Judgesuggested a general scenario of climatic and culturalevents for this period (Judge 1982:Figure 1. 7) as aninitial step in furthering understanding of these poorlydefmed Preceramic periods (Figure 3.22).Several archaeological procedures that wouldimplement collection of the baseline data needed toverify the Preceramic chronological sequence in theSan Juan Basin and to refine dates assigned to thedifferent phases included detailed descriptions ofqualitative and quantitative attributes, condition, andmaterial type for all projectile points. With better dataon the range of variability of each point, the projectilepoint typologies could be further refined. All artifactsassociated with points should be described andanalyzed. The environmental context (topographicand vegetative) should be recorded for all sites.Similar data should be collected for all lithic sites, notonly those with projectile points (Judge 1982:51).Still needed were additional studies that would lead toa better understanding of the paleoclimate; e. g. ,alluvial geochronology and palynology of Late Pleistoceneand Holocene deposits, macrobotanical andfaunal analyses, and dendroclimatology of these earlierperiods. By using proper sampling strategies, sufficientinformation could be obtained to provide apicture of the changes that took place from Paleoindianthrough Archaic and Anasazi. Only whensufficient baseline data were collected would it bepossible to evaluate models of prehistoric behavior.Elliott (1986) had two goals: to synthesize thesurvey and excavation data from Chaco Canyon, andto compare these data with those from other areas ofthe San Juan Basin. He defined the Late Archaic asextending from 3,000 to 1,500 B.P., a period that encompassesthe beginnings of horticulture, the appearanceof ceramics, increased population, seasonalsedentism, and the transition to use of pithouses ashabitations. He reviewed the data relative to environmentalreconstructions and past archaeologicalresearch, which included major cultural resourcesmanagement surveys that were conducted during the1960s and 1970s and were among the 28,000 site filesin SBJRUS.When Elliott attempted to order sites chronologically,he, too, was hampered by the lack ofabsolute dates. Most radiocarbon dates available werefrom only a few sites. Relative dating using Irwin­William's phases was based on projectile point stylesthat still needed considerable refinement before theywould be useful in assigning sites to more specifictime frames. Like Judge, Elliott found few sites attributableto the Archaic. The low level of utilizationfor those sites that were recorded was attributed tosmall groups of people using them for short periods oftime. He inferred that there were no large permanentpopUlations.Although a large database was available, itcontained limited baseline data, and the suitability ofthe database for testing models was uncertain. Thesite distribution analysis had several drawbacks,including the problem of site visibility, methods usedto specify site types, lack of stringent criteria forinterpreting sites, and, without burials, lack ofunderstanding of how mobility of people would haveaffected use and reuse of sites through time. The datafrom Chacoan sites and the increased information fromrecent surveys in the San Juan Basin were not asdetailed as necessary to answer specific questionsabout changes in adaptations through this long periodof prehistory.Elliott did provide a model of what he believedrepresented Late Archaic period behavior. There waslimited temporal and spatial diversity in sites, and sitesizes were small prior to 3,000 B.P. He suggestedlimited sporadic use of the Chaco area, with noneduring cold weather. The macrofloral species recoveredin sites suggested occupation during the latespring, summer, and early fall. No survey data wereavailable from cold-weather use areas, which werepostulated to be in the surrounding mountains.Because site densities in the San Juan Basin were low,Elliott discounted population pressure as a primemover for this change. Instead, he proposed thatChaco's water catchments were good for seasonalsedentism and limited maize horticulture. Theintroduction of cultigens that enabled horticulturecame from the south around 1000 B.C. Only with the