Culture and Ecology of Chaco Canyon and the San Juan Basin

----------------- -----192 Chaco Project Synthesissmaller numbers could have been supported by localagricultural production.Diet and HealthFloral and faunal remains provide evidence forfoods included in the Chacoan subsistence base.Analyses of coprolites and human skeletal remains'provide clues as to how well this diet nourished thepopulation. Although samples are limited, someinsights were gained.M. Toll (1985:268) indicated that there are lowlevelshifts in wild plant use through time. As notedpreviously, when the ubiquity of com is at its lowestlevel at Pueblo Alto during the Red Mesa ceramicperiod, there is evidence to suggest widespread use ofwild plants. There were more species from outside thecanyon in botanical samples from Chacoan greathouses, which might indicate different household andsubsistence organization (M. Toll 1985:249). Atsmall sites, use of firepits vs. heating pits seemed todiffer; the former contained more charred economicweeds and corncobs, while the latter indicated fewfood processing activities. In contrast, at Pueblo Altothese two features seem to have been used in a similarmanner (M. Toll 1985:266). When samples fromsame proveniences were compared, data from pollenand flotation samples were often complementary innature. Data from pollen analysis confirmed the useof similar domesticated and wild plant species at bothlarge and small sites (A. Cully 1985b:218), yet thedistributions of com pollen at each of the sites wasunique. For example, at 29SJ629, the pattern couldbe interpreted as perhaps being seasonal in nature.Based on her analysis of faunal remains, Akins(1982d, 1984, 1985) indicated major dependence onsmall mammals (e. g., cottontail rabbit, jackrabbit, andprairie dog) and economic rodents (e.g., squirrel),plus three larger mammals (antelope, deer, andpronghorn), over an 800-year period. Yet severaltrends suggested change through time (Akins 1985:389-403). Prairie dog use was always fairly low;prairie dogs tended to show low increased percentagesfrom Red Mesa (A.D. 950 to 1020 or 1040) throughLate Mix (A.D. 1100 to 1150 or 1200). Jackrabbitscontributed more to the diet than cottontails during theClassic period. The largest number of cottontailremains were associated with the Red Mesa andGallup (A.D. 1040 to 1100) ceramic assemblages.The peak in jackrabbit remains correlated with theGallup ceramic assemblage, and remained high thereafter.Around A.D. 920 to 950, there was a shift inartiodactyl remains that suggested less dependence onpronghorn and greater dependence on deer. Althoughthe number of mountain sheep remains fluctuated, noclear pattern could be discerned. Carnivores werepresent in low numbers; their presence increasedbetween A.D. 850 and 1000. Turkeys also appearedin low numbers until very late. The overall pattern atboth small sites and great houses suggested that therewas increased use of animals with larger body sizebeginning around A.D. 950 and continuing throughoutthe Classic period. Akins attempted to quantify thepossible differences between remains found at thesmall sites vs. great houses, but the number of assumptionsthat would have had to be made was toogreat. These species that were recovered are typicalof those found at other sites in the San Juan Basin andon the Colorado Plateau (Dean et al. 1985).Two early studies of coprolites (Bc 288, theGallo Cliff Dwelling, by Callen 1977; Kin Kletso, byConley 1977) suggested that all foods included in theChaco diet may not appear in coprolites, yet someunintentional materials do accompany meat andvegetal selections. Ingestion of several plant andanimal taxa was confirmed by more detailed studies ofbone (Gillespie 1981), macrobotanical remains (M.Toll 1981), and pollen (Clary 1981, 1983a, 1983b,1984) found in coprolites recovered from three sitesexcavated by the Chaco Project.Based on pollen recovered in coprolites, Clary(1983a, 1983b, 1984) confirmed that the diet at thegreat houses (Pueblo Bonito, Pueblo Alto, and KinKletso) between about A.D. 1000 and 1150 was verysimilar. Among the taxa recovered were two cultivars(com [Zea mays] and squash [Curcubita sp.]). Beans(Phaseolus sp.), which are difficult to recover becauseof poor preservation and limited pollen distribution,were absent in these samples even though they arereported from Bc 288 (Callen 1977). Weedy economicspecies that probably were encouraged to growwere also present. Pollen samples included goosefootand amaranth (Chenopodiacea and Amaranthus sp.,including pigweed); mallow (Sphaeralcea sp.); wildsunflower (Helianthus sp.), and other members of thesunflower family (Compositae); beeweed (Cleome