PREFACE

Table 4.2. Crosstabulation of research questions by problem domain and temporal period. Questions with a superscript “g” are addressablein part at the area/generalization scale of inquiry.Chronology and Culture History Subsistence Strategies Settlement/Mobility StrategiesPaleoindian What is the dating of Midland and its relationship toFolsom? gTo what extent were subsistence strategiesfocused on hunting large game animals?How can sites lacking conventional diagnosticartifacts be identified?What is the age of Plainview and its relationship to Folsom? gWhat are the ages and typological relationships amongPlainview and the other unfluted point series? gWhat was the relative importance of smallgame and wild plant resources in the diet?Did groups in southeastern New Mexico employ ahigh-technology foraging strategy?Do the different point styles represent different culturaladaptations and/or different populations?Archaic What are the ages and typological relationship among theprojectile point forms found in the region? Can projectilepoints be used to refine Shelley’s chronology for the Archaicperiod? gDoes the variability and spatial distribution of point styles insoutheastern New Mexico indicate the presence ofpopulations affiliated with multiple Archaictraditions/adaptations?What seasonal variation is there in theavailability of plant and animal resources? Isthere a protracted period of low resourceavailability?Is the abundance of a food resource affectedby annual fluctuations in precipitation andtemperature? Can its future availability bepredicted?Was the mobility strategy based predominantly onresidential mobility? gWhat was the annual round? Did annual rounds differin the different parts of the region?Is there evidence for a reduction in the size of theterritories used by hunter-gatherer groups during thelate Archaic?What is the nature of the transition from Paleoindian toArchaic? Does the early Archaic represent a culturaladjustment by Paleoindians to the Holocene environment orpopulation replacement as other hunter-gatherers movedinto areas abandoned by Paleoindian groups? How didchanging environmental conditions during this transistionperiod affect the critical resources used by early Archaicgroups?Is there evidence of food storage facilities atArchaic sites? What food resources werebeing stored? Does the reliance on foodstorage change over time? gDid late Archaic hunter-gatherers intensifyresource procurement in response tosubsistence stress?Was there a shift toward a greater dependence onlogistical mobility as intensification pressuresincreased near the end of the period?Is the patterning in the radiocarbon record a reflection ofdemographic trends or a function of differential preservationand site visibility? Was the region sparsely settled orsporadically utilized during the early and middle Archaicperiods? Does the population increase in the late Archaicreflect intrinsic growth or an influx of groups from adjacentregions?When did groups in southeastern NewMexico have access to cultigens and whenwere they actually adopted? What otherintensification options were open to huntergatherersin New Mexico? What, if any,selective advantages would have favored theadoption of agriculture over those otheroptions?Ceramic To what extent can the date ranges for ceramic types berefined? Can local phase sequences be reconciled and asingle regional chronology formulated?How do potential agricultural yields compareto the yields from hunting and gathering interms of calories/nutrients relative to thelabor effort expended?Does the continued reliance on wild plant and animalresources by horticultural groups result from limiteddemographic pressure to intensify resourceprocurement, or from some environmental limitingagricultural productivity?4-59