PREFACE

CHAPTER 5RESEARCH DESIGN IMPLEMENTATIONby Patrick Hogan and Richard C. ChapmanThe research outlined in Chapter 4 proposes to treat southeastern New Mexico as a laboratory for thelong-term study of Native American cultural adaptations in the ecological and cultural frontier ofsoutheastern New Mexico. The initial phase of that research focuses on 1) refining the culturalchronology for the region; 2) identifying changes in subsistence and settlement strategies in response tochanging demographic and environmental conditions during the late Pleistocene and Holocene; and 3)defining the cultural/ethnic/economic boundaries of contemporary groups. Emphases during that researchare given to pattern recognition and temporal sequencing.RESEARCH STRATEGYSampling DesignThe research strategy for this investigation relies on a sampling approach that is both cost-effective andwell suited for integrated research at a regional scale. Full implementation of the research design willrequire survey of an area representative of environmental variability in the region and data recovery at arepresentative sample of sites from each temporal period. Adequate survey coverage is needed to ensurethat the sample of sites selected for excavation reflects the full range of temporal and site type variabilitywithin each RSU. Further, initial settlement pattern analyses and predictive models of site location willnecessarily be based on survey data. A representative sample of excavated sites is needed to provide thebasic chronological, subsistence, and settlement data required to address the research issues outlined inChapter 4.As a first step in the environmental stratification process needed to support this sampling strategy,southeastern New Mexico was divided into nine Regional Sampling Units (RSUs). As discussed inChapter 2, the western portion of the region was divided into four RSUs encompassing drainage basinsflowing from the Sacramento and Guadalupe Mountains to the Pecos River. From north to south, thoseRSUs are the Pintada Arroyo-Yeso Creek basin, the Rio Hondo-Arroyo del Macho basin, the RioPenasco-Rio Felix basin, and the Seven Rivers-Dark Canyon basin (Figure 2.8). The eastern portion ofthe region was divided into five RSUs on the basis of physiographic differences: the Pecos River Valley,the Upper Canadian River drainage, the Llano Estacado, the Mescalero Plain, and the Portales Valley.The regional sampling units reflect gross physiographic and hydrological variability across the region thatmay have played a role in conditioning the character of prehistoric and protohistoric human settlement ofthe region through time.As research progresses, a more detailed stratification of environmental variability in each RSU needs tobe developed. Suggested variables for this second-level stratification include vegetation, elevation,topography, soils, and hydrology. We anticipate that this second-level stratification will occur inconjunction with the development of predictive models of site location. These data can also be used todevelop a stratified survey sampling design for the RSU.5-1