During a series of mapping projects at Eagle Nest Canyon (ENC) in 2014, the impacts of an extreme flood event were documented within the canyon using a fixed-wing Swinglet CAM drone along with a Phantom 1 quadcopter to create "before and... more
During a series of mapping projects at Eagle Nest Canyon (ENC) in 2014, the impacts of an extreme flood event were documented within the canyon using a fixed-wing Swinglet CAM drone along with a Phantom 1 quadcopter to create "before and after" 3D photogrammetry models of the landscape. This paper demonstrates the importance of mapping archaeological landscapes and how the data can be applied to understand how sites change over time.
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During the 2023 field season of the BEAST project, we deployed a drone-based lidar system to map areas around the sites of Chan Chich and Gallon Jug. The National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping (NCALM) at the University of Houston... more
During the 2023 field season of the BEAST project, we deployed a drone-based lidar system to map areas around the sites of Chan Chich and Gallon Jug. The National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping (NCALM) at the University of Houston mapped both sites as well as an extensive area well beyond using a plane-based lidar system in May 2022. NCALM mapped an area of approximately 650 km2 as compared to our 5 km2. Our goal was to compare the data collected using the two platforms.
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ABSTRACTThe accurate and precise collection of three-dimensional (3D) context and provenience data is of critical importance for archaeologists. Traditional square-hole methods are being augmented by new digital techniques to increase the... more
ABSTRACTThe accurate and precise collection of three-dimensional (3D) context and provenience data is of critical importance for archaeologists. Traditional square-hole methods are being augmented by new digital techniques to increase the accuracy and precision with which 3D data are collected. Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry is an emerging digital technique that is becoming more widespread for collecting 3D data of archaeological sites and features. We are using handheld digital cameras and ground-based SfM to record accurate and precise 3D context and provenience data at the scale of the excavation unit and profile during rockshelter excavations in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands of Texas. By combining SfM with traditional excavation methods, we collect 3D data on excavation units, layers, features, and profiles without excavating in grid-bound square units. SfM provides a straightforward and flexible method to excavate based on the stratigraphy and logistical pragmatics, which further aids in assigning precise context and provenience to recovered artifacts and samples. This article describes how ground-based SfM serves as a basic recording tool during excavation and shows that, by applying ground-based SfM methods to excavation, archaeologists can collect more, and more accurate, data than with traditional square-hole methods.
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Redacted version to safeguard site location data. Contact the lead author or Carlsbad Field Office, Bureau of Land Management, for original version. The Merchant site is a fourteenth and early fifteenth century pueblo settlement located... more
Redacted version to safeguard site location data. Contact the lead author or Carlsbad Field Office, Bureau of Land Management, for original version. The Merchant site is a fourteenth and early fifteenth century pueblo settlement located near Grama Ridge, a prominent escarpment near the boundary where the basin-and-range region merges with the southern Plains in the southeastern corner of New Mexico. The Merchant site is representative of the Ochoa phase, a poorly understood time period of southeastern New Mexico dating from around A.D. 1300/1350 to 1450. The Ochoa phase, and the El Paso and Late Glencoe phases of the closely related Jornada Mogollon region to the west, are contemporaneous with the Pueblo IV period of the greater Southwest, the Antelope Creek phase of the southern Plains, and the Toyah phase of central Texas. As such, Merchant and other Ochoa phase settlements were part of the widespread patterns of population aggregation, migrations, and diasporas and accompanying developments in social and ritual organization that occurred throughout the Southwest, northern Mexico, and southern Plains during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.
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Since 2007 our team has been conducting low level aerial reconnaissance in the northern highlands of Ecuador, a challenging environment with low air pressure, frequent high winds, misting rain, and rapidly alternating intense sun and... more
Since 2007 our team has been conducting low level aerial reconnaissance in the northern highlands of Ecuador, a challenging environment with low air pressure, frequent high winds, misting rain, and rapidly alternating intense sun and enveloping low lying clouds. We struggled with our kites that initial year but managed to build the first high-resolution aerial map of an Ecuadorian Inka fortress. During subsequent years, the switch to drones and improved photo-analytical capacity opened a new world of visualization to us and our colleagues, though never without challenges from the difficult environment. Beyond the beautiful images of the Inka fortresses, mound sites, and haciendas that we were mapping, was the power of photogrammetry and 3D modeling in building not only precise images but offering a better overall structural understanding as well. Complex slope models and volumetric cut and fill calculations were among the analytical techniques we could bring to the first complete maps of the large earthen mound centers at Cochasquí and Zuleta, for example. Ultimately, the ability to analyze landscapes in real time became our standard, and in conjunction with powerful subsurface tools such as radar and magnetometry, such visualizations have become an essential tool for our investigations.
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Geography and Prehistory
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Previous research on agriculture in the American Southwest focuses overwhelmingly on archaeological survey methods to discern surface agricultural features, which, in combination with climatological, geological, and geographical... more
Previous research on agriculture in the American Southwest focuses overwhelmingly on archaeological survey methods to discern surface agricultural features, which, in combination with climatological, geological, and geographical variables, are used to create models about agricultural productivity in the past. However, with few exceptions, the role of floodplain irrigation and floodwater farming in ancestral Pueblo agriculture is generally downplayed in scholarly discourse. Using a variety of methods, including Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), satellite imagery, pedestrian survey, and supervised classification of remotely sensed imagery, we examine this issue through a consideration of how ancestral Ohkay Owingeh (Tewa) people solved the challenges of arid land farming in the lower Rio Chama watershed of New Mexico during the Classic period (A.D. 1350–1598). Based on acreage estimates, our results indicate that runoff and rainwater fields in terrace environments would have been insuff...
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ABSTRACT
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... Philippines was one of a dozen or so villages reported by the Spanish dur? ing their early settlement of the Visayas from Legaspi's landing at Cebu City in 1565 (Figure 1).Its name, meaning "downriver"... more
... Philippines was one of a dozen or so villages reported by the Spanish dur? ing their early settlement of the Visayas from Legaspi's landing at Cebu City in 1565 (Figure 1).Its name, meaning "downriver" (Mojares 2000) or "by the river" (Fr. ...
Research Interests: Geography and Archaeology
This report presents a summary of the results of the Blanket Purchase Authority (BPA) 10 project sponsored by the Carlsbad Field Office (CFO) of the Bureau of Land Management and funded under the Permian Basin Programmatic Agreement. The... more
This report presents a summary of the results of the Blanket Purchase Authority (BPA) 10 project sponsored by the Carlsbad Field Office (CFO) of the Bureau of Land Management and funded under the Permian Basin Programmatic Agreement. The BPA 10 project included six cultural resource projects, including survey inventories, site evaluations, and excavations.
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RESUMEN: Los autores exponen las dificultades por las que hubo de pasar la respuesta a un ar-tículo, publicado en Science en 2018, en el que se afirmaba que el Neandertal era el autor de ciertas pinturas de tres cuevas españolas, según... more
RESUMEN: Los autores exponen las dificultades por las que hubo de pasar la respuesta a un ar-tículo, publicado en Science en 2018, en el que se afirmaba que el Neandertal era el autor de ciertas pinturas de tres cuevas españolas, según dataciones obtenidas por el método del uranio-torio. En esa respuesta, se explicitaban las distintas fuentes de error que pue-den conducir a fechas anormalmente envejecidas y se recapitulaban los argumentos ar-queológicos que contradicen dataciones tan antiguas. Muchos de los evaluadores de las revistas americanas prefirieron confiar en la arqueometría más que en la Arqueología europea, para ellos desconocida. Así, el artículo circuló por las manos de numerosos re-visores, transcurriendo un año y medio antes de que pudiera, por fin, salir en el Journal of Human Evolution. Este proceso ilustra la opacidad que subyace tras la aparente obje-tividad y neutralidad del procedimiento de evaluación científica de revisión por pares cuando se trata de contradec...
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This report presents the results of the second season of investigations at the Merchant village site (LA 43414) in southeastern New Mexico. The excavations and analyses were sponsored by the Carlsbad Field Office (CFO) of the Bureau of... more
This report presents the results of the second season of investigations at the Merchant village site (LA 43414) in southeastern New Mexico. The excavations and analyses were sponsored by the Carlsbad Field Office (CFO) of the Bureau of Land Management and funded under the Permian Basin Programmatic Agreement. Excavations focused on sections of room blocks in two areas of the main village, the agricultural fields, and midden deposits.
Research Interests: Geography and Archaeology
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In 2016, the Chan Chich Archaeological Project (CCAP) and Belize Estates Archaeological Survey Team (BEAST) pursued multiple research agendas within the 144,000-acre permit area in Northwestern Belize. At Chan Chich, excavations in the... more
In 2016, the Chan Chich Archaeological Project (CCAP) and Belize Estates Archaeological Survey Team (BEAST) pursued multiple research agendas within the 144,000-acre permit area in Northwestern Belize. At Chan Chich, excavations in the Upper Plaza began a 3-year initiative to build a high-resolution chronology of the plaza's and associated structures' construction history. This multi-season effort will investigate the relationship between divine kingship and the architectural evolution of the Upper Plaza. Additionally, CCAP renewed excavations at Norman's Temple complex, a hilltop group west of the Main Plaza, documenting ancient Maya graffiti and discovering a dense terminal artifact deposit. Under the auspices of BEAST, a drone survey mapped cleared pasturelands of Gallon Jug and a large lagoon know as Laguna Seca, and the project completed its second and final season of investigations at Kaxil Uinic, an historic period San Pedro Maya village. This paper summarizes the results of the 2016 investigations.
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espanolLos autores exponen las dificultades por las que hubo de pasar la respuesta a un ar-ticulo, publicado en Science en 2018, en el que se afirmaba que el Neandertal era el autor de ciertas pinturas de tres cuevas espanolas, segun... more
espanolLos autores exponen las dificultades por las que hubo de pasar la respuesta a un ar-ticulo, publicado en Science en 2018, en el que se afirmaba que el Neandertal era el autor de ciertas pinturas de tres cuevas espanolas, segun dataciones obtenidas por el metodo del uranio-torio. En esa respuesta, se explicitaban las distintas fuentes de error que pue-den conducir a fechas anormalmente envejecidas y se recapitulaban los argumentos ar-queologicos que contradicen dataciones tan antiguas. Muchos de los evaluadores de las revistas americanas prefirieron confiar en la arqueometria mas que en la Arqueologia europea, para ellos desconocida. Asi, el articulo circulo por las manos de numerosos re-visores, transcurriendo un ano y medio antes de que pudiera, por fin, salir en el Journal of Human Evolution. Este proceso ilustra la opacidad que subyace tras la aparente obje-tividad y neutralidad del procedimiento de evaluacion cientifica de revision por pares cuando se trata de contradecir...
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In Chapter 5, Eleanor Harrison-Buck and colleagues describe their use of drones to quickly and economically map roughly 7 km2 of plowed fields at the site of Saturday Creek in the middle Belize River Valley. They argue that Saturday Creek... more
In Chapter 5, Eleanor Harrison-Buck and colleagues describe their use of drones to quickly and economically map roughly 7 km2 of plowed fields at the site of Saturday Creek in the middle Belize River Valley. They argue that Saturday Creek was a central node on the landscape from Preclassic to Colonial times, serving as an important crossroads between east-west and north-south transportation routes. The authors consider the dense settlement around the site core of Saturday Creek to be part of a larger monumental landscape and consider activities taking place in the vacant terrain on the fringes of the peri-urban settlement—what they refer to as the “heterotopia” (borrowing from Foucault). These spaces were separate from the settlement, but integral to its operation and included environments such as the pine ridge that served as an important transportation corridor, vast tracts of wetlands with ditched and drained agricultural fields, and broad floodplains with rich alluvial soils, wh...
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The conversion of the Zeekoe Valley Archaeological Project survey data to a GIS format allows rapid and accurate analysis of this large hunter-gatherer database. During the 16-month survey 13,866 prehistoric Stone Age sites were recorded... more
The conversion of the Zeekoe Valley Archaeological Project survey data to a GIS format allows rapid and accurate analysis of this large hunter-gatherer database. During the 16-month survey 13,866 prehistoric Stone Age sites were recorded and plotted on aerial photographs. These site locations and archaeological data can now be analysed in a manner never possible before the conversion. The distribution and abundance of sites spanning over ~700,000 years of occupation demonstrates how human hunting and gathering societies organized themselves spatially on an African landscape. These results show how these different groups positioned themselves in different locations especially in relation to water sources in the semi-desert Karoo. These distributions show flexible patterns of spatial organization through the prehistoric past.
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Mapping is a critical aspect of systematic documentation no matter where archaeologists work. From hand-drawn maps of excavation units to maps created with Total Data Stations or LiDAR scanning, today’s archaeologists have a suite of... more
Mapping is a critical aspect of systematic documentation no matter where archaeologists work. From hand-drawn maps of excavation units to maps created with Total Data Stations or LiDAR scanning, today’s archaeologists have a suite of mapping techniques and technologies to choose from when documenting a site. Typically, spectacular sites often receive high resolution mapping, whereas everyday sites rarely do. Recently, however, a revolutionary technology and technique has been created that can produce highly accurate and precise three-dimensional maps and orthophotos of archaeological sites, features, and profiles at a fraction of the cost and time of LiDAR and intensive TDS mapping: Structure from Motion (SfM). SfM is a new digital photography processing technique for capturing highly detailed, three-dimensional (3D) data from almost any surface using digital cameras. This article introduces the various platforms SfM photographs can be collected from (UAV, kites, balloons, poles, an...
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No Bear (24GL1717) is an unusual rock art site located on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Glacier County, Montana. Including superimposed Foothills Abstract, Vertical Series, and Ceremonial tradition images, the rock art panels are... more
No Bear (24GL1717) is an unusual rock art site located on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Glacier County, Montana. Including superimposed Foothills Abstract, Vertical Series, and Ceremonial tradition images, the rock art panels are perched high on a sandstone cliff that is now badly undercut by erosion. Because the site is in imminent danger of collapse the Oregon Archaeological Society undertook a project in collaboration with the Blackfeet Nation, the Montana Archaeological Society, and Willis Archaeology to record the more than 50 different motifs drawn as both pictographs and petroglyphs. Because these images are far out of reach from below, Mark Willis used pole-assisted photography to record them.
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The intensity values of terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) can be used to reveal painted black rock art behind graffiti and moss. The effect was observed in Gumahon cave in Peñablanca, Philippines where previously unnoticed black pigment... more
The intensity values of terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) can be used to reveal painted black rock art behind graffiti and moss. The effect was observed in Gumahon cave in Peñablanca, Philippines where previously unnoticed black pigment was exposed underneath moss, red and white painted graffiti, and etched name graffiti. The application of TLS intensity values for this purpose has not, to our knowledge, been previously reported. The significance of this finding is that archaeologists are provided a new method of detecting obfuscated rock art that can aid interpretation. The method can be applied in similar contexts as black painted rock art is common in limestone caves across Southeast Asia and Micronesia, but also ubiquitous globally.
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ABSTRACTThis paper integrates the first rock art directly dated with radiocarbon (14C) in Southeast Asia with the archaeological activity in the area and with stylistically similar rock art in the region. Peñablanca is a hotspot of... more
ABSTRACTThis paper integrates the first rock art directly dated with radiocarbon (14C) in Southeast Asia with the archaeological activity in the area and with stylistically similar rock art in the region. Peñablanca is a hotspot of archaeological research that includes the oldest dates for human remains in the Philippines. The caves in Peñablanca with known rock art were revisited and only 37.6% of the original recorded figures were found; the others are likely lost to agents of deterioration. A sample was collected from an anthropomorph and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dated to 3570–3460 cal BP. The date corresponds to archaeological activity in the area and provides a more holistic view of the people inhabiting the Peñablanca caves at that time. A systematic review was used to find similar black anthropomorph motifs in Southeast Asia to identify potential connections across the region and provide a possible chronological association.
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Research Interests:
The accurate and precise collection of three-dimensional (3D) context and provenience data is of critical importance for archaeologists. Traditional square-hole methods are being augmented by new digital techniques to increase the... more
The accurate and precise collection of three-dimensional (3D) context and provenience data is of critical importance for archaeologists. Traditional square-hole methods are being augmented by new digital techniques to increase the accuracy and precision with which 3D data are collected. Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry is an emerging digital technique that is becoming more widespread for collecting 3D data of archaeological sites and features. We are using handheld digital cameras and ground-based SfM to record accurate and precise 3D context and provenience data at the scale of the excavation unit and profile during rockshelter excavations in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands of Texas. By combining SfM with traditional excavation methods, we collect 3D data on excavation units, layers, features, and profiles without excavating in grid-bound square units. SfM provides a straightforward and flexible method to excavate based on the stratigraphy and logistical pragmatics, which fur...
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ABSTRACT This paper discusses the results and implications of the 2013 excavation of a Later Stone Age component at the site of Erfkroon. Erfkroon, located in the western Free State province of South Africa, contains an artifact and... more
ABSTRACT This paper discusses the results and implications of the 2013 excavation of a Later Stone Age component at the site of Erfkroon. Erfkroon, located in the western Free State province of South Africa, contains an artifact and faunal assemblage that spans the Middle and Later Stone Ages. It has produced the only excavated Robberg assemblage found at an open-air site in southern Africa. The majority of the assemblage consists of bladelets and bladelet cores which typify Robberg lithic technology found in caves and rock shelters on the South African Cape and interior. A Lockshoek component found stratigraphically above these artifacts helps demonstrate that these microliths fit squarely within the Robberg industry. Multiple hearth features were found at Erfkroon, which contains the only excavated Later Stone Age stone-lined hearth at an open-air site in South Africa. Several hearthstones have been submitted for archaeomagnetic analysis and these findings will be incorporated within this paper. The abundance of bladelets, along with cores, raw materials, processed faunal remains, hearth features and the site’s proximity to fresh water, reflect camp activities. An analysis of tools and debitage revealed that both upland and nearby fluvial hornfels and cryptocrystalline sources were utilized for the acquisition of raw material. This paper provides an analysis of the lithic technology used during the Robberg industry at Erfkroon, offers a comparison to cave and rock shelter Robberg assemblages, and proposes hypotheses for how the environment at Erfkroon was utilized during the Later Stone Age.
The rock art at the Robert’s Indian Caves site (LA14288) was recorded as part of New Mexico’s Permian Basin cooperative agreement where oil companies, the Bureau of Land Management, and the New Mexico State Historic Preservation Office... more
The rock art at the Robert’s Indian Caves site (LA14288) was recorded as part of New Mexico’s Permian Basin cooperative agreement where oil companies, the Bureau of Land Management, and the New Mexico State Historic Preservation Office have created a system to complete problem-oriented archaeological research. Tool grooves and small holes drilled into the rock surface at the Robert’s site were recorded and suggested to represent the making of arrow and atlatl foreshafts. Additional research is needed to find and record similar holes at other sites for comparison to the Robert’s site.
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Research Interests:
Since 2007 our team has been conducting low level aerial reconnaissance in the northern highlands of Ecuador, a challenging environment with low air pressure, frequent high winds, misting rain, and rapidly alternating intense sun and... more
Since 2007 our team has been conducting low level aerial reconnaissance in the northern highlands of Ecuador, a challenging environment with low air pressure, frequent high winds, misting rain, and rapidly alternating intense sun and enveloping low lying clouds. We struggled with our kites that initial year but managed to build the first high-resolution aerial map of an Ecuadorian Inka fortress. During subsequent years, the switch to drones and improved photo-analytical capacity opened a new world of visualization to us and our colleagues, though never without challenges from the difficult environment. Beyond the beautiful images of the Inka fortresses, mound sites, and haciendas that we were mapping, was the power of photogrammetry and 3D modeling in building not only precise images but offering a better overall structural understanding as well. Complex slope models and volumetric cut and fill calculations were among the analytical techniques we could bring to the first complete maps of the large earthen mound centers at Cochasquí and Zuleta, for example. Ultimately, the ability to analyze landscapes in real time became our standard, and in conjunction with powerful subsurface tools such as radar and magnetometry, such visualizations have become an essential tool for our investigations.
Research Interests:
This paper is an overview of archaeological reconnaissance and mapping that was conducted in February 2017 in Northwestern Belize. The reconnaissance resulted in the initial recording of two newly identified sites, Sak Mut and Xma Ha... more
This paper is an overview of archaeological reconnaissance and mapping that was conducted in February 2017 in Northwestern Belize. The reconnaissance resulted in the initial recording of two newly identified sites, Sak Mut and Xma Ha Ak’al. Mapping efforts resulted in line drawings, drone canopy maps, and a 3D reconstruction of one of the sites.
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During the 2017 field season at Chan Chich, we used a combination of methods to document the landscape around the core of the site as well as at Courtyard D-4, which is located to the east of the site’s center. This chapter describes the... more
During the 2017 field season at Chan Chich, we used a combination of methods to document the landscape around the core of the site as well as at Courtyard D-4, which is located to the east of the site’s center. This chapter describes the use of traditional Total Data Station (TDS) mapping that was augmented with Structure from Motion (SfM) modeling data. SfM data was generated from an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and from Pole Aerial Photography (PAP). These were combined to create a comprehensive topographic map. Virtual Surveying, a new method for creating highly accurate bare-earth 3D model from dense point cloud data, is presented.
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In 2016, the Chan Chich Archaeological Project (CCAP) and Belize Estates Archaeological Survey Team (BEAST) pursued multiple research agendas within the 144,000-acre permit area in Northwestern Belize. At Chan Chich, excavations in the... more
In 2016, the Chan Chich Archaeological Project (CCAP) and Belize Estates Archaeological Survey Team (BEAST) pursued multiple research agendas within the 144,000-acre permit area in Northwestern Belize. At Chan Chich, excavations in the Upper Plaza began a 3-year initiative to build a high-resolution chronology of the plaza's and associated structures' construction history. This multi-season effort will investigate the relationship between divine kingship and the architectural evolution of the Upper Plaza. Additionally, CCAP renewed excavations at Norman's Temple complex, a hilltop group west of the Main Plaza, documenting ancient Maya graffiti and discovering a dense terminal artifact deposit. Under the auspices of BEAST, a drone survey mapped cleared pasturelands of Gallon Jug and a large lagoon know as Laguna Seca, and the project completed its second and final season of investigations at Kaxil Uinic, an historic period San Pedro Maya village. This paper summarizes the results of the 2016 investigations.
Research Interests:
This report presents the results of a comprehensive documentation and analysis of ground stone bedrock features at LA 43414 (the Merchant site) and LA 121668. The bedrock features are located on lands administered by the Carlsbad Field... more
This report presents the results of a comprehensive documentation and analysis of ground stone bedrock features at LA 43414 (the Merchant site) and LA 121668. The bedrock features are located on lands administered by the Carlsbad Field Office (CFO) of the Bureau of Land Management and the New Mexico State Land Office. This project was funded under the Permian Basin Programmatic Agreement (PBPA) administered by the CFO. This investigation recorded and examined 359 ground stone bedrock features between the two sites, using newly standardized documentation procedures for bedrock mortars and grinding basins that were instigated by the CFO (see Murrell 2019). Structure from Motion photogrammetry was used to make high-resolution 3D models of the features, which also provided the data to gather length, width, and depth data for each feature. Additionally, qualitative attributes were recorded during on-site field work. A statistical cluster analysis was used to evaluate the morphological variation of the bedrock features and subsequently to identify six clusters or groups or similar features. The resulting clusters assessed in relation to a suite of related research topics including (1) exploring the functional and morphological variability of bedrock features; (2) correlating use-wear characteristics to potential function; (3) discussing the spatial distribution of bedrock feature morphologies and their relation to other features such as burned rock accumulations or pueblo remains; (4) examining whether the bedrock features were created through intentional manufacture or sustained use; (5) discussing the use-life of features; (6) determining the potential age and cultural affiliation of the bedrock features; (7) correlating the associated past and present plant and mineral resources using previous excavation data at LA 43414, ethnography, and pollen results; and (8) evaluating the possibility of ritual contexts for bedrock features at these sites.
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Redacted version with site location information removed. Contact the Carlsbad Field Office, BLM or the author for complete PDF version.
Research Interests:
Redacted version to safeguard site location data. Contact the lead author or Carlsbad Field Office, Bureau of Land Management, for original version. The Merchant site is a fourteenth and early fifteenth century pueblo settlement... more
Redacted version to safeguard site location data. Contact the lead author or Carlsbad Field Office, Bureau of Land Management, for original version.
The Merchant site is a fourteenth and early fifteenth century pueblo settlement located near Grama Ridge, a prominent escarpment near the boundary where the basin-and-range region merges with the southern Plains in the southeastern corner of New Mexico. The Merchant site is representative of the Ochoa phase, a poorly understood time period of southeastern New Mexico dating from around A.D. 1300/1350 to 1450. The Ochoa phase, and the El Paso and Late Glencoe phases of the closely related Jornada Mogollon region to the west, are contemporaneous with the Pueblo IV period of the greater Southwest, the Antelope Creek phase of the southern Plains, and the Toyah phase of central Texas. As such, Merchant and other Ochoa phase settlements were part of the widespread patterns of population aggregation, migrations, and diasporas and accompanying developments in social and ritual organization that occurred throughout the Southwest, northern Mexico, and southern Plains during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.
The Merchant site is a fourteenth and early fifteenth century pueblo settlement located near Grama Ridge, a prominent escarpment near the boundary where the basin-and-range region merges with the southern Plains in the southeastern corner of New Mexico. The Merchant site is representative of the Ochoa phase, a poorly understood time period of southeastern New Mexico dating from around A.D. 1300/1350 to 1450. The Ochoa phase, and the El Paso and Late Glencoe phases of the closely related Jornada Mogollon region to the west, are contemporaneous with the Pueblo IV period of the greater Southwest, the Antelope Creek phase of the southern Plains, and the Toyah phase of central Texas. As such, Merchant and other Ochoa phase settlements were part of the widespread patterns of population aggregation, migrations, and diasporas and accompanying developments in social and ritual organization that occurred throughout the Southwest, northern Mexico, and southern Plains during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.
Research Interests:
No Bear (24GL1717) is an unusual rock art site located on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Glacier County, Montana. Including superimposed Foothills Abstract, Vertical Series, and Ceremonial tradition images, the rock art panels are... more
No Bear (24GL1717) is an unusual rock art site located on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Glacier County, Montana. Including superimposed Foothills Abstract, Vertical Series, and Ceremonial tradition images, the rock art panels are perched high on a sandstone cliff that is now badly undercut by erosion. Because the site is in imminent danger of collapse the Oregon Archaeological Society undertook a project in collaboration with the Blackfeet Nation, the Montana Archaeological Society, and Willis Archaeology to record the more than 50 different motifs drawn as both pictographs and petroglyphs. Because these images are far out of reach from below, Mark Willis used pole-assisted photography to record them.
Research Interests:
In 2016, the Chan Chich Archaeological Project (CCAP) and Belize Estates Archaeological Survey Team (BEAST) pursued multiple research agendas within the 144,000-acre permit area in Northwestern Belize. At Chan Chich, excavations in the... more
In 2016, the Chan Chich Archaeological Project (CCAP) and Belize Estates Archaeological Survey Team (BEAST) pursued multiple research agendas within the 144,000-acre permit area in Northwestern Belize. At Chan Chich, excavations in the Upper Plaza began a 3-year initiative to build a high-resolution chronology of the plaza's and associated structures' construction history. This multi-season effort will investigate the relationship between divine kingship and the architectural evolution of the Upper Plaza. Additionally, CCAP renewed excavations at Norman's Temple complex, a hilltop group west of the Main Plaza, documenting ancient Maya graffiti and discovering a dense terminal artifact deposit. Under the auspices of BEAST, a drone survey mapped cleared pasturelands of Gallon Jug and a large lagoon know as Laguna Seca, and the project completed its second and final season of investigations at Kaxil Uinic, an historic period San Pedro Maya village. This paper summarizes the results of the 2016 investigations.
Research Interests:
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Results of drone based LiDAR mapping of prehistoric Maya sites in the BREA project area near Crooked Tree, Belize.
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As part of the fieldwork conducted in January of 2020, several areas within the BREA project area were mapped using drones and Structure from Motion technologies. The overall goal of this mapping was to gather additional–as well as more... more
As part of the fieldwork conducted in January of 2020, several areas within the BREA project area were mapped using drones and Structure from Motion technologies. The overall goal of this mapping was to gather additional–as well as more accurate and precise remotely sensed data in order to enhance understanding of ancient Maya landscape management. This work was a continuation of our 2014 and 2017 drone mapping projects, in which we were able to demonstrate a number of benefits to the work: not only were we able to identify a large number of previously undocumented mound structures in the space of a few days, we have also been able to document the presence of large-scale wetland management structures, such as artificially constructed canals and ponds. The utility of these remote sensing technologies, and their affordable cost, are changing on a fundamental level the ways in which archaeologists collect, process, and display data. Further, remotely sensed data is helping to refine the kinds of research questions we ask.
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Redacted version with site location information removed. Contact the Carlsbad Field Office, BLM or the author for a full PDF version.
Research Interests:
Redacted version with site location information removed: contact the BLM Carlsbad Field Office or lead author for an unredacted copy. This report presents the results of the archaeological documentation and interpretation of 21 rock... more
Redacted version with site location information removed: contact the BLM Carlsbad Field Office or lead author for an unredacted copy.
This report presents the results of the archaeological documentation and interpretation of 21 rock art sites on lands in the Guadalupe Mountains and Azotea Mesa regions administered by the Carlsbad Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management. The comprehensive documentation of rock art at 21 sites was a multidisciplinary and multiphase effort over the course of two years that involved several specialists as well as field and post-field consultations with Native American Tribal Historic Preservation Offices, elders, and other representatives.
The rock art and surrounding occupation areas of 21 sites were documented. This vast and varied panorama of rock art paintings and engravings spanned a period of at least 4,000 years. A total of 168 rock art panels with 1,045 individual elements were drawn, photographed, and described. The artistic and symbolic content of the panels include abstract paintings, zigzag elements, and polychrome paintings dating to the Archaic Period; possible representational images and masks from the Formative/Ceramic Period; and dynamic scenes of humans, horses, and other animals dating to the 1800s.
Ten pictographs were directly dated using plasma oxidation radiocarbon dating of paint samples.
In addition to the rock art, other evidence of past human interaction with the landscapes of southeastern New Mexico is presented. The rock art panels are surrounded by shrine features, cairns, rock walls, house structures, and agave baking pits. Most of the rock art is associated with distinctive natural features such as caves, rockshelters, cliffs, and boulder outcrops. When considered together, the rock art, shrines, striking vistas, and dynamic settings provide profound insights into the ways in which the past inhabitants of the canyons and mountains of the Guadalupe Mountains engaged with the natural and spiritual world.
This report presents the results of the archaeological documentation and interpretation of 21 rock art sites on lands in the Guadalupe Mountains and Azotea Mesa regions administered by the Carlsbad Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management. The comprehensive documentation of rock art at 21 sites was a multidisciplinary and multiphase effort over the course of two years that involved several specialists as well as field and post-field consultations with Native American Tribal Historic Preservation Offices, elders, and other representatives.
The rock art and surrounding occupation areas of 21 sites were documented. This vast and varied panorama of rock art paintings and engravings spanned a period of at least 4,000 years. A total of 168 rock art panels with 1,045 individual elements were drawn, photographed, and described. The artistic and symbolic content of the panels include abstract paintings, zigzag elements, and polychrome paintings dating to the Archaic Period; possible representational images and masks from the Formative/Ceramic Period; and dynamic scenes of humans, horses, and other animals dating to the 1800s.
Ten pictographs were directly dated using plasma oxidation radiocarbon dating of paint samples.
In addition to the rock art, other evidence of past human interaction with the landscapes of southeastern New Mexico is presented. The rock art panels are surrounded by shrine features, cairns, rock walls, house structures, and agave baking pits. Most of the rock art is associated with distinctive natural features such as caves, rockshelters, cliffs, and boulder outcrops. When considered together, the rock art, shrines, striking vistas, and dynamic settings provide profound insights into the ways in which the past inhabitants of the canyons and mountains of the Guadalupe Mountains engaged with the natural and spiritual world.
Research Interests:
Early rock art research indicated that there were few “horizontal bedrock” rock art sites in Southern New Mexico and far West Texas. These sites are often difficult to see and are easily missed in survey work. Recent research and survey... more
Early rock art research indicated that there were few “horizontal bedrock” rock art sites in Southern New Mexico and far West Texas. These sites are often difficult to see and are easily missed in survey work. Recent research and survey work has documented a growing number of these sites on the etched limestone and sandstone of the desert slopes and basins. The use of photogrammetry makes it easier to document these sites and provide good images for analysis. Like the remnants of subtle agricultural features and puddled adobe ruins these subtle rock art sites give us insight into the culture of the Archaic and Jornada Cultures in Southern New Mexico and West Texas. This presentation will document a few of these and list some research possibilities.
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One unique combination of rock art elements found in the Jornada Mogollon region of southern New Mexico and West Texas is a cloud terrace with a face/mask below it. Figure 1 is an example of this element. The terrace is often decorated by... more
One unique combination of rock art elements found in the Jornada Mogollon region of southern New Mexico and West Texas is a cloud terrace with a face/mask below it. Figure 1 is an example of this element. The terrace is often decorated by an arc and rain. This combination closely resembles the tablita or cloud terrace headdresses of some Hopi and Jemez katsinas which were known in Ancestral Pueblo (A.D. 1300 to Post-Contact). Recent absolute dating of tablita fragments from Ceremonial Cave in West Texas and Doolittle Cave in western New Mexico suggests we look closer at possible connections. While the tablita fragments that were found may have been part of shrines, evidence suggest that they were worn by Jornada Mogollon people and that they were possibly one of the precursors to the katsina masking tradition.
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This Windmill site is along a shallow arroyo in Sierra County, New Mexico. The Archaeological Society of New Mexico’s Rock Art Council’s Dona Ana Archaeological Society’s Rock Art Documentation team (ASNM-RAC-DAAS) conducted field works... more
This Windmill site is along a shallow arroyo in Sierra County, New Mexico. The Archaeological Society of New Mexico’s Rock Art Council’s Dona Ana Archaeological Society’s Rock Art Documentation team (ASNM-RAC-DAAS) conducted field works at this site in 2019. LA 82899 had been previously documented but, due to the deteriorated condition of the panels minimal analysis of the petroglyphs was made. A model created by Mark Willis using innovative Structure from Motion (SfM) models and a radiance scaling enhancement provide better images for documentation. Tracings of these models help create a clearer schematic of some of the panels at the Windmill Site. This report presents these tracings and analysis including methods, distribution, and possible cultural affiliations.