Mesa Verde Chaco SW Prehistoric Cultures Geography http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqxd8fg5gw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dawlrzw7trg Other Southwest Prehistoric Cultures Mogollon: Spanish colonial governor of NM Avoid association with modern people Sinagua: (Span.) without water because of Flagstaff sites Environmental-human aspects Mogollon Rim Transition between Basin and Range vs. Colorado Plateau Crosses AZ and NM High.. relief Rocky Mt.-like. 1
Mogollon Climate. Big summer rainfall peak Warm, but not hot Mogollon Ecosystems Rocky Mt. like... pine Mixed conifer. Forests quite productive. White Mountains, AZ Mimbres, NM Constricted valleys with Madrean woodland Riparian (..) corridors 2
Mogollon Habitation As with other cultures: Circular/rectangular pithouses early Beginning by AD 800:. Point of Pines Pueblo: 800 rooms Communal room to hold 400 people Even a kiva; Anasazi influence? Mogollon Subsistence Big and small. Mule deer, pronghorn, mountain sheep, rabbits, prairie dogs Mogollon retained skills Native and.. plants Pinyon nuts, sunflower seeds, corn etc. but not big-time. Pinyon Pine Found throughout SW Edible, storable nuts 3
Mogollon Agriculture Central Highlands not perfect for : Rugged, narrow valleys Not great alluvial environments 100 120.. days Summer rain timing Little water control Checkdams and terracing, but no. Mogollon Pottery Started out plain Ultimately, Mimbres magic Fantastic designs., animals, geometrics Favored by pot hunters See museum of WNMU, Silver City. Saltwater fish? 4
Mogollon Termination AD 1300: Plentiful food, established trade network, sophisticated social structure But,. from 1325 1355 By 1400, Mogollon culture abandoned Hopi/NM (Zuni) Pueblos? Tarahumara of Mexico? Sinagua Derivative of Mogollon Some pottery similarities Northern group: Flagstaff area Wupatki and Walnut Canyon Really without. Southern group:.. River Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot Plenty of water Don t miss Montezuma and Wupatki. 5
Colton: Black Sand Big eruption AD. Enhanced soil?. dated Briefly abandoned Spread ash, cinders 6
Ring width Any Need to Study Past Abrupt Environmental Events? Abrupt environmental change Abrupt abandonment of infrastructure Slow trickle back of population A.D. 1064 Control Event Time AD 1064 1020 1030 1050 7
An Issue with Black Sand Theory Eruption Sunset Crater: AD.. First tree-ring dates of Wupatki: AD 1130s -year lag? Could AD.. signal be due to something else? How to study Sunset Crater eruption better? El Tocón Paricutinense 4 3 8
Northern Sinagua Subsistence Small game hunting:., squirrels., native grasses, cultigens Agriculture innovations:.. Protect crops Thin ash layer Check dams to save water. Northern Sinagua Abandonment By AD 1250.. cycle: Loss of black soil Then, of 1276 1299 Early 1300s: Only a remnant population Hopi. Verde Valley Sinagua Nice place: Warmer than Flagstaff Cooler than Phoenix Perennial, dependable Verde River Fertile floodplain soils Elevational ecotone: Elements of desert, grasslands, lower forests Wide variety of animals. 9
5 stories 50 rooms Misnamed Montezuma Castle Deep in a limestone cave Why Cliff Dwelling? : Hard to attack, but hard to escape : Off of alluvium, but other places were easier.: Out of harm s way, but excessive Weathering: Out of rain, but easy to repair : Rooms are ± same temperature all year. 10
N S Solar Noon June Solstice 34 -.. 11 Dec. Solstice 34 -(-.) 57 11
Montezuma Well Several miles from castle Limestone sinkhole 1.5 million gallons water per day Source: somewhere in Flagstaff area? A must-see. Some irrigation trenches from the well Waterproofed with CaCO 3 What Environmentally Could Possibly Go Wrong at Montezuma s Well? 12
What Environmentally Could Possibly Go Wrong at Montezuma s Well? Modern day... = 100 µg/l 1 L = 1000 ml = 1000 g 1 µg/l = 1 part per million (ppm) US EPA limits Pre-2000: 50 ppb Proposed: 5 ppb Health effects:..., other illnesses Mogollon/Sinagua Summary Mogollon mountains Hunting, gathering, some farming Pinyon nuts Some terraces Big sites (400 rooms) Mogollon (Mimbres) Alluvium & farming Elaborate pottery Big pueblos 400+rooms Depopulations ca. 1300s slightly later than Kayenta; drought Mogollon/Sinagua Summary Sinagua North & South North Flagstaff area Sunset Crater (modern ) Land rush Erosion of black sand;. ca. 1350 South Verde Valley Montezuma Castle.. Montezuma Well. Abandoned by mid-1300s 13
Early Prehistoric Cultures Summary People adjusted with environment Lived in livable places Exploited native foods Planted with climate Natural environmental change Droughts/floods/eruptions Arroyos, soil erosion Human environmental change Big game, firewood, salinization of soils Overpopulation 14