The Land Between: An Examination of Ground and Chipped Stone Artifacts from Garden Canyon Village

Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation

Citations

Citeable URL: https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/xk81jk808

Abstract

Garden Canyon Village (AZ EE:11:13 [ASM]) is a large multi-component site located in southeastern Arizona on the Fort Huachuca military installation. The main occupation dates to the late Formative Period (A.D. 1150 – A.D. 1450), but the rich resources of the Huachuca Mountains drew ancient people to the site from Preceramic (Pre- A.D. 1) times through the end of the Prehistoric Period (A.D. 1450). Located 10 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico Border and 65 miles southeast of the Tucson Basin, Garden Canyon Village was located on the frontier of the Hohokam, Mogollon, Casas Grandes, Rio Sonora, and Trincheras culture areas. This paper presents an analysis of chipped and ground stone artifacts from the site. The sample consists of artifacts from two excavation areas: the E75 complex, a residential area with two adobe-walled structures, and the E100 complex, a courtyard with two adobe-walled rooms. The analyses demonstrate that the residents of Garden Canyon Village engaged in a wide variety of activities, including intensive agriculture, the exploitation of wild plant foods, pottery manufacture, spinning and weaving, hunting, and other gaming or ritual activities. Additionally, this thesis presents evidence that Garden Canyon Village had diverse connections to the cultures around them- particularly the Hohokam, Mogollon, and Casas Grandes areas. However, these broad, interregional connections were balanced with strong local traditions.

Creator