Pecos National Historical Park

Archaeological & History Tour, January 17, 2018

Jeremy Moss

 

 

Pecos has 7,000 acres with 800 archaeological sites

 

Before 1200 not many people lived in the Pecos valley; only one Folsom point was found in the Tecolate Range

 

Archaic Period – 10,000 yrs ago in NM

·      4,000 yrs ago people came up from Central Mexico

·      scattered stone tools were found

·      agricultural least likely and un-self sustainable

·      pithouses are evident in the park; used from 800 AD until 1300-1400

 

1200 AD there were 12-15 scattered 50-100 room pueblos (small to medium size)

·      above ground rooms evolved to store goods & grain suplus

 

There were 7 mapped springs in the park

 

1400s development in all pueblos in NM; many large; Aggregation Phase; use of multigraded spaces-kivas, plazas, rooms

 

Trade fairs that lasted a couple of months were common on the plains in large river valleys; most camping remains at Pecos are in the rocky areas above the plain in front of the pueblo; trade was hides, pottery, corn and slaves

 

1541 – was Pecos’ first contact with Coronado after Hawikku’s first contact in Zuni in August, 1540

The Spaniards were not prepared for the cold winter in NM- most of the army were Aztec Indians

Coronado came to Pecos looking for Quivera; assisted by El Turko/Bigotes and ½ breeds Plains-pueblos

 

1590s- Spanish returned

 

1828 17-21 Pecos people left for Jemez; the church alter painting was left at the local church of St. Anthony

 

Excavation:

30% the 20 ft high midden or trash heap was excavated by Alfred Kidder between 1915-1929 (it is now covered by kochia (80 acres now covered) and Russian rye grass; he introduced the concept of stratigraphy (Pecos classification) to Southwestern archaeology

 

He removed 2,000 individual’s bones and sent to the Peabody Museum, Harvard, Cambridge, Mass.; they were repatriated back to the Pueblo in 1999 (Dr. Earnest Albert Hooton wrote a book about the skeletons found at Pecos)

 

He found that the wall around the pueblo had berms

 

It is believed that the pueblo people spoke Tewa before Towa

He found that black on white was the first type of pottery

 

The opening now is at the main entrance to the pueblo; most of the pueblo was four stories

 

Kiva:

·      believed to be the 4th world

·      weaving looms found inside

·      generally religious

·      late 1300-1400 Kachina cult became an integrative expression on the people

·      some were communal (in plazas); some clan

·      each one associated with a religious society

·      parts= ventilator shaft, deflector box/wall, fire box, sipapu (none at Pecos), sometimes pot w/offerings found in wall w/crystals, fossils, gems, minerals, plant pollen

·      in the main plaza Kiva 7 had offerings (little pots) sealed in the wall

·      one kiva was filled in by the Spanish

 

 

Three shrines were found on high points in the area

 

Part of the defensive wall has not been reconstructed

 

700 house features in both the north and south pueblos

 

1700-1800 most people live in the south pueblo (mostly three stories); by 1838 no one lived in the north pueblo

 

Pottery:

·      Glaze ware with tin oxide (galena) painted with the the rocky mountain bee plant found; probably came from the Zuni area

·      Black on white was carbon based

·      1700 everyone stopped making glazeware because galena looked a lot like silver; Spanish stopped it  (found in the Cerrillos Hills)

 

Pope from San Juan Pueblo (Okayouinge) gathered others at Taos Pueblo; revolt on Aug. 10, 1680

 

In the Spanish encomienda system land was given to the noblemen along w/people

 

 

The church:

1617- Padre Ortiz established the first church in Pecos north of the pueblo; 1617-1622 it was never finished; it was dismantled and material was used in the pueblo

 

1621 – oldest church on present site begun by Fray Andres Juarez; 1625 a temporary church was built while the permanent one was being built; 1717 present church was built; Masteros a master mason helped the padre design it; the bricks weighted 40lbs. each and were 10 in depth; the 1625 church was probably the largest church north of Mexico at the time

 

1625 church faced opposite from the 1717 one

 

Church covered with lime plaster; hard packed dirt floor; Jesse Nusbaum removed much of the fill