Micaceous mindsets: chemical characterization of Pueblo IV utility wares at multiple sites along the Rio Grande

Abstract

Micaceous utility wares are commonly found at Ancestral Pueblo villages along the Rio Grande and adjacent areas, yet they have received comparatively little attention relative to the well-studied glaze wares with which they often share contemporaneity. Compositional studies show that glaze wares and their ingredients were often transported around the landscape, driven by a mix of ritualistic and economic factors, but utility wares were also a common component of daily Pueblo activities and are shown to have been involved in complex exchange schemes. Neutron activation analysis is used to chemically characterize micaceous utility sherds from six Pueblo IV (1300 - 1600 CE) sites between Santa Fe and Socorro, New Mexico. Five distribution patterns are recognized based on spatial patterns of compositional groups present within and shared between sites. These indicate procurement and/or manufacturing similarities between the Rio Puerco and the Albuquerque area, and differences to the north near the Jemez Mountains and to the south in the Rio Abajo. These trends are meant to help focus future compositional, geological, and petrographic research.