Observations on the Archaeology, Paleoenvironment, and Geomorphology of the Puerto Peñasco Area of Northern Sonora, Mexico

Nitrogen isotopes in otoliths reconstruct ancient trophic position

“…Second, this system appears to be robust to interannual variation in source δ 15 N values. δ 15 N values can vary both within and between years, and because humans have been harvesting these species for thousands of years (Foster et al 2008), the opportunity for interannual variation in δ 15 N source values is large. In the present study, we sampled 48 otoliths which undoubtedly came from different years, and thus the variation we are reporting among otoliths includes this year-to-year variation in δ 15 N source values, but the variation in δ 15 N was quite low, and the differences between apex predators and intermediate predators appears quite robust to this variation.…”

“…Fourty-four of the 48 otoliths were collected from archeological sites along the Sonoran Coast (Foster et al 2008) that have been carbon dated between 1m000 and 5,500 calyr BP by shells, otoliths and charcoal (Foster et al 2008;Rowell et al 2008a). Four additional otoliths were collected in 1955, near San Felipe, Baja California (Fig.…”

Archaic Period Shell Middens, Sea-Level Fluctuation, and Seasonality: Archaeology along the Northern Gulf of California Littoral, Sonora, Mexico

“…In 1997, an archaeological reconnaissance survey of the Puerto Peiiasco region was initiated (Foster et al 2008;Mitchell and Foster 2000). Although the area had been intermittently investigated for decades (Follett 1957;Foster 1975; Gifford 1946Gifford ,1948Hayden 1972Hayden ,1981, the re-moteness of the area, its hyper-arid setting, and limited extant archaeological data suggested that archaeological remains would be scarce.…”

“…he number of shell middens along the northern end of the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez) in the vicinity of Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico indicates extensive prehistoric use of the area's marine resources ( Figure 1). To date, this little-studied area has been considered primarily as a source of marine shell for the manufacture of ornaments and jewelry by the Ceramic period peoples of the region, especially the Hohokam of central and southern Arizona (e.g., Foster et al 2008;Haury 1938Haury , 1976Howard 1993). More than 50 genera and 70 species of marine shell have been identified at Hohokam sites in the Phoenix and Tucson Basins (Nelson 1991); with few exceptions, these taxa come from the Panamic province that includes the Gulf of California and the Puerto Penasco area (e.g., Keen 1971).…”

“…More than 50 genera and 70 species of marine shell have been identified at Hohokam sites in the Phoenix and Tucson Basins (Nelson 1991); with few exceptions, these taxa come from the Panamic province that includes the Gulf of California and the Puerto Penasco area (e.g., Keen 1971). The shell middens that line the beaches and the edges of extant and extinct estuaries of the area are commonly considered to represent the remains of logistical shell procurement forays by the Hohokam (Foster et al 2008;Mitchell and Foster 2000). Earlier Archaic period (8000 B.C.-A.…”