Lone Mountain Archaeological Services
Old Spanish National Historic Trails
Rock Art Sites
Hiener Spring and Deer House Pueblitos
SNAKE EYES 3-D SEISMIC EXPLORATION
San Juan And Mckinley Counties, New Mexico.
Lone Mountain completed this survey for a proposed seismic exploration for oil and gas in San Juan And Mckinley Counties, New Mexico. The project area was located just northwest of Pueblo Pintado along Chaco Wash, part of the Chaco Culture National Historical Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site...a cultural resource of worldwide significance. The survey yielded 196 sites including one Paleoindian component, a substantial amount of rock art, and some very early evidence for corn agriculture. Many of the sites are occupation centers associated with Chaco Canyon's period of cultural florescence, and include intact prehistoric buildings containing corn and pottery.
An intriguing Middle Archaic component was excavated at one site. This component dated to between 2000 and 1500 B.C., and was associated with corn pollen. Initially, given the accepted dates for the introduction of corn in this area (not prior to A.D. 200), this pollen was discounted as intrusive. However, more recent work on the introduction of corn to the Southwest suggests that these dates may not be anomalous after all, and deserve to be revisited.
Thousands of rock art motifs were observed on hundreds of panels throughout the project area, some not previously recorded. These were mostly Anasazi, with some Navajo and some Historic Anglo-American or Hispanic. Of particular note among the Historic components is an inscription reading “1795.” This predates the earliest inscription on National Park Service land at Chaco Canyon, which is attributed to a U.S. Army expedition in 1858.