The masonry ruins of Classic period settlements are by far the most visible archaeological sites in the San Pedro Valley. The high profile of these sites has both advantages and drawbacks. On the positive side, we can confidently state that nearly all of the major occupations and most of the minor settlements from this interval have been identified. On the negative side, these sites have been and continue to be attractive targets for pothunters. The dual motivation of high research and threat potential provided the primary impetus for conducting test excavations from 1999 to 2001. The main goal was to obtain a representative sample of artifacts and plant and animal remains from every major Classic period settlement while minimizing theimpact to each site. To accomplish this task, trash deposits outside of architectural ruins were prioritized. These artifact-rich contexts had high recovery rates even though very little dirt was actually moved.

Beginning in Spring 1999 and continuing through Spring 2001, a group of dedicated volunteers--supervised by the Center's staff--tested more than one hundred of these deposits at 29 sites. Ultimately, nearly 45,000 sherds, 20,000 pieces of flaked stone, 500 fragments of ground stone, 200 pieces of shell, 5,000 animal bone fragments, and 300 flotation samples were recovered. The following account is based on the analyses of this material, previous work in the valley and surrounding areas. (Mounds and Migrants - read more)

In the lower San Pedro Valley, recurved (flared-rim) Roosevelt Red Ware bowls likely appeared after A.D. 1350, and became frequent as fewer incurved bowls and hemispherical bowls were produced. In a study of ceramics from Ormand Village, in New Mexico, Francis Harlow referred to Roosevelt Red Ware bowls with recurved rims as Cliff Polychrome. Gila Polychrome bowls characteristically display a wide painted band ("banding line") just below and parallel to the inside of the rim. Emil Haury noted that on nearly all recurved bowls, the banding line was painted well below the rim, near the point where the vessel is constricted, and that painted designs were most often applied in the zone between the rim and the banding line. Distinguishing between "standard" Gila Polychrome and Cliff Polychrome bowls allows fine-scale sorting of late Classic period sites in the San Pedro Valley. This procedure is potentially applicable across the Greater Southwest and its use promises to reveal important patterns in ancient demography, interaction, and social organization.

For more information on Cliff Polychrome, click here. (PDF file)