Pacific Coast Archaeological Society Quarterly, Volume 48, Numbers 1 and 2 it marks the first archaeological project conducted by a team of Mexican researchers, focusing on the indig- enous ceramics of the lower Colorado River Delta and adjacent territories. Research Methods The present study incorporates archaeological, ethno- archaeological, and ethnographic research elucidating patterns of ceramic production, use, and exchange within the lower Colorado River Delta and Colorado Desert regions. Three early publications provide a solid foundation for the current investigation: Ethnog- raphy of the Yuma Indians (Forde 1931), Yuman Pot- tery Making (Rogers 1936), and Cocopa Ethnography (Kelly 1977). These seminal studies are critical to our research for the following three reasons: (1) They are based on primary ethnographic fieldwork. Each ana- lyst had first-hand knowledge of the region and its in- digenous peoples, including Quechan (or Yuman), Ka- mia, Kiliwa, Paipai, and Cocopa (Cucapá); (2) These individuals observed and documented the activities of Native potters during all phases of pottery production. Moreover, Rogers had knowledge of the region’s ar- chaeological record, affording him tremendous insight into ethnographic pottery making; (3) Forde (1931), Rogers (1936), and Kelly (1977) worked among the last generation of Native potters, and so their observa- tions represent a bridge to the past. The Study Area The study area lies principally within the Municipio (municipality) of Mexicali. Mexicali is the capital of Antonio Porcayo Michelini Abstract Since 2006, the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) has been carrying out an intensive program of archaeologi- cal research in the Municipio of Mexicali, Baja California. Mexicali ranks among the fastest growing regions in Mexico. Urban sprawl, tourism, recreational land use, looting, and natural processes endan- ger the state’s cultural heritage. The results of the 2006 and 2007 field seasons suggest that human occupation in the region spans eight millennia or more. The Recording and Rescue of Archaeologi- cal Sites in the Municipality of Mexicali, Baja California Project has identified, recorded, and test-excavated hundreds of hitherto un- known archaeological sites, ranging from semi-permanent Archaic period hunting camps to historic fishing communities. In addition to the principal areas of archaeological inquiry, a key objective of this project has been to reintroduce the skill of pottery making among local indigenous peoples, reviving a tradition that had nearly slipped from memory. Background Since 2006, the author has directed the Recording and Rescue of Archaeological Sites in the Municipality of Mexicali, Baja California (RRAS-MMBC) Project under the aegis of the National Institute of Anthro- pology and History (INAH) (Figure 1). The project combines survey, site recording, mapping, excava- tion, and laboratory analyses (Figure 2). To date, researchers have recorded hundreds of archaeological sites threatened by development and the destructive forces of nature. Ceramic potsherds are among the most prolific artifacts encountered by RRAS-MMBC personnel. Almost all the pottery represents broken vessels; however, one complete olla was found in the vicinity of Guadalupe Canyon (Figure 3). Northern Baja California has attracted sporadic archaeologi- cal attention since the late 1920s, yet ours is the first long-term, systematic study of the region. Moreover, Ceramics from Northern Baja California
Transcript
Pacific Coast Archaeological Society Quarterly, Volume 48, Numbers 1 and 2
it marks the first archaeological project conducted by a team of Mexican researchers, focusing on the indig-enous ceramics of the lower Colorado River Delta and adjacent territories.
Research Methods
The present study incorporates archaeological, ethno-archaeological, and ethnographic research elucidating patterns of ceramic production, use, and exchange within the lower Colorado River Delta and Colorado Desert regions. Three early publications provide a solid foundation for the current investigation: Ethnog-raphy of the Yuma Indians (Forde 1931), Yuman Pot-tery Making (Rogers 1936), and Cocopa Ethnography (Kelly 1977). These seminal studies are critical to our research for the following three reasons: (1) They are based on primary ethnographic fieldwork. Each ana-lyst had first-hand knowledge of the region and its in-digenous peoples, including Quechan (or Yuman), Ka-mia, Kiliwa, Paipai, and Cocopa (Cucapá); (2) These individuals observed and documented the activities of Native potters during all phases of pottery production. Moreover, Rogers had knowledge of the region’s ar-chaeological record, affording him tremendous insight into ethnographic pottery making; (3) Forde (1931), Rogers (1936), and Kelly (1977) worked among the last generation of Native potters, and so their observa-tions represent a bridge to the past.
The Study Area
The study area lies principally within the Municipio (municipality) of Mexicali. Mexicali is the capital of
Antonio Porcayo Michelini
Abstract
Since 2006, the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) has been carrying out an intensive program of archaeologi-cal research in the Municipio of Mexicali, Baja California. Mexicali ranks among the fastest growing regions in Mexico. Urban sprawl, tourism, recreational land use, looting, and natural processes endan-ger the state’s cultural heritage. The results of the 2006 and 2007 field seasons suggest that human occupation in the region spans eight millennia or more. The Recording and Rescue of Archaeologi-cal Sites in the Municipality of Mexicali, Baja California Project has identified, recorded, and test-excavated hundreds of hitherto un-known archaeological sites, ranging from semi-permanent Archaic period hunting camps to historic fishing communities. In addition to the principal areas of archaeological inquiry, a key objective of this project has been to reintroduce the skill of pottery making among local indigenous peoples, reviving a tradition that had nearly slipped from memory.
Background
Since 2006, the author has directed the Recording and Rescue of Archaeological Sites in the Municipality of Mexicali, Baja California (RRAS-MMBC) Project under the aegis of the National Institute of Anthro-pology and History (INAH) (Figure 1). The project combines survey, site recording, mapping, excava-tion, and laboratory analyses (Figure 2). To date, researchers have recorded hundreds of archaeological sites threatened by development and the destructive forces of nature. Ceramic potsherds are among the most prolific artifacts encountered by RRAS-MMBC personnel. Almost all the pottery represents broken vessels; however, one complete olla was found in the vicinity of Guadalupe Canyon (Figure 3). Northern Baja California has attracted sporadic archaeologi-cal attention since the late 1920s, yet ours is the first long-term, systematic study of the region. Moreover,
Ceramics from Northern Baja California
PCAS Quarterly, 48(1&2)
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Figure 1. Northeastern Baja California, with the international border at top, City of Mexicali at top center, and the upper Gulf of California at lower right. The three archaeological study areas are shown within black rectangles. Ethnographic affiliations at European contact are indicated by light script and arrows. Map by Omar López Hernández and Karen Calvario Zavala.
the Mexican state of Baja California and is the second largest city on the Baja California peninsula. The Mu-nicipio of Mexicali encompasses thousands of acres of hot, dry, and barren land with abundant cultural and natural resources. Geomorphologically, the region includes migrating aeolian sand dunes, salt pans, bays, coastal lowlands, and mountainous uplands; it is arid and receives minimal rainfall. The few natural springs, watercourses, ancient lakes, and the Colorado River have attracted human settlement for millennia. Exten-sive development and population growth threaten the region’s fragile cultural and natural resources, includ-ing hundreds, if not thousands, of unreported archaeo-logical sites. Since these impacts will lead either to
partial or total destruction of the region’s rich archaeo-logical heritage, INAH implemented a plan to mitigate the deleterious effects of unbridled development. The RRAS-MMBC Project commenced under the author’s supervision, its goal to survey, record, and excavate sites in three distinct study units, the Northwest area, the Northeast area, and the South area (Figure 1).
Northwest Area
This area is delineated by the international border to the north and extends southward, incorporating Laguna Salada and Guadalupe Canyon; to the west it extends past the city of La Rumorosa. This is the largest study
PCAS Quarterly, 48(1&2)
Ceramics from Northern Baja California 57
unit of the RRAS-MMBC Project, subsuming the northern and eastern margins of the Sierra de Juárez and the Sierra Cucapá. The northern part of this region in-cludes the Laguna Macuata (also known as the Laguna Salada) basin. The central portion of the Northwest area was Kamia territory at European contact; the southern margin, near Guadalupe Canyon, was Paipai, and the northeastern portion of this study zone, and southwest of the modern city of Mexicali, was Cucapá.
Northeast Area
This area lies south of the U.S.-Mexico border; it is largely east and south of urban Mexicali and subsumes the General Rodolfo Sánchez Taboada International Airport, the Mesa de Andrade, the Algodones dune fields, and the area west of the present course of the Colorado River. At European contact the eastern part of this area was settled by Yuman speakers, cultivating corn, beans, and squash. The Yuma collected a wide range of seeds, including mesquite, and they fished and hunted. They also harvested marine and freshwa-ter mollusks from estuarine and coastal habitats. The earliest evidence of Yuman pottery dates to about AD 700–1000, persisting into the early twentieth century. Yuman vessels were reddish in color, varied in size and form, were used to store water and grains, and were used to prepare foods. Yuman potters also made ritual censers and pipes known as chacuacos.
South Area
The South area includes territories in and around San Felipe Bay, including the western coastline of the Sea of Cortés, south of the mouth and delta of the Colo-rado River. At European contact the area was occupied by Kiliwa.
Research Goals
The principal objectives of the RRAS-MMBC Project were to rescue archaeological sites from destruction
Figure 2. Surveying and mapping sites near the Algodones dune fields, Baja California Norte.
Figure 3. A complete olla was found in a small cave in Gua-dalupe Canyon. Note fire clouds on the base and neck of the vessel.
PCAS Quarterly, 48(1&2)
Porcayo58
and to reintroduce pottery making into a region where it has been mostly absent for decades if not centuries. Our challenge was to revive a cultural tradition that had largerly slipped from modern memory and to encourage the notion of pottery among people who lacked pottery-making experience. Until recently, few archaeological sites had been formally recorded in the vicinity of Mexicali, and regional chronolo-gies established by Rogers (1945) and Waters (1982a, 1982b, 1982c) were outdated. Likewise, almost no one recalled pottery making among the region’s indig-enous inhabitants.
Over the course of two field seasons, RRAS-MMBC surveyors discovered and recorded scores of archaeo-logical sites. Archaeological sites in the Northwest area ranged from rock art boulders and pictograph sites to Early Holocene hunting camps that produced artifacts diagnostic of the San Dieguito Complex, such as knives, projectile points, and scrapers. The Northeast area also produced a wide range of sites and artifacts, including manos and metates, obsidian flakes, projectile points, and arrowshaft straighten-ers. Subsistence remains included bird bones and the bones of marine and freshwater fish, such as croaker, mullet, carp, and razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texa-nus). Survey in the South area produced middens that included shell, some pottery, and flaked and ground stone tools. Most shell appears to be from edible spe-cies, indicating that the sites were primarily camps used for littoral foraging. Survey in the South area identified rock shelters with middens and petroglyphs as well as dune sites, many of which were deflated.
A total of 2,739 Late Prehistoric period potsherds were recovered from two seasons of fieldwork (Porcayo 2007, 2008). Of these, 2,325 sherds were surface finds, and 414 were excavated from controlled contexts (Tables 1–3, Figure 4). Some sherds exhibit drilled holes, indicating that cracked or broken vessels were repaired or that the vessels could have been car-ried or hung if attached to cordage (Figure 5). Vari-
ous specimens exhibit rounded and damaged edges, suggesting a secondary use as scraping or smoothing tools in pottery manufacture (Figure 6). Virtually all the pottery represents utilitarian wares. Some of the vessels may have served ritual or mortuary functions, yet there is no firm evidence to support this notion. The third field season will include a team of students from the Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Histo-ria (ENAH) in Mexico City, which will enable us to survey large tracts of land and to substantially increase our ceramic database (Porcayo 2009a, 2009b, 2009c).
Forty-one charcoal and shell samples were sent to the Subdirección de Laboratorios y Apoyo Académico del INAH in México City; one sample was sent to Beta Analytic, Inc. in Miami, Florida. Specimens for radio-metric dating have been obtained from pottery-bearing sites in each of the study areas (e.g., at Algodones in the Northeast area, La Rumorosa in the Northwest area, and San Felipe from the South area). The initial results of these tests indicate manufacture ranging from AD 500 to the late 1800s (Ritter 2006:111).
Ceramic Analyses
The ceramic analyses implemented by the INAH crew incorporated six analytical components. Each is described below.
Macroscopic Paste Analysis and Technology: Pre-liminary Observations
Most pottery in the study collection was of sedimen-tary clay from the Colorado Delta and Laguna Salada regions. Less common were residual clays from the eastern Sierra de Juárez and San Felipe. The major-ity of sherds recovered from the Northwest area resembled specimens published by Rogers (1945) and Waters (1982a, 1982b). Overall, we noted that coastal sites near San Felipe and archaeological sites located at the mouths of the northeastern canyons of the Sierra de Juárez in Kiliwa and Paipai territories
PCAS Quarterly, 48(1&2)
Ceramics from Northern Baja California 59
Are
aSi
teR
imB
owl
Olla
Tum
co B
uff
Salto
n Ty
peSu
rfac
e Tr
eatm
ent
Bod
y Sh
erds
Tum
co B
uff
Salto
n Ty
peC
olor
ado
Buf
fSu
rfac
e Tr
eatm
ent
Nor
thea
stA
ne10
-62
217
1421
1 re
d pa
int
167
167
1 re
d pa
int
Ane
10-6
33
33
22
AN
E10-
6411
1 1
AN
E10-
654
13
429
293
stuc
co
AN
E10-
661
11
99
1 st
ucco
AN
E10-
671
11
1717
1 st
ucco
AN
E10-
6810
55
1037
372
stuc
co
AN
E10-
693
12
31
red
pain
t8
83
stuc
co
AN
E10-
751
11
1 re
d pa
int
66
1 st
ucco
AN
E10-
783
3
AN
E10-
791
11
55
1 re
d pa
int
Ane
10-8
01
11
Ane
10-8
21
11
11
Ane
10-8
31
11
2323
Ane
10-8
45
14
57
71
stuc
co
Ane
10-8
94
31
413
13
Ane
10-9
03
32
stuc
co
Ane
10-9
12
22
Ane
10-9
22
22
Ane
10-9
31
11
1414
2 st
ucco
Ane
10-9
51
11
1414
1 st
ucco
Ane
10-9
61
11
2121
Ane
10-9
71
11
22
Ane
10-1
001
1
Ane
10-1
0215
15
Ane
10-1
031
11
11
Ane
10-1
041
11
22
Ane
10-1
061
11
88
Ane
10-1
071
11
stuc
co
Ane
10-1
085
5
Tabl
e 1.
Sur
face
Col
lect
ed C
eram
ics
from
the
2006
Fie
ld S
easo
n.
PCAS Quarterly, 48(1&2)
Porcayo60
Are
aSi
teR
imB
owl
Olla
Tum
co B
uff
Salto
n Ty
peSu
rfac
eTr
eatm
ent
Bod
y Sh
erds
Tum
co B
uff
Salto
n Ty
peC
olor
ado
Buf
fSu
rfac
eTr
eatm
ent
Nor
thea
stA
ne10
-109
44
46
61
stuc
co
Ane
10-1
103
3
Ane
10-1
1 13
12
314
141
stuc
co
Ane
10-1
134
41
stuc
co
Ane
10-1
1514
410
1414
714
720
stuc
co
Ane
10-1
1615
510
1515
615
632
stuc
co
Ane
10-1
196
33
668
682
stuc
co
Ane
10-1
211
1
Ane
10-1
252
11
27
73
red
pain
t
Ane
10-1
261
11
Ane
10-1
271
11
Ane
10-1
301
11
1 re
d pa
int
Ane
10-1
3111
1 1
Ane
10-1
321
11
1 st
ucco
2121
Ane
10-1
331
11
Ane
10-1
341
11
stuc
co
Ane
10-1
355
5
Ane
10-1
371
11
1 vi
trifie
d
Ane
10-1
382
22
1 pi
pe
Tota
l12
150
7112
18
868
866
2
Sout
hA
su13
-145
66
Asu
13-1
5053
53
Asu
13-1
514
4
Asu
13-1
521
1
Asu
13-1
541
1
Asu
13-1
591
1
Asu
13-1
602
2
Asu
13-1
631
1
Asu
13-1
691
11
1 vi
trifie
dve
ssel
from
se
aled
floo
r
Tabl
e 1.
Con
tinue
d.
PCAS Quarterly, 48(1&2)
Ceramics from Northern Baja California 61
Are
aSi
teR
imB
owl
Olla
Tum
co B
uff
Salto
n Ty
peSu
rfac
eTr
eatm
ent
Bod
y Sh
erds
Tum
co B
uff
Salto
n Ty
peC
olor
ado
Buf
fSu
rfac
eTr
eatm
ent
Sout
hA
su13
-170
11
Asu
14-1
712
2
Asu
14-1
741
11
Asu
14-1
781
11
22
1 st
ucco
Tota
l3
12
31
743
676
Nor
thw
est
Anw
2-km
577
25
25
107
110
61
stuc
co
Anw
5-pe
11
11
1
Anw
6-gp
e13
58
32
213
820
53
stuc
co
Anw
7-sa
-c2
73
43
410
210
2
Anw
7-sa
-c3
55
512
21
121
Anw
7-sa
-c4
53
25
3838
Anw
7-sa
-c6
11
Anw
8-du
3613
2346
221
221
1stu
cco,
1inc
ised
Anw
8-c1
219
1221
1919
1 st
ucco
Anw
8-c2
4826
2248
6969
5 st
ucco
Anw
8-c3
22
213
13
Anw
8-c4
3221
1132
5656
2 st
ucco
Anw
8-c5
168
816
Anw
8-c6
1714
317
1818
3 st
ucco
Anw
8-c7
129
312
22
Anw
8-c8
76
17
77
1 st
ucco
Anw
8-c9
4022
1840
Polc
as20
146
2021
321
334
stuc
co
Polc
as 1
159
615
2 in
cise
d
Tota
l30
517
313
229
511
1201
628
573
Tota
l42
922
420
541
514
2143
1497
640
6
Tabl
e 1.
Con
tinue
d.
PCAS Quarterly, 48(1&2)
Porcayo62
Area Site Rim Bowl Olla Tumco Buff Salton SurfaceTreatment
Area Site Rim Bowl Olla Tumco Buff Salton Body Sherds Tumco Buff Salton Surface Treatment
South Asu14-178
P1-i-1 2 2
Total 2 2
Northwest Asw2-km57
Cala1-i-1
Cala1-i-2,3 7 7 3 4 32 7 25
Cala1-i-3,4 21 4 17
Anw8-du
Cala1-sup 8 6 2 8 147 147 83 stucco
Cala1-i-1,2 3 3
Cala2-c1-i-1,2 16 14 2
Ca2-c2-i-1,2 1 1 1 19 19 12 stucco
Ca2-c3-i-1,2 6 4 2 14 11 3 3 stucco
Ca2-c4-i-1,2 3 3 3 12 12 3 stucco
Ca2-c2-ii-3,4 7 6 1 3 stucco
Total 25 14 11 15 4 271 223 48
Total 42 15 27 32 4 414 363 51
Table 3. Continued.
produced equal amounts of specimens from residual and sedimentary clays, which contradicted Rogers’ (1936:17) observation that residual clay was the sole material at San Felipe in Kiliwa territory. Specimens recovered from the Laguna Salada to Algodones, in Yuman, Cocopa, and Kamia territories, were made from sedimentary clays. Sherds from the Sierra de Juárez exhibit natural temper; sherds from desert areas were artificially tempered with sand or ground potsherds. Marine shell temper was not observed in the collection, although one sherd from Guadalupe Canyon exhibits natural inclusions of freshwater An-odonta shell from ancient Lake Cahuilla. The temper for the residual clay appears to have come from the sierra. Mica was identified in one sherd from Palmas de Cantú Canyon.
Contrary to what Rogers (1936:31) noted, pulverized and burnt granite was not observed in the paste from Algodones specimens. Rogers (1936:30) indicated that Yuman potters prepared clay in wooden mortars, yet none was reported in the course of our survey. Neither stone mortars nor metates were found in the 2006 and 2007 field seasons. We noted numerous flat basal sherds from plates among the Algodones specimens that could have functioned as sawils, or large flat trays, enabling potters to eliminate coarse particles and large inclusions from the clay. Small and large inclusions were observed in the sherds from the northeastern canyons of the Sierra de Juárez in Kamia territory. At San Felipe and in the Guadalupe Canyon area, in Kiliwa and Paipai territories where potters exploited residual and sedimentary clay sources, the
PCAS Quarterly, 48(1&2)
Porcayo64
Figure 4. Miscellaneous potsherds from Yuman sites in the Municipio of Mexicali. Most are Tumco Buff speci-mens. Scales equal 5 cm.
Figure 5. Drilled holes would have been lashed to mend and “recycle” broken vessels. Scale equals 5 cm.
Figure 6. Edge damage on these sherds suggests use as tools. Scale equals 5 cm.
PCAS Quarterly, 48(1&2)
Ceramics from Northern Baja California 65
ancient potters took care to remove large inclusions since fine grain temper is visible to the naked eye. Paddle-and- anvil technique was noted throughout the region. However, no ceramic anvils were identified, suggesting that rock anvils were used by ancient pot-ters. The use of coiling to form the vessels was evident in the archaeological sherds from the three study areas. In some cases we can even see the paddle-and-anvil technique used to merge the coils.
Typology of Vessel Forms: Preliminary Observations
The study collection includes sherds of bowls, jars, ollas, scoops, and plates or trays. Ceramics from the study region resemble Colorado Buff and Colorado
red types published by Schroeder (1958) and Wa-ters (1982a, 1982b), Salton Brown (May 1978), and Tumco Buff (Waters 1982a, 1982b). Archaeological specimens are analogous to ethnographic examples (Forde 1931; Rogers 1936; Kelly 1977), indicating a wide range of use. In all likelihood the excavated pot-tery was used to prepare, serve, and store animal and vegetal foods, medicines, and water.
Vessel forms were more varied than anticipated Fig-ures 7–20). We are hopeful that ongoing analyses will provide more precise information about the technol-ogy, style, functions, chronology, and place of origin of pottery from northern Baja California. It is inter-esting to note that the use of a base to shape vessels
Figure 7. Reconstruction drawings of two storage vessels from sherds recovered in excavations at Algodones. The fragmentary vessels were associated with burned seeds, sug-gesting their use as seed containers. Scales equal 10 cm.
Figure 8. Reconstruction drawings of water storage or water transport vessels. The constricted necks reduced spillage and evaporation. Scales equal 10 cm.
a
b
c
d
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Figure 9. Reconstruction drawings of water storage or food storage vessels. The rounded bases facili-tated positioning in sand or silt. Scales equal 10 cm.
Figure 10. Reconstruction drawings of water stor-age or food storage vessels. Constricted necks re-duced spillage and evaporation in tinajas, or water jars (a,b,c), and food preparation ollas (d and e). Of interest are the a and b vessels with reinforced rims as decoration. The pointed base on vessel c enabled it to be balanced on sand or silt. Scales equal 10 cm.
a
a
b
b
c
c
d
d
e
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Ceramics from Northern Baja California 67
Figure 11. Reconstruction drawings of three specimens from Laguna Salada or Macuata drawn from photographs provided by the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology (formerly the Lowie Museum of Anthropology), UC Berkeley; previously published by Treganza (1942). Scales equal 10 cm.
Figure 12. Recon-struction drawings of bowls with straight walls; probably used to prepare or to serve food. Scales equal 10 cm.
Figure 13. Recon-struction drawings of bowls with curved sides; probably used to prepare and to serve food. Scales equal 10 cm.
Figure 14. Recon-struction drawings of various vessel forms. Vessel a is a ladle or large spoon with an appliqué handle. According to Rogers (1945), this was an uncommon ceramic form during the Yuman I (ca. AD 800–1050), Yuman II (ca. AD 1050–1500), and Yu-man III (post ca. AD 1500) periods. The lower three examples are bowls with flat (b), conoidal or pointed (c), and rounded (d) bases. Vessels c and d are composite shapes. Scales equal 10 cm.
a
a
aa
b
b
b b
c
c
c c
d
dd
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Figure 15. Reconstruction drawings. Vessels a–d exhibit a white exterior coating; less frequently a white coating was detected on the sherd interior. This surface coloration is the result of natural processes, such as calcium deposits from evaporated groundwater known as a “scum coat.” Scales equal 5 cm.
Figure 16. Reconstruction drawings. Vessels a and b exhibit red oxidation patterns, either from uneven exposure to heat during firing or post-depositional exposure to calcium depos-its from evaporated groundwater, or both. Scales equal 5 cm.
Figure 17. Reconstruction drawings of three examples of painted decoration. Vessels a and b exhibit a red linear de-sign on their exterior and interior rims; specimen c reveals black paint on its interior rim and body surface. Scales equal 5 cm.
aa
a
b
b
b
c
c
d
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Ceramics from Northern Baja California 69
Figure 18. Reconstruction drawings of decorated vessels. All exhibit incised lines around the circumference of the rim. Scales equal 5 cm.
Figure 19. Reconstruction drawings of decorated vessels. Vessel a exhibits a simple incised line design round the circumference of the rim. Vessel b features regular thumb impressions below its rim exterior. Scales equal 5 cm.
Figure 20. Reconstruction drawings of “stucco” coat-ing. The “stucco” could have protected the vessel from protracted exposure to fire; a heavy coat may have retained heat once vessels were removed from the hearth. This coating is very common in ollas used for food preparation. Scales equal 5 cm.
a
a
a
bb
b
c
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was noted in three instances: a complete vessel from Guadalupe Canyon in Paipai territory, a sherd at the Laguna Salada, and a sherd from the Las Dunas site located in the northeastern part of the Sierra Cucapá. In the case of the vessel from Guadalupe Canyon, vegetable fibers inside the olla are visible. In the other two sherds we see evidence of a basket used to form the base. Attribute Analysis: Preliminary Observations
This procedure is based on the identifications of various technological, morphological, and stylistic criteria of the potsherds. Observable technological attributes are clay, temper, and paste. Morphological attributes include vessel form based on the shapes of rim, body, and basal sherds. Lastly, surface treat-ment, including slipping, painting, incising, burnish-ing, and smoothing is taken into consideration. A common pre-firing surface treatment characterized several sherds in the collection, that is, the applica-tion of a coarse, inclusion-rich slip; this process resulted in a very distinctive stucco-like coat that dates to the Yuman/Patayan II (AD 1000–1500) and Yuman/Patayan III (>AD 1500) periods (Rogers 1945; Waters 1982a, 1982b, 1982c). Some exterior surfaces were painted with red and black linear de-signs, and incised lines are present on some rims and less frequently on body sherds.
Exterior smoothing of pottery before firing was a com-mon practice in each of the three areas. A stucco coat on cooking sherds is also common, though it is absent from Kiliwa territory in the South area. So far, stucco coating (see Figure 20) is only found on sherds from vessels made of clay from sedimentary sources. The main decoration used in the Northeast and Northwest areas in Kamia, Cocopa, and Yuma territories is red painting and much less commonly black painting (see Rogers 1936). A common decoration in all three areas was rim incising. Rogers stated that decorated prehistoric ceramics were absent in Kiliwa and Paipai
territories; our research disproves his conclusion. The RRAS-MMBC crew noted sherds with incised rims in the San Felipe area within Kiliwa territory. Also interesting is the use of incising on a vessel body sherd at the Las Dunas site in Kamia-Cocopa territory, a decoration hitherto unreported for this region.
Reconstruction Drawings
The Mexicali ceramic assemblage contained enough diagnostic rim, body, and basal sherds for project artist Juan José Cardoza Rojero to reconstruct vessel forms (Figures 7 to 20). Reconstruction drawings were made from rim, body, and basal sherds and from fragmen-tary vessels. Figure layouts were made by Isidro Ma-dueño, Claudia Flores, and the author. Project illustra-tors followed the guidelines of Bagot (2005).
ED XRF, X-Ray Diffraction, and Petrographic Thin Section Analyses
Energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis (ED XRF) is underway at the Geoarchaeological XRF Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley (see Shackley 2009), the Institute of Nanotechnology UNAM-Ensenada (see Tellez et al. 2011), and at the Department of Geological Sciences, San Diego State University. The goal of these studies is to determine the mineral composition of the sherds in order to associate specific pastes with existing typologies, correlate paste types with specific clay sources, and identify new ceramic types. It is hoped that these data will shed new light on the production and movement of ceramics amongst and between prehistoric peoples on both sides of the international border.
Replicative Archaeology
Since 2009, the RRAS-MMBC Project has worked with potter Juan José Cardoza to produce whole vessels from our ceramic reconstruction illustrations (Figure 21). We hope that modern Indian potters from
PCAS Quarterly, 48(1&2)
Ceramics from Northern Baja California 71
Baja California may someday assemble a type col-lection from these reconstructions. Subsequently, the vessels produced by Cardoza have been used to teach ceramic analysis to archaeology students. They have also enjoyed a role in public education as museum exhibits. We are hopeful that increased public aware-ness of these artifacts and the ancient people who produced them will reduce looting and archaeological site destruction. It is important to note that replicative experimentation has value outside the classroom and museum. For the field archaeologist such replicative archaeology represents a kind of reverse engineering in which ancient manufacturing techniques can be resurrected by trial and error so as to better understand ancient ceramic behaviors.
Concluding Remarks
Archaeological inquiry in the Municipio of Mexicali is providing a wealth of data about regional prehistory. When the project began, its study area was, archaeo-logically speaking, a neglected backwater. Over a few
short field seasons it has grown to attract national and international interest. Preliminary project results con-firm the importance of the Mexicali region, not just for the archaeology of northern Baja California, but for all of Mexico. Baja California’s ceramic legacy has taken its rightful place alongside other, longer-studied and better-known cultural and pottery traditions within the Mexican Republic. As our project breaks new ground and makes new discoveries, we are excited at the pros-pect of continued work within this fertile field of study and hope to link scholars on both sides of the border in understanding the ancient Yuman world.
Acknowledgments
The Recording and Rescue of Archaeological Sites in the Municipality of Mexicali, Baja California Project was facilitated through the kind efforts of Julia Bendí-mez Patterson, Director of Centro INAH Baja Califor-nia, who gave freely of her time and knowledge of the region’s prehistory. The author is grateful for the help and hard work of the project’s field and laboratory
Figure 21. Pre-fired ceramic vessels based on draw-ings of rim, body, and basal sherds.
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personnel. I am indebted to Juan José Cardoza Rojero for his remarkable drawings and replicated ceramic vessels, also to Karen Calvario Zavala, Omar López Hernández, Isidro Madueño and Claudia Flores López for digitizing and editing the images. X-Ray diffraction and petrographic thin-section analyses of pottery is being done by Michelle Graham (SDSU). Special thanks to Dr. Matthew A. Boxt for inviting me to contribute to this volume and to Dr. Brian D. Dillon for translating the original Spanish manuscript into English.
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