The San Luis Valley

ARCHAEO-UPDATE

The Bulletin of the San Luis Valley Archaeological Network

Vol. 8, No. 1, January 2003

Annual Activity Meeting set for Friday, February 21, 2003

The annual San Luis Valley Archaeological Network 2003 Activity Scheduling Meeting will be held on Friday evening February 21, 2003 at 6:00 PM at the Rio Grande National Forest Supervisors Office. The office, located 2 miles west of Monte Vista on U.S. Highway 160, is on the north side of the highway. Entrance to the meeting will be at the first side door. Attendees will discuss options for the upcoming years activities. Suggestions detailed in last months newsletter included a visit to the Ute Mountain Tribal Park near Cortez, a trip to the Salida area to view rock art and high-altitlude game drives, another visit to the rock art at Velarde, New Mexico, a cultural inventory of the Rito Hondo area to the west of Antonito, and a test excavation of historic deposits at McIntire Ranch site, near Sanford. We hope that we will have a good turnout and that people will come with additional ideas for network activities. For additional information please call Vince Spero at 719-852-6242 or 873-5916 in the evening at home. E-mail address: vspero@peoplepc.com

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Prehistoric Archaeological Site Types of the San Luis Valley

Several prehistoric archaeological site types make up the majority of sites found in the San Luis Valley and surrounding mountains. Site attributes indicate a general functional relationship to seasonal hunting and gathering activity, with most sites associated with Archaic Stage occupation. The cultural phases and traditions within this period developed between 8,000 years before present (yBP) until about 1,500 yBP. Later Ute occupation also focuses on seasonal hunting and gathering pursuits. Some of the site types found include:

Open Architectural sites, located in open topographical situations like ridge tops, usually consist of dry-laid stacked stone structures, fortifications, simple alignments, or piled stone markers (cairns). Living structures of stone, sometimes clustered to form small seasonal villages, most likely had upright wooden support poles covered with bark, hide, or thatch. Natural boulders were sometimes used as backdrops for "D" shaped stone structures. Smaller associated structures may have served a storage purpose or may have been used as lookouts. Stone tools, sometimes including grinding stones, are usually associated with open architectural sites suggesting that they were main seasonal camps.