Class III Inventory of 63 Miles of Seismic Line, Chaves County, New Mexico

The following update serves as a supplement to the comprehensive form prepared in 1973 by Don Sawyer for Burro Tanks Site. This site is one of the most important archaeological resources in southeast New Mexico. The site is one of the few Jornada Mogollon structural sites in the region, with evidence for occupations spanning all time periods from Paleoindian to protohistoric Apache.
The present project was able to make several contributions to the record of Burro Tanks Site. Transect survey of grid lines through the site required by this project allowed for precise site boundary definition and some assessment as to the distribution of site materials by land form. The project also documented on-going surface collection at the site which is the primary impact the site has sustained since the 1930s or even earlier. Two seperate parties of collectors were observed on the Sunday on which this site was re-recorded. Surface collection has resulted in the removal of diagnostic lithic and ceramic artifacts as they erode out of the dunes, severely altering the character of the surface assemblage. Collectors have also excavated a number of burials and complete ceramic vessels from unspecified contexts.