POLLEN AND MACROFLORAL ANALYSIS FOR SITES IN THE ANCHO CANYON WEST HALF PROJECT, NEW MEXICO

Pollen and macrofloral analyses were conducted at five sites on the Ancho Canyon Mine property in northeastern New Mexico to answer specific settlement and subsistence questions. This latest study on the Ancho Mine property was designed to examine landscape use. Since the project area is located in the uplands, it is likely that resource procurement reflects this area.
Biella and Dorshow (1996b) provide a preliminary landscape analysis that suggests a stable economy and adaptive strategy. Previous archaeobotanic analysis yielded small numbers of remains, making reconstructions of plant use difficult. Poor preservation, cleaned features, and shallow deposits are thought to have contributed to this meager recovery. Prior to this analysis,
archaeobotanic data from the Ancho Canyon Mine indicated either an extremely local focus or a record muddied by poor preservation. The "data are consistent with a planned subsistence strategy in which small groups came into the area to harvest seasonally available resources" (research design ref). These resources may have been collected for immediate consumption or later use, although the archaeological record is lacking in storage features. Previous data
could not address whether or not the plant portion of the diet changed significantly among the different cultural-temporal periods represented. Identifying the role of plant domesticates is a critical element for understanding Front Range adaptations. Maize has been documented in all
sampled feature types except ash lenses, but has not been interpreted to represent either a cultivated crop or a trade item. Regional stability may mask diversity of economies at individual sites.