POLLEN ANALYSIS OF MUMMY LAKE AND THE MUMMY LAKE DRAINAGE BASIN, MESA VERDE, COLORADO

Mummy Lake has long been the object of debate concerning its function. This feature has
been interpreted as a prehistoric reservoir and as a dance pavilion. Additional pollen samples have
been examined to address the question of function for Mummy Lake. Samples from the Mummy
Lake Drainage Basin were examined to identify any evidence of agriculture. The 25-acre drainage
basin feeding Mummy Lake might have been farmed, which would have changed its runoff
characteristics, since agricultural surfaces have more runoff than natural vegetated ground
surfaces. Six pollen samples were collected from three locations within the drainage basin to
search for evidence of agriculture. Both maize and squash produce pollen grains large enough to
find during low-power scans of pollen samples. Therefore, after pollen counts were finished, each
slide was scanned in search of evidence of agriculture. Sediments between the retaining walls of
Mummy Lake also were sampled stratigraphically for pollen. If these samples represent cleaning
episodes where sediments that had accumulated in Mummy Lake as a result of its function as a
prehistoric reservoir were removed and deposited between the retaining walls, then small quantities
of maize pollen are expected as part of this record. If Mummy Lake had been used as a dance
pavilion, the pollen record should be more variable, containing large quantities of maize pollen in
some samples and none in others, or no maize pollen in any of the samples, depending on whether
or not maize pollen was used for ceremonial purposes.