POLLEN, STARCH, AND MACROFLORAL ANALYSIS AT SITE 5LA6493, COLORADO

Site 5LA6493 in the Comanche National Grasslands of southeastern Colorado consists
of a room block with six rooms. Charcoal from three of the rooms yielded conventional
radiocarbon ages of 990 ± 40 BP (Room 1), 1080 ± 40 BP (Room 2) and 1090 ± 40 BP (Room
5). Various samples have been submitted at different times for analysis. This report is a
compilation of the work done at these various times.
Five pollen and three macrofloral samples were submitted and examined in 2005. Soil
samples from a hearth and a circular pit, as well as one metate fragment and one mano, were
recovered from Room 2. A conventional radiocarbon age of AD 980 (Beta-194913) was
obtained from Feature 3, a hearth in Room 2. At the very end of 2005, single pollen/starch and
macrofloral samples were submitted from Rooms 1 and 5 for analysis. Charcoal from Room 1
yielded a radiocarbon age of AD 1020 (Beta-173289), and a radiocarbon age of AD 900 (Beta-
181545) was returned for charcoal from Room 5. Pollen and macrofloral samples were
examined to obtain subsistence information and help provide insight into plant procurement and
processing along the Purgatoire River during the Developmental or Formative Period.