2013 Fieldwork: Excavations at a Seventh-Century Basketmaker Community

In 2013, Crow Canyon will continue its field research into the origins of Pueblo society in the central Mesa Verde region.

Over the decades, archaeologists have devoted much effort to studying the final years of Pueblo occupation in the region, especially the mysterious "depopulation" of the area in the late thirteenth century A.D. But what is equally intriguing is the way in which Pueblo society formed many centuries earlier, during the Basketmaker III period (A.D. 500–750).

For example, although it is clear that migration into the region was a factor in the development of early Pueblo society, we still don't know how many people came or where they came from. Also, although a number of Basketmaker III houses have been excavated over the years, researchers have yet to study a cluster of such houses to determine whether they represent communities organized like those of later time periods.

You can help us answer these important questions by participating in our Archaeology Research Program in 2013.

The sites where we are working are located in Indian Camp Ranch, a private, rural residential community with exceptional views of the magnificent landscape of southwestern Colorado. Our research includes excavations at a number of sites that appear to belong to an extensive early Pueblo community. One site includes a seventh-century great kiva, one of the earliest examples of public architecture in the region.

So come join us, and become part of one of the most exciting archaeological research projects in the country!

Shanna Diederichs
Director, Basketmaker Communities Project