A poster distributed at an open house at the Pinnacle Peak Village site featured artifacts that had been found. (Courtesy Les Conklin)
Part 2 of 2
In Part 1 of this series, we published the beginning of Bob Mason’s article “Florence and Jerry Nelson Preserve History at Troon Village.” Part 2 is the rest of Mason’s article, which describes additional types of artifacts found at the site and the open house that was for the public held at the site in March 1988.
Florence and Jerry Nelson Preserve History at Troon Village – Continued
By Bob Mason
As published in A Peek at the Peak, November 2002
Lithics
This is the term applied to any item made from stone. In some cases the stone may be selected for the purpose it is intended and altered only slightly by the prehistoric worker.
Grinding stones, manos and metates are more radically shaped. These are usually made of basalt that cooled rapidly and filled with air holes, providing multiple cutting edges as the stone erodes with use. This stone is available nearby and also close to 136th Street and Shea Boulevard but neither of these locations match the chemical analysis of the Pinnacle Peak Village grinding stones. These were likely from a quarry near New River, a better source, and carried here by residents or traders.
The photograph shows the site prior to excavation. (Courtesy of the ARI/OCRM Collections.)
Other lithics include hammer stones and stone axes, usually made from stones with a heavy density. A surprising percentage of these tools have been procured from outside sources, many from the Verde River, 12 miles to the east. An unusual number of stone knives indicate that large amounts of agave and other cactus were harvested and roasted for human consumption.
Projectile points, such as arrowheads, and chipped stone knives were found in abundance. Obsidian, quartz and chalcedony (sometimes called chart) were used for these purposes. Only the quartz originated locally. The obsidian was found to be of Apache Tear origin and came from either the Wickenburg or Superior area. The chart was likely from the Cave Creek vicinity. Several pieces of amethyst were recovered. These clearly were from the Four Peaks mine 29 air miles east of the site. Fifty-one pieces of turquoise were found in one cremation site.
Dr. Gilman says in her summary, “The use of so much non local material for chipped and ground stone is a surprise, and it suggests that the Hohokam may have been moving around the landscape more than archaeologists have previously thought.”
Copper Bell
A copper bell was recovered with an intact clapper and a loop for suspension at one end. This item created the most excitement among professional when it was found. It was almost surely a prized item traded in from what is now central Mexico.
When the project was completed, the Nelsons dedicated three acres of the site as permanent open space. The land has returned to its natural state until archaeologist in the future conduct another study using new technology. This photograph shows the site in 2010. (Courtesy of Les Conklin.)
Flora and Fauna
A total of 1,794 bone fragments were examined. Eighty-two percent were rabbit bones, with the balance distribute evenly among rodents, carnivores, reptiles and artiodactyls (deer or sheep).
An unusually large number of bone awls were found. These were made from sharpened leg bones of deer and used to make holes in hides and fibers. This suggests that this village may have specialized in the weaving of baskets and other textile They may have even manufactured awls for exchange purposes.
Flotation studies were carried out to identify seeds and pollen left in the soil that was exposed prehistorically. Numerous samples of domesticated maize (corn) seeds and cobs were recovered from all pit structures that were sampled. A spring likely supplied a nearby wash with adequate water flow to a low crop irrigation.
Human Remains
Pieces of human bones were found in 15 secondary cremation pits. This means that the actual cremation occurred elsewhere and only a few symbolic remains were buried with large array of burned artifacts indicating that they were also included on the funeral pyre. The remainder of skeletal remains appear to have been dispersed in the trash mounds. A total of 679 fragments were analyzed.
No conclusions about demographic numbers of deaths represented could be made from the limited sample and the dispersion of bone fragments.
In this photograph, Lou Hagler presents Habout petroglyphs near the dig site. Hagler, a Pinnacle Peak resident and GPPHA member, volunteered to work on the study. He had spent hundreds of hours looking for evidence of Native American activity near Pinnacle Peak. (Courtesy of the Desert Center.)
Open House
In late March of 1988 the Nelsons and ASU sponsored an event that attracted about 3400 people to the site in a 2.5 day period. Crowds here lectures on archaeology and watched students from ASU and amateur archaeologists, including the author, make and reconstruct pottery, produce stone tools, projectile points and bone awls, clean artifacts for analysis and demonstrate flotation studies. Excavations continued in several units. Guests could watch the work and ask questions. Responses from the public were enthusiastic.
In 1991, the Nelsons donated the site to the Archaeological Conservancy. Their plans are to allow it to continue in its restored natural state until new techniques make it possible to learn more from another controlled investigation.
As Dr. Reman, Dr. Gilman and others stated throughout this process, “Florence and Jerry Nelson deserve our sincere thanks for their generosity in making this study possible and in allowing this sit to remain in its near-pristine condition.
.
Mayor Herb Drinkwater (right foreground, white shirt and tie), talks to Jerry Nelson (facing Drinkwater) and unknown man (white shirt, center foreground) at open house. (Courtesy of The Peak)
Related Articles
Excavating Pinnacle Peak Village, Part 1
The Desert Center: Special Pinnacle Peak Secret
Recent Comments