The Archeology of Pueblo Grande de Nevada

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2010

Publication Title

KIVA

Volume

75

Issue

4

First page number:

403

Last page number:

424

Abstract

Pueblo Grande de Nevada, more popularly known as “Lost City,” refers to a loosely defined series of archaeological sites in the Moapa Valley of southern Nevada. Excavated between the years of 1924 and 1941, these sites were to have a major impact on early-twentieth-century Southwestern archaeology. Despite the excitement that surrounded these finds at the time of their discovery, their legacy has largely been forgotten today. We argue one reason for this oversight is that the data obtained by the original researchers are inadequate for addressing the questions being asked of the region today. In particular, because plant and animal remains were not systematically recovered by the original researchers, the early fieldwork has provided only a broad sketch of the subsistence activities practiced in the region. To remedy these shortcomings, in 2006 archaeologists from the University of Nevada Las Vegas conducted additional excavations at House 20, a roomblock located within one of the so-called Lost City sites. In this paper, the history of the Lost City fieldwork is reviewed and results from our 2006 excavations are presented. The newly obtained data suggest that the inhabitants of House 20 were heavily invested in agriculture and utilized wild resources that could be obtained in the immediate vicinity. El Pueblo Grande de Nevada, mejor conocido como “Lost City” (Ciudad Perdida), es una serie de sitios arqueológicos en el valle de Moapa al sur de Nevada. Estos sitios, excavados entre 1924 y 1941, tuvieron un gran impacto en los estudios arqueológicos del Suroeste Norteamericano de principios del siglo XX. A pesar de la sensatión que causaron estos descubrimientos, su legado actualmente ha sido olvidado. Creemos que una de las razones detrás de este descuido es que los datos obtenidos por los investigadores originales son inapropiados para responder interrogantes contemporaneas. Espectfícamente, los restos de flora y fauna no fueron recuperados sistematicámente por los investigadores, y el trabajo de campo solo proporciona una idea general de las actividades de subsistencia practicadas en la región. Para remediar esta falta de information, durante el 2006 arquedlógos de al Universidad de Nevada en Las Vegas realizaron nuevas excavaciones en la Casa 20, un complejo de casas localizado dentro de uno de los sitios de Lost City. En este artículo se hace una reseña de las investigaciones arqueológicas realizadas en Lost City y se presentan los resultados de nuestras excavaciones en la temporada del 2006. Los datos obtenidos indican que los habitantes de la Casa 20 invirtieron mayor tiempo y esfuerzo hacia la agricultura pero también utilizaron recursos silvestres locales.

Disciplines

Archaeological Anthropology

Language

English

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