Document Type

Presentation

Publication Date

4-30-2026

Abstract

This poster examines faunal remains from El Rancho de las Golondrinas (LA 127375) to investigate animal production, consumption, and labor practices in northern New Mexico during the Late Colonial and Territorial periods. By applying standard zooarchaeological methods and comparing the assemblage to an earlier Spanish Colonial site (LA 20,000), the study explores changes and continuities in regional ranching economies under shifting political and economic conditions. Results indicate that sheep/goats (Ovis/Capra) and cattle (Bos taurus) remained the dominant domesticated animals, demonstrating the long-term importance of pastoralism in New Mexico. Variations in the relative abundance of livestock through time may reflect changes in labor organization, land use, and market participation associated with the transition from Spanish to Mexican and later U.S. governance. These findings highlight the resilience of herding-based economies and suggest that systems such as the partido livestock-leasing arrangement played a significant role in shaping animal production and labor relations in the region

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Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

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