Date of Award

8-31-2018

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Historical Archaeology

First Advisor

Heather B. Trigg

Second Advisor

Christa Beranek

Third Advisor

Stephen Mrozowski

Abstract

This thesis examines a sample of ceramic sherds from LA 20,000 to determine the functional uses of the locally made ceramics and their relationship to food preparation, consumption, and identity. LA 20,000, the Sanchez site, is a Spanish colonial estancia, or ranching headquarters, located in La Cienega, New Mexico, roughly 12 miles southwest of Santa Fe and was occupied during the seventeenth century before the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. It is important to understand Pueblo, or native made, ceramics because all ceramic assemblages recovered from 17th-century Spanish sites in New Mexico consist of a majority of native made ceramics. I analyzed the ceramic rim sherds recovered from the site to determine vessel form, vessel size, and vessel function. The results of this study reveal that the inhabitants of LA 20,000 continued to display their Spanish identity by making wheat bread and using individual serving vessels as well as introducing new Spanish vessel forms to the repertoire of locally made ceramics. This study can be used as a comparative tool to other Spanish and Pueblo sites from the same time period in New Mexico.

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