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
Stephen W. Silliman
Third Advisor
Virginia S. Popper
Abstract
How did Spanish colonialism alter the landscape of north-central New Mexico? Agropastoral practices imported by Spanish colonists made indelible impacts on an anthropogenic landscape already shaped by hundreds of years of Pueblo agriculture. However, the precise nature of these changes is poorly understood. This project uses two sets of archaeological pollen data from LA 20,000, a Spanish rancho in New Mexico, to demonstrate how 17th century agriculture and animal husbandry made geographically specific, multifaceted changes to the environment. First, patterns analyzed from a pollen column illuminates fluctuations in plant communities over time, indicating localized ecological shifts. Second, sediments collected from 17th century deposits across the site characterize the nature of agriculture and animal husbandry at LA 20,000.
Recommended Citation
Gruber, Anya, "Palynological Investigations of Agropastoralism and Ecological Change at LA 20,000, New Mexico" (2018). Graduate Masters Theses. 516.
https://scholarworks.umb.edu/masters_theses/516
Included in
Archaeological Anthropology Commons, Biological and Physical Anthropology Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons