With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Mostafa Fayek and an international team of colleagues will conduct field work as well as use a combination of geologic and isotopic methods to characterize and differentiate between turquoise source areas in southwestern United States and archeologically recovered turquoise artifacts. The team brings together U.S., Canadian and Mexican specialists in archaeology and geochemistry to examine the prehistoric southwestern turquoise trade networks. The evolution of the turquoise trade played a crucial role in the cultural intensification of the social systems along the northern frontier of Mesoamerica and southwestern portions of the United States. In Mesoamerican iconography, the color green represented all things of exceptional value and objects made of green stone appear early in archaeological contexts. In addition, mineral exploration, exploitation and procurement are among the organizing postulates in the formation of the ancient Mesoamerican trade structure and this activity was important at many levels of economic organization. The largest number of turquoise artifacts from any site in the North American Southwest was found in Pueblo Bonito, the largest site in Chaco Canyon. Although this site has been extensively studied for over 50 years the level of social complexity in this society is a contentious issue. The ability to pinpoint sources of turquoise artifacts is an important line of evidence in evaluating the level of complexity associate with sites such as Chaco Canyon.
Recent results using a newly developed H and Cu isotopic method show that the inhabitants of Chaco Canyon received their turquoise from several areas and that the turquoise trade network extended far into northern Nevada. This isotopic technique is the basis for the project and presents a rare opportunity to combine both geochemical and archaeological methods in a conjunctive approach. The goal is to focus on isotopically fingerprinting turquoise sources. Once signatures for source areas have been established, artifacts from prehistoric archaeological sites can then be tested and inferences about their socio-political organization can be evaluate. Specific tasks are in two parts: (a) continue to characterize turquoise from the additional source (mining) regions using hydrogen (H) and copper (Cu) isotopes to verify the isotopic sourcing technique by characterizing as many turquoise sources as possible, including those located in California and northern Mexico; and (2) characterize turquoise artifacts recovered from pre-Columbian cultural areas, specifically the early Pueblo or Chaco World, but to include materials from the Casas Grandes, Mexico.
If the results to date are confirmed, the turquoise sourcing project will provide a 'source fingerprint' for turquoise, permitting archaeologists to identify the sources of turquoise found at sites across the continent and providing new insight into pre-contact trade patterns in North America. The intellectual merit of the research will be to better understand the evolution of the turquoise trade and its role in the cultural intensification of the social systems along the northern frontier of Mesoamerica and southwestern portions of the United States.
The broader impacts of the study are that it will contribute significant information about the social systems along the northern frontier of Mesoamerica and southwestern portions of the United States. The substantial increase in knowledge will provide the basis for major revisions in the scientific understanding of the prehistory of this dynamic region. U.S., Canadian and Mexican students will participate in the project to enhance their training and increase their knowledge of the importance of southwestern and Mesoamerican prehistory.
