December 21, 2015

More Finds at the Las Capas Site

Desert Archaeology researchers have been working at the site of Las Capas in the Tucson Basin for several years. They have found an extensive system of irrigated fields dating to 1200-800 BCE. Some maize at the site has been dated at 2100 BCE. 53 pit houses thousands of storage pits and 113,000 artifacts, including human remains have been uncovered so far. The fields would have sustained a community of 125 people. The inhabitants hunted with atlatls. Remains of deer and sheep have been found, but most of the animal remains are rabbits. They ate rabbit stew, amaranth and mesa cakes made from maize. There were human remains which showed violence; skull fractures and defensive wounds. Archaeology Southwest has published a book on the findings.

The Arizona Daily Star has the report here;
http://tucson.com/news/blogs/scientific-bent/the-early-gastronomes-of-tucson/article_a590ea11-2768-53d2-ad77-df54a5ce6516.html

Mike Ruggeri’s
The Ancient Southwest
http://bit.ly/X1kCou

Mike Ruggeri’s Ancient Southwest Magazine
http://bit.ly/1AU3vwE