LA 32229 Boot Hill– The Boot Hill site was a hunting camp where generations of ancestors lived periodically for about 1,000 years. The camp is nestled among several water sources, creating an ideal location for hunting animals and foraging indigenous plants. It is likely that several family groups lived at the hunting camp on a seasonal basis while resources were abundant. Community ties appear strong between residents of the Boot Hill site and their neighbors, in fact residents were traveling and trading around the Southwest and Mexico.

LA 43414 Merchant– Ancestral peoples established this village site in the 14th and early 15th centuries. During this time, the greater Southwest, northern Mexico, and the southern plains were experiencing a high rate of migration and community blending. As different groups came together, so did their culture and social dynamics. At the Merchant village, residents apparently went through their own major and minor social and cultural changes. Most obviously, 2 pit structures at the site suggest that this community was a mix of both Southwest and Plains peoples who came together to establish a permanent village. 

LA 4992 Hermit’s Cave– Nestled in a canyon wall, deep in the heart of the Guadalupe Mountains, sits the Hermit’s Cave site. Today, the Guadalupe Mountains are one of four sacred peaks in Mescalero Apache culture. It comes as no surprise that ancestral peoples, including those at Hermit’s Cave, once settled in the mountain’s natural shelters, drank from its natural springs, and subsisted from its rich plant and animal life. The dwellers of this cave site left behind many woven objects, which were preserved by the cave’s unique environment, including 99 woven sandals. 

LA 5148 La Plata Site– When the weather was warm and the water plentiful, residents at this site enjoyed life in the Laguna Plata basin. The La Plata site is perched on a ridge overlooking the basin, an ideal spot for easy access to water that likely pooled in the basin during the wet season. Abundant water not only drew in human activity, but would have promoted plant growth in the region and attracted thirsty animals. Although the wild resources here were rich, residents also subsisted on domesticated plants like maize. No signs of agriculture remain at the La Plata site today, meaning that hunters and gatherers at La Plata probably traded their own resources for farmed foods, like maize. 

LA 15189– LA 15189 is a campsite that nomadic ancestors utilized throughout the Formative Period (AD 500-1450). Much like modern campsites, travelers likely stopped here for brief visits. The familiar spot provided a place to rest, possibly while on the way to a known hunting spot or more permanent villages. While here, people spent time sharpening stone tools and grinding plants for a quick meal on the road. 

LA 28738- Pictographs depicting abstract and animal forms decorate rock shelters in the Guadalupe mountains. Ancestors who moved through the mountain range used these rocky overhangs, protected from the elements, to record their experiences and tell stories of their travels. By creating a visual story in pictographs, people passed along their knowledge of the world to those traveling with them and future passersby. Desert tobacco can still be found growing nearby these panels, suggesting that the artists were planting and using these plants in their storytelling. 

LA 32227 Burro Tanks– Settlement at the Burro Tanks site spanned from the Paleoindian period to the Late Formative period, making this one of the longest occupied sites in southeastern New Mexico. During the early years, nomadic peoples camped near the lake, likely taking advantage of the abundant water. Then, from A.D. 1100-1400 populations grew and people settled at the lake for longer periods, possibly year round. The extensive occupation of Burro Tanks has inevitably led to a rich archaeological record and many cultural ties for descendant communities. Sadly a great amount of looting has damaged the site and has irreversibly changed what we might learn from the ancestors who lived here. *The larger text for Burro Tanks may be a good opportunity to tackle topics of looting/respecting sites/site etiquette*

LA 43679 Walt Canyon Site– This slight rocky overhang may be unassuming on the landscape just west of the Pecos River Valley, but upon closer inspection this sandstone site becomes a painted canvas. Pictographs decorate the underside of the rock ledge, likely painted by nomads over 1,000 years ago. Like many other rock art sites in southeast New Mexico, the panel mainly features geometric forms like diamonds, triangles, and zig-zag patterns painted in bright red and yellow pigments. 

LA 49405– Ancestral peoples on the Mescalero Plains often stopped at established campsites to hunt, process and cook foods, or make new tools. At this locale, ancestors may have set up camp to cook a large amount of food for the family to subsist on during their travels. This site may also be a smaller spot for people to process foods away from a larger camp. 

LA 82642 Boyd’s Cave– Late archaic ancestors likely visited Boyd’s cave for different reasons. The nearly hidden cave acted as a shelter and place to process and cook foods, both inside and outside. However, pictographs decorating the rocky overhangs near the cave entrance suggest that travelers were also documenting their journey or sharing stories as they came and went. 

LA 99437– This hunting camp was a popular locale for nomadic peoples. Throughout the formative period visitors used this ridge-top spot to scope out the animals moving across the landscape, and to prepare for the next day of hunting. Evidence of multiple firepits and numerous stone tools and ceramics suggest that this hunting camp was a popular one, having been used repeatedly for generations.

LA 101435 Burnet Cave– Roughly 13,000-12,000 years ago peoples inhabited Burnet Cave during hunting trips. They hunted now extinct Pleistocene animals, like musk ox and caribou, high up in the Guadalupe Mountains and carried the carcasses back down to the safety of this shelter. Evidence of burned animal bone and a stone tool suggest that this cave is where they butchered and cooked the meat. Much later in time, about 3,000 to 2,000 years ago, new peoples inhabited the cave, using it as a place to bury the cremated ashes of their family members. 

LA 117293 and LA 171726 The Biting Ant Complex– The Biting Ant Complex saw a flurry of activity between the middle and late archaic periods. Ancestral peoples likely used the site repeatedly as a residential camp or as a regional gathering place. Community ties were important to these ancestral groups because they lived most of the year in smaller family groups. Gathering in larger groups would have allowed for socialization, trade, sharing knowledge, and even as an opportunity to arrange marriages between families. *Maybe use this site to discuss community ties more in depth?*

LA 120951– Ancestral peoples returned again and again to this seasonal camp throughout the PaleoIndian, Archaic, and Formative periods. Today, flaked stone artifacts appear in the thousands, suggesting that this site was a popular place to stop for longer stays in warm months. Among the flaked stone tools and debitage are a high variety of unique stone material, which is unusual for sites in this area. 

LA 121545– During the Formative period permanent home sites in southeast New Mexico became more common. At these sites, nomadic groups began staying put for longer periods of time or permanently throughout the year. Residents at LA 121545 built pit-structure homes and had designated trash piles, two signs that they lived here year-round. 

LA 124525– LA 124525 was a short-term home for nomadic groups hunting and gathering in southwest New Mexico during the archaic and formative periods. The nomadic peoples staying in this area may have chosen it for the proximity to both Carlsbad and the Sierra Blanca mountain peak. 

LA 132358– Resting along the banks of the Pecos River lies site LA 132358. Ancestral peoples stopped here frequently between the late archaic and late formative years, using it as a hunting camp along their route. Today, thousands of artifacts at the site suggest that this site hosted large groups at one time, possibly several family units met at this site to prepare for future hunts and share stories. The history of this site does not end when these nomads stopped visiting, in fact historic graffiti has been added to the archaeological record. *Use this site to talk about leave no trace*

LA 143568– While nomadic groups often established seasonal hunting camps that acted as a semi-permanent residence, they also stayed at some places once or a handful of times. Among hunting and gathering families, one or a few individuals might break away from the larger group to hunt. These “task groups” often set up camps like that at site LA 143568 for much shorter periods of time. At this site, a small hunting task group didn’t travel with much and probably only stayed once or a handful of times. 

LA 148560– For thousands of years ancestral peoples painted their stories in nature, sometimes using the same canvas again and again. Ruby’s Canyon rock shelters are home to a variety of pictographs illustrating geometric designs, zig-zag patterns, animal figures, and large circles. These panels were painted in layers by two groups of people generations apart. Early archaic artists first painted here, followed by their descendants in the formative period. 

LA 159158– As ancestral peoples traveled across the Loco Hills region throughout the Formative Period, they often stopped here to establish a hunting camp. For shorter periods of time they would settle at this spot to catch up on tasks like cooking the food that they had procured and making new tools for the next hunt. 

LA 161918– Across the landscape of southeast New Mexico, ancestral sites can be as large as a permanent settlement complete with buildings and crops, or as small as a handful of artifacts scattered on the ground. At LA 161918, a small collection of stone tool debitage suggests that nomadic hunters stopped here infrequently, and for a short period of time. They likely chose this spot at random and only settled here long enough to make new tools before they were on their way again. 

LA 164284– Rockshelters nestled in the Guadalupe Mountains are often decorated with painted images from thousands of years ago. This region played an integral role in the lives of ancestral peoples, as is clearly documented on the smooth rock surfaces that now hold their stories. Throughout time the Guadalupe Mountains have held their importance to the Mescalero Apache people.

LA 169204– For many years surrounding the Late Formative Period, ancestral hunters and gatherers stopped at this campsite for brief stays. Pits of fire-cracked rock suggest that the people who continuously visited this site were cooking plant and animal foods during their visits.

LA 176865– LA 176865 is a residential camp situated atop a ridge overlooking Clayton Basin. Residents likely chose this spot for the ability to oversee the surrounding landscape, as well as its proximity to the Sierra Blanca mountain peak. Ancestors may have lived at this site for longer periods of time while still retaining their mobile ways of life, like living in wickiups. Settling in this semi-permanent camp would have enabled residents to take advantage of local resources, while still retaining their ability to move with the seasons.

Ancestors settled at site LA176865 for generations, possibly transitioning what was once a small hunting camp into a larger, permanent home. The site location, perched atop a ridge overlooking where Gatuna Canyon meets Clayton Basin, was likely ideal for monitoring the movement of animals as well as other people as they moved around the landscape. An abundance of mollusk shells at the site also suggests that residents relied heavily on the once filled basin for reliable food sources.

LA 180637– Ancestral peoples likely settled at this Formative Period camp for seasonal periods. Although it is not great in size, a vast array of artifacts suggests that residents were preparing for hunts, processing meat and plants, and cooking food at this site. Like many other sites in southeast New Mexico, LA 180637 seems to be a seasonal place for people to stop when the weather was good and the resources abundant. 

LA 183664– Residential camp sites hosted various day-to-day activities. People lived at these camps the same way that we live today, doing chores, preparing foods, playing games. At site LA 183664, there is evidence that the ancestral residents divided these chores into different areas of camp. Residents who were tasked with making tools for future hunts gathered in certain spots, probably to keep sharp pieces of stone contained and away from living spaces. 

LA 186373 Robina Draw– A site within Robinson Draw? Many caves and rock shelters of the Guadalupe Mountains hold the embodied stories of ancestors who inhabited the region generations ago. LA 186373 is similar to other rock art sites, particularly in the presence of tobacco planted nearby, yet unique in its evidence of life beyond the pictographs. Ancestors also lived at Robina Draw seasonally, possibly settling here to create the rock art that decorates the shelter or because of it. 

LA 169204– Ancestral nomads stopped periodically at LA 169204 to rest along their hunting route. Multiple fires around the site suggest that hunters used this spot on separate occasions, possibly returning to a favorable campsite while traveling a familiar route. 

LA 68188 Fox Place– During the Late Formative period peoples in southeast New Mexico were adopting a more sedentary way of life. At Fox Place residents lived in one of 12 pithouses, which they used for daily life. House structures are not the only permanent buildings at this site though, in fact the community also established a kiva in which they likely practiced religious ceremonies. Today, the kiva at Fox Place still retains a painted mural featuring a horned serpent. 

LA 2528 Bloom Mound– During the late formative period several communities in the Middle Pecos River Valley adopted a semi-sedentary lifestyle and established permanent settlements. At the Bloom Mound site, residents may have acted as middlemen for trade between Pueblo and Plains tribes, making it an important contributor in understanding the dynamic relationships among these communities. Towards the end of occupation, frequent attacks on Bloom Mound residents illustrate a strained relationship that may have resulted from increased competition for bison on the plains. As resources became scarce on the Plains, social relationships were diminished. 

Granado Cave– On the unforgiving Chihuahuan Desert, ancestral nomads sought cover in caves and rock shelters. For more than 1200 years families settled at Granado Cave for short periods of time as they moved across the land. Today archaeologists have uncovered an abundance of organic artifacts at this site, preserved by the cool and dry atmosphere, that may reveal more about these peoples and their way of life.

Picture Cave– Not enough info.