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The Construction and Configuration of Anasazi Pebble-Mulch Gardens in the Northern Rio Grande

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Dale R. Lightfoot  and
Frank W. Eddy
Dale R. Lightfoot
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078
Frank W. Eddy
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309
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Abstract

Rio Grande Anasazi in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries A.D. mulched hundreds of garden-sized plots with pebbles to increase soil moisture, reduce erosion, extend the growing season, and increase crop yields. This paper reports on the construction and configuration of pebble-mulch gardens in New Mexico, focusing particularly on those in the Galisteo Basin. Surfaces adjacent to these gardens were scraped and pits were excavated to collect gravel, which was placed over garden surfaces in layers 5 to 11 cm thick. Gardens averaged 15 x 23 m in size, although both size and shape were highly variable, and they collectively covered an area of 41,000 m2 Although this unique agricultural strategy has been shown to be effective, construction was limited to sites with natural gravel deposits, pebbled surfaces inhibited the recycling of crop wastes, and such gardens never became as widely used as more traditional field forms.

Resumen

Resumen

Durante los siglos catorce y quince de nuestra era, agricultores Anasazi del Río Grande cubrieron cientos de huertas con sedimentos pedregosos para incrementar la humedad del suelo, reducir la erosión, extender la temporada de crecimiento, e incrementar la cosecha. Este artículo reporta la construcción y configuración de las huertas pedregosas en Nuevo México, enfocando particularmente las huertas de la Cuenca Galisteo. Las superficies adyacentes a estas huertas fueron raspadas y se excavaron huecos para recolectar los sedimentos pedregosos que se pusieron sobre la superficie de la huerta, en capas de 5 a 11 cm de espesor. Las huertas promediaron entre 15 y 23 m de tamaño, aunque tanto su tamaño como su forma fueron altamente variables; en total, estas huertas cubrieron un área de 41.000 m2. Aunque esta estrategia agricola única demostró ser efectiva, la construcción se limitó a sitios con depósitos pedregosos naturales. Además, las superficies pedregosas inhibieron el reciclado de desechos de cosecha, por lo cual estas huertas nunca se utilizaron tan ampliamente como aquéllas de forma más tradicional.

Type
Reports
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 60 , Issue 3 , July 1995 , pp. 459 - 470
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Archaeology 1995

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