Archaeological Investigations at Blocks 139 and 159 in Barrio Libre, Tucson, Arizona
Creators: name: Diehl, Allison Cohen
name: Cameron, Judi L.
name: Diehl, Michael W.
name: Heidke, James
name: J. Homer Thiel
Publisher: name: Desert Archaeology, Inc.
Year: 2003
Subjects: subject: Tuscon Basin
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/geographic-keyword/84195/tuscon-basin
subject: 19th Century
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/temporal-keyword/5536/19th-century
subject: Period 2 Papago ceramic complex
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/culture-keyword/9202/period-2-papago-ceramic-complex
subject: General Historic
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/culture-keyword/9203/general-historic
subject: Hohokam
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/culture-keyword/21/hohokam
subject: AZ BB:13:678 (ASM)
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-name/104658/az-bb13678-asm
subject: AZ BB:13:644 (ASM)
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-name/104650/az-bb13644-asm
subject: Barrio Libre
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-name/104283/barrio-libre
subject: Borrow Pit
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/893/borrow-pit
subject: Tree Planting Hole
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/3582/tree-planting-hole
subject: Archaeological Feature
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/339/archaeological-feature
subject: Pit
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/355/pit
subject: Refuse Pit
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/356/refuse-pit
subject: Privy Pit
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/3591/privy-pit
subject: Trash Pit
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/842/trash-pit
subject: Pollen
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/13/pollen
subject: Shell
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/14/shell
subject: Wood
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/15/wood
subject: Textile
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/16/textile
subject: Hide
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/18/hide
subject: Rubber
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/178/rubber
subject: Tar
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/819/tar
subject: Charcoal
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/20/charcoal
subject: Plastic
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/23/plastic
subject: Wire
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/667/wire
subject: Ash
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/157/ash
subject: Ceramic
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/1/ceramic
subject: Chipped Stone
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/2/chipped-stone
subject: Fauna
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/4/fauna
subject: Glass
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/6/glass
subject: Ground Stone
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/7/ground-stone
subject: Building Materials
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/8/building-materials
subject: Macrobotanical
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/10/macrobotanical
subject: Metal
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/11/metal
subject: Mineral
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/12/mineral
subject: Petrographic Sherd Analysis
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/other-keyword/160915/petrographic-sherd-analysis
subject: Artifact Analysis
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/other-keyword/3318/artifact-analysis
subject: Archaeobotanical Analysis
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/other-keyword/133305/archaeobotanical-analysis
subject: Pottery Typology
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/other-keyword/121387/pottery-typology
subject: Data Recovery / Excavation
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/investigation-type/5/data-recovery-excavation

description: When the City of Tucson announced its plan to replace the aging Connie Chambers housing facility in Barrio Libre with new, affordable single family homes, a cultural resources assessment was conducted to determine if the project had the potential to disturb historically significant archaeological deposits. Archival records revealed that homes dating as early as the late nineteenth century once stood on three of the city blocks occupied by the housing project. Most of the homes were owned or rented by Mexican-American working class families. Additionally, a Chinese-owned grocery store stood on the corner of one block. When the 1960s-era Connie Chambers buildings were demolished, archaeologists from Desert Archaeology, Inc., conducted testing to determine if any intact historical deposits remained. Although few remnants of above ground structures were found, numerous privy holes and trash pits were uncovered on historic blocks 139 and 159. The features were plotted on historical maps of the blocks, and most were at least partly excavated to determine their age and contents. Further excavations revealed a rich, physical record of the many previous residents, some of whom could be identified by name through census records, city directories, and Sanborn Fire Insurance maps. The site yielded thousands of historical artifacts-including animal bone, metal, glass, historical ceramics, personal items, and floral remains. The materials paint a picture of socioeconomic status, ethnic identity, diet, and land use in turn-of-the-century Barrio Libre.