Draft Report: Archaeological Evaluation of an Upland Cache of Broken and Burnt Bifaces in the Manzanita Mountains, Site LA 153888, Kirtland Air Force Base, Kirtland AFB, Bernalillo County New Mexico
Creators: name: Gallison, James D.
name: Jennings, Michael H.
name: Hajek, Christine
Publisher: name: HDR
Year: 2012
Subjects: subject: Manzanita Mountains
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/geographic-keyword/85950/manzanita-mountains
subject: Bernalillo (County)
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/geographic-keyword/3646/bernalillo-county
subject: Albuquerque, New Mexico
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/geographic-keyword/84765/albuquerque-new-mexico
subject: Cibola National Forest
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/geographic-keyword/17697/cibola-national-forest
subject: Kirtland Air Force Base
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/geographic-keyword/17943/kirtland-air-force-base
subject: Prehistoric
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/temporal-keyword/53/prehistoric
subject: Basketmaker II
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/culture-keyword/209/basketmaker-ii
subject: LA 153888
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-name/129319/la-153888
subject: AR-05-855
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-name/133257/ar-05-855
subject: AR-03-03-05-855
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-name/133258/ar-03-03-05-855
subject: Artifact Scatter
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/340/artifact-scatter
subject: Chipped Stone
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/2/chipped-stone
subject: Obsidian
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/89/obsidian
subject: Biface
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/699/biface
subject: Site Evaluation / Testing
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/investigation-type/10/site-evaluation-testing
subject: Site Stabilization
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/investigation-type/11/site-stabilization

description: This report presents the results of field investigations of site LA 153888 (AR 05-855) at Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB) in the Manzanita Mountains on lands withdrawn from the Cibola National Forest and managed by the Department of Defense (DoD). The site was investigated to learn the extent of the damage from the skid trails and to determine the best method for protecting the site from further erosion. Surface collection and testing yielded 255 stone artifacts that included 239 biface fragments, 15 pieces of lithic debitage, and a flaked pebble fragment all made from non-local lithic raw materials. These toolstones were obtained from distant sources from the northern Rio Grande Valley, western New Mexico, and perhaps west Texas. No diagnostic tools were recovered and most of the bifaces (preforms) are well-thinned and exhibit excellent workmanship indicating a Basketmaker II affiliation. Examination of the tools indicate they were broken by burning with the larger fragments further reduced by deliberately breaking them into smaller pieces. Our own experiments involving the burning of replicated bifaces of similar materials showed similar results. Excavations failed to reveal evidence for buried features and no evidence was found to suggest a fire was built at the site. Distributional analysis indicates that few of the bifaces refit and that the materials are spread over a larger area and up to a depth of 40 cm over weathered limestone bedrock. LA 153888 represents a unique site and more work is required to appreciate the full nature of the assemblage. Our current interpretation is that the area represents a scared ritual site utilized on more than one occasion.