Survey of the Merchant Site Vicinity in Lea County, Southeastern New Mexico
Creators: name: Graves, Timothy B.
name: Arias, Juan
name: Jones, Katherine
name: Willis, Mark
name: Miller, Myles
Publisher: name: Carlsbad Field Office, Bureau of Land Management and Versar, Inc.
Year: 2021
Subjects: subject: US Southwest, Permian Basin, New Mexico
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/geographic-keyword/82865/us-southwest-permian-basin-new-mexico
subject: Late Prehistoric
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/temporal-keyword/3245/late-prehistoric
subject: ARCHAIC PERIOD (CA 6500-3000 BC)
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/temporal-keyword/4264/archaic-period-ca-6500-3000-bc
subject: Protohistoric / Contact Period
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/temporal-keyword/3834/protohistoric-contact-period
subject: Plains Village
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/culture-keyword/17/plains-village
subject: Mogollon
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/culture-keyword/34/mogollon
subject: Archaic
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/culture-keyword/8/archaic
subject: Plains-Southwest
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/culture-keyword/8491/plains-southwest
subject: Merchant Site
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-name/27261/merchant-site
subject: LA 43414
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-name/27262/la-43414
subject: Agricultural Field or Field Feature
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/274/agricultural-field-or-field-feature
subject: Artifact Scatter
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/340/artifact-scatter
subject: Cairn
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/341/cairn
subject: Water Control Feature
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/279/water-control-feature
subject: Hearth
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/343/hearth
subject: Isolated Artifact
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/344/isolated-artifact
subject: Isolated Feature
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/345/isolated-feature
subject: Domestic Structure or Architectural Complex
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/251/domestic-structure-or-architectural-complex
subject: Ancient Communal / Public Structure
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/315/ancient-communal-public-structure
subject: Settlements
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/252/settlements
subject: Burned Rock Midden
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/348/burned-rock-midden
subject: Encampment
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/253/encampment
subject: Sheet Midden
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/349/sheet-midden
subject: Hamlet / Village
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/254/hamlet-village
subject: Trash Midden
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/351/trash-midden
subject: Kiva / Great Kiva
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/321/kiva-great-kiva
subject: Bedrock Grinding Feature
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/353/bedrock-grinding-feature
subject: Wattle &amp; Daub (Jacal) Structure
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/261/wattle-daub-jacal-structure
subject: Roasting Pit / Oven / Horno
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/357/roasting-pit-oven-horno
subject: Pit House / Earth Lodge
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/263/pit-house-earth-lodge
subject: Room Block / Compound / Pueblo
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/264/room-block-compound-pueblo
subject: Rock Alignment
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/360/rock-alignment
subject: Civic-Ceremonial
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/2185/civic-ceremonial
subject: Tent Ring / Tipi Ring
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/267/tent-ring-tipi-ring
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: 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: Dating Sample
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/3/dating-sample
subject: Fauna
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/4/fauna
subject: Fire Cracked Rock
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/5/fire-cracked-rock
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: Architectural Documentation
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/investigation-type/16/architectural-documentation
subject: Data Recovery / Excavation
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/investigation-type/5/data-recovery-excavation
subject: Remote Sensing
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/investigation-type/22/remote-sensing
subject: Records Search / Inventory Checking
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/investigation-type/8/records-search-inventory-checking
subject: Site Evaluation / Testing
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/investigation-type/10/site-evaluation-testing
subject: Systematic Survey
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/investigation-type/12/systematic-survey

description: This report presents the results of an intensive archaeological survey of 1,257 acres in the vicinity of the Merchant site (LA 43414), a prehistoric pueblo settlement in Lea County of southeastern New Mexico. The survey parcels are on lands administered by the Carlsbad Field Office (CFO) of the Bureau of Land Management and the New Mexico State Land Office. The survey was funded under the Permian Basin Programmatic Agreement (PBPA) administered by the CFO. The Merchant site was first investigated by the Lea County Archaeological Society between 1959 and 1965 (Leslie 1965) and was the subject of a recent series of investigations under the PBPA program (Miller et al. 2016). The 1,257-acre survey parcel included areas north and south of the Merchant village area and extended around the small playa west of the site. Multiple surveys conducted between 1983 and 2017 had recorded 19 prehistoric sites and one historic site within this survey parcel. A Transect Recording Unit (TRU) survey of the parcel resulted in the redefinition of these sites and their boundaries. A continuous distribution of artifacts and features was identified around the entire margin of the playa and connecting with the Merchant site, leading to the definition of a large site consisting of multiple village and camp localities. Six smaller sites were identified around the periphery of the main site area.