What follows is a series of maps showing density contours of sites dating to different periods in the Rio del Oso Valley. Density contours express site densities as contour intervals.
Lighter colors represent high density site locations.
Density contours help to visualize site clustering and prepare data for further statistical analyses dependent upon cluster membership. Through time, sites cluster at the edges of Pleistocene terraces in the valley, and are situated along the Rio del Oso drainage and one of its tributaries. In historic times, the valley was partitioned by two groups, tipi dwelling Jicarilla and Hispanic settlers. Although Archaic hunter-gatherers may have taken advantage of the plant products in this area more intensively, sites are nonetheless widely distributed across the valley, indicating a generalized use of the landscape during this time. In contrast to Archaic times, there is a more even distribution of Puebloan sites and a more intensive utilization of several terraces in the valley.