Migration and Environmental Learning in Interstitial Areas: An Example from the Northern Rio Puerco Valley, New Mexico

Abstract In this paper we illustrate the potential of interstitial areas, as distinct from both cores and peripheries, for understanding migration and environmental learning among maize farming populations. We analyze settlement data derived from pedestrian survey of a portion of the Rio Puerco (of the East) watershed in north-central New Mexico. Our exploratory analyses are suggestive of interesting patterns that speak to larger debates in the region, including the extent of the Gallina culture and migration pathways from the San Juan to Rio Grande drainage. Ceramic seriation with updated ceramic data indicates that residents of the survey area had shifting affiliations, with waves of migration from the Chaco, Mesa Verde, and Cibola regions, starting in Early Pueblo II and continuing through Late Pueblo III. Our analyses further refine the chronology and population dynamics of the region. We also provide evidence of settlement scaling, dynamic farming adaptations, and a history of burning at archaeological sites.