UTSA Electronic Theses and Dissertations
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This collection contains electronic UTSA theses and dissertations (ETDs), primarily from 2005 to present. The collection is not comprehensive; search the UTSA Library Catalog for a complete list of UTSA theses and dissertations.
Since 2023, the UTSA Graduate School has required all theses and dissertations to be made publicly available in Runner Research Press. However, authors are able to request an embargo. Embargoed ETDs will not be downloadable until after their embargo expires.
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Browsing UTSA Electronic Theses and Dissertations by Department "Anthropology"
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Item A brief look at Nasca trophy head iconography as it relates to ecological and socio-political factors(2014) Kornegay, Lauren AshleyThe purpose of this study is to analyze Nasca trophy head iconography in a sample of 130 ceramic vessels to identify variation through time and ascertain whether that variation is due to changes in ecological and/or socio-political pressures. In this analysis it is suggested that the drought, political collapse of Cahuachi, and the invasion of the Wari led to the iconographic changes in the sample of ceramics analyzed here. Traditional ceramic analysis methods were employed, including taking of vessel measurements, description and categorization of iconography and photography. Changes in the frequencies between phases were assessed through cross tabulation, graphs and pie charts. The statistical significance of relationships between phases, trophy head type, object forms, etc. were found through Chi-Square tests. The objects that comprise this sample were taken from the National Museum of the American Indian and the Putnam Museum. The results of the analysis show that Nasca trophy head iconography was impacted by ecological and socio-political factors. The increase in trophy heads per vessel, coupled with the abstraction and elongation of trophy head forms are the direct result of the drought and subsequent collapse of Cahuachi in Nasca Phase 5. Additionally, in Nasca Phases 6-8 the influence of the Wari invasion can be seen in the use of geometric shapes and more complex trophy head forms.Item A Diachronic Approach to the Sociopolitical Role of Ancestor Veneration at Xunantunich, Group D(2020) Lytle, Whitney C.The work presented in this dissertation is the culmination of six years of field and lab work focused on the structural unit, Group D, at the Maya site of Xunantunich. This study explores the perceptions of "ancestors" through a case study of the Xunantunich, Group D eastern shrine and adjoining courtyard. Group D is an enduring example of power reflected in the creation and manipulation of space. The Late Classic period creators of Group D utilized the communal perception of an important ancestral space, a Late Preclassic hilltop shrine, to legitimize a new ritual location. All too often ancestors are characterized through kinship alone when reality indicates a multitude of definitions, manifestations, socio-political roles, and variety of ways in which they are incorporated in ritual spaces. This research demonstrates the location was an important feature in both the Early and Classic Xunantunich ritual landscape. Particularly, the reevaluation of Group D's function within the Classic period suggests modifications to how eastern shrines are understood in Maya archaeology. Finally, this research considers how special function locations, such as Group D, reflect the overall political environment of the Belize River valley.Item A late to terminal classic household in the shadows of the ancestors: a view from Group E, Xunantunich(2014) Sword, CatherineThis master's thesis focuses on understanding the period of reoccupation during the Late to Terminal Classic at Group E, Xunantunich. This topic is examined through an investigation of the function of Structure E-3 during the reoccupation period and Structure E-3's relationship with specialized activity areas located nearby. First, I examine the form and function of Structure E-3 through an analysis of the collected excavation and shovel testing data. Second, I explore the relationship between Structure E-3 and the specialized activity locales found near Group E. These activity areas were identified by the thousands of specialized chert implements found within Late Classic levels in the plaza area of Group E suggesting some form of focused activity. Third, I compare Group E to other residential groups where similar tools were found. Additionally, I explore the idea that the abandoned ceremonial center may have been intentionally selected as a location for specific activities and, therefore, the placement of Structure E-3 was influenced by this.Item A Molecular Analysis of Insectivory by Sympatric, Omnivorous Guenons (Cercopithecus ascanius, C. mitis) in Kibale National Park, Uganda(2018) Lyke, Martha McKeonInsects and other arthropods are an important yet poorly understood food resource for many nonhuman primate species. Arthropods are generally high in proteins, lipids, and important micronutrients, and comprise a substantial part of the diet of most omnivorous primates. My overarching aim in this project was to examine variation in insectivory by sympatric primates to test the hypothesis that differential use of insects as a food resource facilitates coexistence of omnivorous species. As such, my primary research goal was to investigate the role of insectivory as a mechanism of coexistence through dietary resource partitioning. Secondary goals included the analysis of intra-specific and inter-seasonal variation in insectivory to increase our understanding of each study species’ feeding ecology. I achieved these goals by integrating advanced molecular methods and noninvasive field data collection to identify arthropod prey consumed by redtail (Cercopithecus ascanius) and blue monkeys (C. mitis) — two omnivorous primate species inhabiting Kibale National Park, Uganda. I used next-generation sequencing to identify arthropods consumed by redtail and blue monkeys over a six-month period encompassing one wet and dry seasonal cycle. Results of this research show that while overlap exists in the arthropod portion of their diets, 20-25% of taxa consumed are unique to each group. Additionally, redtail monkey fecal samples contained more arthropod taxa per sample than blue monkeys (p<0.05), while blue monkey samples contained a greater taxonomic diversity (p<0.05). This was reflected in the female redtail samples containing more arthropod taxa per sample and blue monkey female samples containing a greater diversity than their male contemporaries (p<0.05). Seasonal variation in arthropod abundance did not correspond to variation in consumption by the study groups. Indeed, overall arthropod abundance was higher during the wet season (p<0.05), but both study groups consumed more arthropods during the dry season (p<0.05). Our findings suggest that variation in arthropod intake may help decrease dietary niche overlap and hence facilitate coexistence of closely-related primate species and add to our understanding of the influences of ecological and life history variables on primate arthropod consumption.Item A mother that protects you: Community performance, identity, and values within the contrade and Palio di Siena(2016) Reid, Jessica MarieIn this thesis, the Palio horse race and the contrade (neighborhood) structure of Siena Italy are examined. Using thick description and grounded theory, ideas of residency, age, and identity construction are investigated among the contradaioli of Siena. It is of interest to see how these factors affect identity performativity on an individual and societal level. The value and increasing role of contradaioli women will also be discussed, as it is a topic that contradicts initial perceptions of women as a suppressed group. Although residency status within the contrada was previously known as the focal point of identity, over time its significance has shifted to account for a modern world with increased population mobilization. Residency patterns found to exist in Siena are reflected in the type and level of labor contributions made based on how far they lived from their contrada. Despite the initial perception that gender was the main factor that impacted participation and labor contributions, it was revealed that it was not the only significant variable and, in fact, age and residency was a more prominent dynamic to consider.Item An Analsysis of Hunter-Gatherer Territoriality and Post-Marital Residence Patterns in the Late Archaic Texas Coastal Plain Using Strontium Radiogenic Isotopes (87Sr/86Sr)(2020) Solis, KristinaRadiogenic strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) analysis is a popular tool for studying prehistoric human mobility and can also be used to distinguish between subgroups of a population. Archaeological applications of 87Sr/86Sr analysis are based on the principle that Sr isotopes vary geographically and this variation is based on the composition of geologic bedrock. The dissertation project here is focused on a Late Archaic hunter-gatherer mortuary site in the Texas Coastal Plain (TCP), Loma Sandia. This dissertation has three goals 1) To evaluate the utility of using modern artiodactyls as a representation of bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr values for constructing baselines for studying mobility in prehistoric hunter-gatherer populations; 2) To provide an archaeological assessment of land tenure and territoriality in the Late Archaic TCP by comparing bioavailable to human 87Sr/86Sr; 3) To assess if patrilocal post-marital patterns seen in the Late Prehistoric were also practiced in the Late Archaic. To meet the goals of this project 103 faunal samples from five geologic zones in the TCP and 54 human samples from Loma Sandia were analyzed for 87Sr/86Sr. Results of the bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr portion of this project determined that there was an association between geologic bedrock and the bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr results obtained from artiodactyl and these results, while not as clear-cut as originally anticipated, are sufficient for use in human mobility studies. Human samples showed low 87Sr/86Sr variability and likely had restricted home ranges, an indication of territoriality. Finally, evidence did not support patrilocality at Loma Sandia during the Late Archaic.Item An Analysis of Chert Tools from Xunantunich, Belize(2013) Chapman, Thomas JohnThis thesis examines a unique lithic tool form observed in the plaza of Group E of Xunantunich. This tool form was recovered in high quantities during testing conducted by the Mopan Valley Preclassic Project. Examination is comprised of three sections: a microartifact analysis, an experimental study, and a high-powered usewear analysis. Microartifact analysis was performed to identify possible non-perishable waste materials produced with these tools. Accompanying this microartifact study, an experimental program was completed in order to identify the expected development of usewear produced from hypothesized use motions. Combined with the results from the previous studies, a technological study and a high-powered usewear analysis (40X-400X) was performed on 128 lithic artifacts with goals of determining the manufacture strategies and the general motion of the tool use. My research was able to eliminate one of the three hypothesized functions for these unifacially worked bladelets, while analysis showed that the use-wear traces were consistent with the remaining two hypothesized functions.Item An Analysis of Nacreous Shell Artifacts During the Early Agricultural Period in the Tucson Basin(2023) Burke, June A. D.The diverse amount of shell material recorded from the Early Agricultural period (2100 BC to 50 AD) of the Tucson Basin has been recognized since the 1990s for its unusually high content of nacreous shell (Huckell 1993; Virden-Lange 2015). Current theories postulate that nacreous shell was primarily obtained from trade connections to a shell-manufacturing tradition in central California (Virden-Lange 2015). However, whether nacreous shell's presence was purely due to chance or if nacreous shell was specifically being actively used and, possibly, valued by the residents of the Tucson Basin is still unknown. This study sought out to address this gap in our knowledge in order to better understand how these early farmers practiced ritual, constructed systems of value, and conducted exchange to facilitate those systems and practices. To investigate this, I conducted chi-square and Fisher's exact tests on the various shell assemblages recorded from a total of 17 sites dated to the Early Agricultural period that compared nacreous and non-nacreous shells across eight types of contexts and 26 stylistic forms in order to see if either shell material was found more or less frequently in any context or form. The results from these tests suggest that nacreous shell material was used and valued independently, with clear connections to mortuary practices. Additionally, these results reaffirm previous hypotheses on the origin of nacreous shell in the Tucson Basin. Finally, these tests indicate that these observations were not consistent across the study region, possibly suggesting regional differences in trade connections or cultural practices.Item An archaeological study of ethnicity of historic households in San Antonio, Texas(2015) Villarreal, Rosanna LeeAn Archaeological Study of Ethnicity of Historic Households in San Antonio, Texas, was designed to use archaeological and historical data to examine two ethnicities in San Antonio, Texas. Historical data was used to establish the ethnicities of two households, one of German descent and the other of Hispanic descent. Artifact groups for each household where then analyzed and compared to determine if differences in ethnicity were evident. I established guidelines that each household needed to follow for them to be considered for this thesis. Archival research allowed me to select a household of German descent and a household of Hispanic descent. I then determined which artifact groups would yield the most information about ethnicity by examining how other scholars have studied ethnicity. By focusing on architecture and ceramic artifact groups for the two households, I was able to interpret the archaeological record and discuss ethnicity in San Antonio, Texas. I discovered broad patterns in the artifact groups that could be used to distinguish different ethnicities. The Hispanic household was using specific ceramics that was being manufactured either locally or was imported from Mexico. I determined both households had access to the ceramics, but the German household had no evidence of owning that type of ceramics.Item An Ethnographic and Site Structural Analysis of the Sanchez Archaeological Site (AZ:CC:2:452))(2020) Jenkins, Kathleen A.This thesis examines the Sanchez site, an Early Agricultural period (800-550 cal B.C.) and Early Pithouse period (AD 200-550) cerro de trincheras site located in Safford, Arizona. The Sanchez site has a sizeable number of features, including rock rings, rock walls, cleared areas, house clusters, a plaza, and a high density of surface artifacts. The size and number of features at the Sanchez site can be characteristic of a large village occupation. However due to the issue of palimpsests, identifying the occupational pattern at the Sanchez site can be challenging. To address the issue of occupation at the Sanchez site, this thesis explores the occupational patterns of a small sample of ethnoarchaeological cases. Each ethnoarchaeological case was sorted into four occupational models and coded for specific site structural and behavioral attributes. The purpose of this research was to use the ethnoarchaeological cases as a framework to assess the past occupational patterns of the Sanchez site.Item An Exploratory Study of Finanical Compensation for Livestock Depredation Policies: Human and Wildife Conflict and the Confluences of Science, Human, and Animal Relationships(2023) Stout, Richard BeatieHuman and wildlife conflict is growing and globally species are declining. Policies designed to create tolerance have had sporadic successes. The connections between humans, wildlife, human and wildlife conflict policy, and science are interesting spaces in which to explore the role of science in the global decline of wildlife and its potential for reversing that decline. These relationships are explored through the analysis of policies of financial compensation for livestock depredation including trends in publications on the subject; a contrasting case study of two conservation areas with human and wildlife conflict, and interviews of scientists who study human and wildlife conflict. The thesis demonstrates there is a need for further exploration in the follow areas. There are gaps in the scientific literature in certain geographic areas that have policies for financial compensation, and it is important to understand why those areas are given short shrift by scholars. Also, governances, economies, and ecologies should be considered equally in human and wildlife conflict inquires in order to better inform policy creation and implementation. Further, there should be an exploration into science itself, specifically the relationships between those who create and implement these policies and scientists. The inclusion of these factors in human and wildlife conflict inquiries could lead to better policies that are designed to encourage tolerance and decrease conflict, bridging gaps between nature and culture and rural and urban divides.Item An Investigation and Exploration of an Early Plaza at the Sanchez Archaeological Site in Southeastern Arizona(2022) Zaragosa, GabriellaThis thesis focused on the investigation of the plaza at the Sanchez site (AZ CC 2:452 [ASM]), a cerro de trincheras in Safford, Arizona. (AZ CC 2:452 [ASM]) is a multi-component site with residential occupation from the Early Agricultural period (2100 B.C. - A.D. 200) and the Early Pithouse period (A.D. 200 – 550) with evidence of visitation during the Two Dog/Eden phases (A.D. 1000 – 1150). Communal features are uncommon at cerros de trincheras during the Early Agricultural and Early Pithouse periods in Northwest Mexico and the American Southwest (NW/SW). Survey and surface collection were conducted at the plaza. In addition, systematic excavations were conducted to explore the nature of a potential thermal feature located on the plaza. The findings from the surface collection and excavations support that the plaza was visited and used hundreds of years after the Early Pithouse period.Item Archaeometric Investigation of Changes in Karankawan Subsistence Patterns Through Time(2013) Mullen, Kelley LouiseThe goal of this thesis was to determine if subsistence residue could be extracted from ceramics affiliated with the Karankawa. This was done by attempting to identify the potential residue compound signatures expected to be absorbed within ceramic vessels that may have been used for food preparation. This thesis discusses the results of residue analyses conducted on ceramics obtained from two Karankawan sites, the prehistoric Guadalupe Bay site (41CL2) and the Spanish Colonial Mission Nuestra Señora del Refugio (41RF1) sites in Texas. The extraction of the absorbed residues and the biochemical analysis of the compounds were performed at Millsaps College Keck Lab through the use of gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) machinery. Once all samples were archaeometrically processed the results would have been interpreted for subsistence however valid results were not obtained.Item Assessing the form and function of Structures 42 and 43 at Buenavista del Cayo, Belize(2013) Luzmoor, MarkThis thesis examines the form and function of Structures 42 and 43 at the site of Buenavista del Cayo, Belize. These structure are long, narrow, and low platforms built in the northern part of Buenavista's West Plaza. Excavations revealed them to be formally constructed with cut stone masonry and rubble fill. They both sit on the final plaster floor of the West Plaza, suggesting that these structures were built near the end of the site's history. Analyses of the recovered ceramic artifacts suggest they were built in the Late Classic II period and used into the Terminal Classic period. The unusually long form of both Structures 43 and 42 and their strategic placement demarcating the northern edge of the West Plaza and controlling access into the plaza from the north suggests the possibility that these structures functioned as some sort of fortification during the final phases of occupation at Buenavista, perhaps forming a baffled entry and/or killing alley in this sector of the site. These platforms were modified by the placement of several posts, two of which were intruded through the platforms' original facings, that are argued to be the remains of a palisade. Several of the postholes showed evidence of burning, which suggests a warfare event.Item Bacteria Balancing Act: Exploring the Association of Social and Sexual Dynamics on the Primate Microbiome in Pan paniscus and Colobus vellerosus(2023) Samartino, Shelby D.This dissertation examines the relationship between social and sexual behaviors and microbiota composition in two primates: the bonobo (Pan paniscus) and black-and-white colobus (Colobus vellerosus). I collected behavioral data and vaginal swabs over a 21-day period at Ape Cognition and Conservation Initiative in Des Moines, IA. Vaginal microbiota composition was not predicted by individual ID, but there was a trend of significant effect of swelling size and sexual interactions. I also utilized a dataset of urinary cortisol samples collected during the same study period to examine the association between vaginal microbiota diversity and cortisol. I identified a strong trend towards a positive relationship between alpha diversity and cortisol level for one female when samples were collected on the same day, but this same relationship was not observed in the other female. I investigated whether social instability associated with the immigration of new males could explain differences in the gut microbiota in female colobus across several social groups at Boabeng-Fiema, Ghana. Beta diversity was predicted by year, alpha male stability, group identity, age, and individual ID. I then utilized focal follow data of 19 adult females to create 1-m proximity networks. Yearly 1-m proximity ties predicted female beta-diversity in socially stable groups. An alpha male takeover in the third group was associated with infant mortality and temporal variation in proximity networks. Findings from this dissertation provide evidence for how different external factors are associated with vaginal microbiota composition in bonobos and how the conditions surrounding alpha male instability predict gut microbiota composition in colobus. Overall, my results suggest social and sexual transmission of microbes both shapes and is shaped by behavior, making further investigation vital to understanding their role in the evolution of group living.Item Behavioral Flexibility in the Sanje Mangabey (Cercocebus sanjei), Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania(2017) Lloyd, Emily KathrynUnderstanding primate behavioral responses to fluctuations in resource abundance and distribution is a major goal of primate ecology. This dissertation research examines how the Sanje mangabey, an endemic primate species in an extremely diverse, tropical montane environment, responds to spatiotemporal resource variation. A combination of observational techniques were used to collect primate behavioral data, including diet, activity, substrate use, habitat use, and social and feeding data. Resource availability in the habitat was assessed using established phenology plots and vegetation transecting. Daily ranging data were collected using GPS locators. It is evident from this research that the Sanje mangabey is capable of significant foraging, social and feeding flexibility, enabling the maintenance of high levels of preferred food intake throughout the year. The mangabeys demonstrated strategic range shifting and selective exploitation of different habitats, and the utilization of a wide variety of food resources, especially through the use of cheek pouches to process large seeds out of ripe fruit pulp. Such flexibility permits the use of alternative within-group spatial positioning to mitigate potential within-group contest competition, demonstrating that the selective value of social dominance may be lessened in highly flexible primates within highly diverse environments. Overall, this study provides evidence that critical evaluations of socioecological models are enhanced by an examination of how multiple interacting variables influence primate behavior; such important refinements are required if these models are to continue to influence and reflect primatological theory.Item Building Xunantunich: public building in an ancient Maya community(2016) McCurdy, LeahThe purpose of this study is to consider the nature and implications of large-scale public building conducted by ancient groups. "Public building studies" is offered as a unifying moniker for investigations interested in ancient construction processes with public significance. As an example of a public building study, this work concentrates on labor as an understudied component of public building in the ancient past and narrows focus directly to laborers as contributors to and the actual actors in public building activities. As a general theme, this study considers alternatives to elite-centric interpretations of monumental buildings and their processes of creation. This study focuses on an ancient Maya case study to apply a labor and laborer perspective on public building. Particularly, this study explores El Castillo acropolis of Xunantunich, Belize, through architectural history analysis, virtual architectural reconstruction, architectural energetics, and labor analysis. Projections of the 'labor investment' involved in the nine phases of El Castillo construction are provided and lead to models of global labor populations and organization. Further, global labor projections are expanded to consider regional supervision and the scale of local workgroups and laborers as individuals. As another component of the laborer approach, the impact of public building participation on laborers lives is examined in addition to the impact of participants on public building and the buildings that result.Item Captive nature: exploring the influence of zoos on visitor worldview, knowledge, and behavior(2014) Torpie-Sweterlitsch, Jennifer R.Zoological parks are a complex place of human-animal, animal-environment, and human-environment interactions; as the global population becomes more urbanized, zoos are one of the only places in which urban dwellers can learn about and experience the "natural" world. Zoos now act as key purveyors of public conservation education, shaping the ways in which visitors understand and situate themselves within local and global conservation issues and natural environments. Zoos educate the public on these and other topics through the implementation of informal education programs (IEPs) within their institutions, but the effectiveness of these programs in positively altering visitor knowledge, attitude, and behavioral is not well understood. Through interviews, questionnaires, and participant observation conducted at the San Antonio Zoo I explored (1) how zoo visitors interacted with and perceived of a zoo animal species, the white-cheeked gibbon; (2) how zoo visitor perceptions of animals were influenced by visitor-animal interactions in various zoo contexts (e.g. within and outside of IEPs); (3) what zoo visitors were learning about animal and conservation within these various contexts; and (4) the effectiveness of an IEP in inspiring zoo visitors to actively participate in conservation initiatives. I framed my inquiry into visitor and zoo animal relationships within post-humanist theories and explored visitor perceptions of animals, the environment, and conservation through the lens of virtualism, resulting in a novel view of visitor experience and learning within the zoo setting. In this thesis I discuss the results of this research and their implications for conservation education efforts within zoos.Item Ceramic Production and Distribution: Testing a Middle Preclassic Ceramic Economy in the Mopan River Valley, Belize(2024) Villarreal, Alessandra NoelleThis project develops a testable model to study Middle Preclassic (1000 - 300 BCE) ceramics from two sites in the Mopan River valley. Early Xunantunich and San Lorenzo may typically be considered opposite ends of the sociopolitical scale. Early Xunantunich boasted monumental construction as early as 800 BCE and likely served as a location of communally integrative feasting and ritual performances. Visible from this early monumental site was the Middle Preclassic community of San Lorenzo, represented archaeologically by few known perishable dwellings and a large, buried chultun. Through a lens of ritual economy, I initially hypothesized that Early Xunantunich was a node of intercommunity gathering activities that hosted community members from surrounding settlement sites, including San Lorenzo. Community participants likely brought offerings in ceramic vessels, which were ultimately left at the site after the event. This was tested through a compounding, multistage methodology that assessed the model’s material correlates using type-variety, petrography, and Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA), and ethnoarchaeological collaboration. This methodology confirmed that Early Xunantunich was a node of an inter-community, and indeed interregional, network that likely gathered at the site for rituals, feasts, and the construction of Structure E-2-3rd. However, it also revealed that residents of San Lorenzo likely also performed complex intra-community rituals at home, supplied by community-specific potters. These findings shine new light on the sociopolitical and economic relationships of the Mopan River valley in the Middle Preclassic period, and warrant more exploration into our assumptions about the interactions between monumental sites and surrounding “hinterland†communities.Item Challenging the Village Concept: Bayesian Analysis and Chemical Characterization in the Mogollon Early Pithouse Period of the US Southwest(2020) Barkwill Love, Lori LeeThe traditional view of the Mogollon Early Pithouse period (AD 200–700) in southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona is that the introduction of ceramics, an increase in maize use, and pithouses equaled sedentary village formation. More recent research, however, has argued that mobility and foraging remained important strategies throughout the Early Pithouse period. Thus, there are many questions and debates regarding cultural changes that occurred during the Mogollon Early Pithouse period. My research uses ceramics, obsidian, and radiocarbon dates to challenge the traditional village concept and revaluates some of the cultural changes that occurred during the Mogollon Early Pithouse period. I use the circulation of pottery, analyzed by technological style and neutron activation analysis, as well as obsidian procurement, analyzed by X-ray fluorescence, to infer social interaction and mobility. In addition, I use Bayesian chronological modeling to re-evaluate the Mogollon Pithouse chronology and landform use as well as determine pithouse contemporaneity. My results suggest that there was considerable social interaction and likely mobility with and between regions, sites, and even households. Furthermore, there does not appear to be a major shift in landform use around AD 550 and few pithouses were occupied contemporaneously at any given time. These findings challenge the village concept and suggest that Mogollon Early Pithouse sites are likely palimpsests of asynchronous households with different social histories.