Fire-cracked rock use and reuse in the Hueco Bolson, Fort Bliss, Texas

The Center for Archaeological Research of The University of Texas at San Antonio conducted an analysis of29,058 pieces of fire-cracked rock and burned caliche selected from a sample of hundreds of features tested as part of the Hueco Mountain Archaeological Project at Fort Bliss, Texas. Feature and non-feature material included in this analysis were collected from site FB 13237 located on theproximalfan, FB 12719 within the basin area, andFB 12412 situated in the transitional zone between the two. The goal of the analysis was to identify patterns of attribute variability in burned rock that could be used to infer function of the various features and sites in the sample. SpecifIc burned rock attributes used in the study were material type, size, weight, and the presence or absence of fracturing, cortex, and discoloration. These attributes were recorded and compared in various combinations at coarse-and fine-grained levels of intensity to address issues of reuse, recycling, feature function, thermally induced morphological variability, and how these variables might relate to specifIc land forms through time. Through these comparisons, patterns relating to expedient material selection, feature type, reuse and feature function were identified.