Archeological data recovery excavations along Becerra Creek (41WB556), Webb County, Texas

From June through August 2000, The Center for Archaeological Research of The University of Texas at San Antonioconducted archeological data recovery for prehistoric site 41WB556, under contract with Texas Department of Transportation. The investigations were conducted under Texas Antiquities Permit Number 2412. The Phase III data recovery consisted of excavation of 64 1-m2 units across the site in order to investigate significant cultural depositsencountered during the previous survey and testing phases. In concert with the archeological field investigations, the following special analyses and studies were performed to aid the determination of site integrity and chronology: geoarcheology, radiocarbon dating, lithic, lipid residue, vertebrate faunal, carbon/nitrogen isotope, macrobotanical,and magnetic soil susceptibility. The synthesis of these analyses provides substantive insights into the lifeways of the region’s prehistoric hunter-gatherers.