The Archaeology of Yellow Jacket Pueblo

Chronology

by Kristin A. Kuckelman and Scott G. Ortman

1
The most important goal of Crow Canyon's testing at Yellow Jacket Pueblo (Site 5MT5) was to reconstruct the occupational history of the site. The site had been subject to nonprofessional excavations for more than 100 years, had been mapped numerous times (e.g., Ferguson 1996*1:106; Ferguson and Rohn 1986*1:129; Lange et al. 1986*1:Figure 1; Malville 1991*1:Figure 6), and had been visited by many archaeologists over the years. In addition, Yellow Jacket Pueblo was the location of an archaeological field school conducted by the Museum of Western State College (Gunnison, Colorado) in 1931 (Hurst and Lotrich 1932*1:195), although no actual field documentation has ever been located for those excavations (see Gleichman et al. 1982*1:63; Wilshusen 1996*1:3). Speculation about the history of the site was fueled by all of these investigations, as well as by the results of decades of excavation conducted at three neighboring sites (Sites 5MT1, 5MT2, and 5MT3; see Database Map 335) by the University of Colorado Museum field school, led by Joe Ben Wheat. Because these nearby sites appear to be associated with Yellow Jacket Pueblo (Site 5MT5) and because they have evidence of occupation relatively early in the Pueblo sequence, some researchers have proposed that Yellow Jacket Pueblo was occupied from A.D. 900 to 1300 (Lekson 1999*1:9), or even from A.D. 500 to 1300 (Lange et al. 1986*1:14; Wheat 1984*1:61). As the first institution to conduct professional, well-documented fieldwork at Site 5MT5, Crow Canyon believed that establishing a basic chronology derived from excavation data would be an important contribution, not only to our understanding of the largest ancestral Pueblo site in the region, but also to our understanding of the archaeology of the region as a whole.

2
Tree-ring and pottery dating, as well as stratigraphy and architectural style, were used to establish the general occupational history of the site. Archaeomagnetic dating was not used, because none of the hearths found were suitable for this method. We found that cultural deposits were much shallower than expected in most areas, that the most populous occupation occurred after A.D. 1180, and that Site 5MT5 was a sizable village until the depopulation of the region in the late A.D. 1200s.

3
The time periods used in this chapter and throughout this publication are the following: Basketmaker III (A.D. 500–750), Pueblo I (A.D. 750–900), Early Pueblo II (A.D. 900–1050), Late Pueblo II (A.D. 1050–1150), Early Pueblo III (A.D. 1150–1225), and Late Pueblo III (A.D. 1225–1300). However, chronological inferences based on Ortman's probability data for pottery types and design attributes use the seven time spans listed in the discussion of pottery dating, below (paragraph 17).

Tree-Ring Dating

4
Few wood samples suitable for tree-ring dating were found during testing at the site. The greatest number of tree-ring samples at ancient Pueblo sites is typically found in kivas; however, our desire to disturb intact deposits as little as possible, as well as the impracticality of testing large numbers of these deeply buried structures in a short period of time, led to the decision to not focus our efforts on kiva excavation (see "Research Design"). Of the 70 tree-ring samples that we did collect and submit, five were datable and yielded the following results (years A.D.): 974vv (Structure 704, trash fill), 1095+vv (Structure 1213, disturbed fill), 1101B (Structure 1206, disturbed fill), 1235vv (Structure 1213, disturbed fill), and 1254+vv (Structure 1201, disturbed fill).⁽¹⁾

5
The samples that yielded the three earliest dates appear to be from reused beams, because these dates predate the architectural style of the structures in question and the pottery found within them. These beams could have been salvaged from one or more late Pueblo II structures at this site or from nearby sites within the community. The A.D. 1101 cutting date could date the time of construction of the probable Chaco-era buildings at the site. The latest date, 1254+vv, probably accurately reflects late–Pueblo III construction of the great tower complex.

Architectural Dating

6
Some characteristics of the architecture observed at Yellow Jacket Pueblo indicate time of construction, including the presence of stone masonry, the amount and type of dressing (shaping) of masonry stones, the type of cross section of masonry walls, the presence and location of towers, and the presence of a possible Chacoan great house. In the Mesa Verde region in general, post-and-adobe aboveground structures and earth-walled subterranean structures were built earlier than masonry aboveground structures and masonry-lined subterranean structures. However, the transition from earth construction to masonry construction did not occur at the same time in all parts of the region, and it apparently occurred earlier on Mesa Verde and in the Dolores River valley than elsewhere in the region.

7
For example, masonry roomblocks were common in the Dolores River valley by the late A.D. 800s (Pueblo I period) even though numerous post-and-adobe surface structures and earth-walled pit structures in the Pleasant View area northwest of Yellow Jacket have been dated from approximately A.D. 1025 to 1100 (Harriman and Morris 1991*1:394–395; Kuckelman 1988*2, 1988*3:388, 1988*4:227; Morris 1988*4:193, 1988*5:149, 1991*1:Table 5.23; Wilson 1988*2). In the Sand Canyon locality, a few miles southwest of Site 5MT5, post-and-adobe structures have been tree-ring dated to the 1060s (Kuckelman 1999*1:Table 2.2), the 1070s (Varien 1999*6) and as late as the 1200s (Huber and Lipe 1992*1). At Site 5MT3, just southwest and across the canyon from Site 5MT5, post-and-adobe structures built in the Pueblo II period were razed and replaced by masonry structures sometime after A.D. 1050 (Mobley-Tanaka 1997*2:4). Thus, masonry apparently was not adopted as a construction technique in this part of the region until late in the Pueblo II period or into the Pueblo III period.

8
During our testing at Yellow Jacket Pueblo, we observed no evidence of either post-and-adobe structures or even postholes; all aboveground walls observed were of stone masonry. We also observed no masonry that was a single course wide. The cross sections of all masonry walls exposed during testing (except for blocked-in structures) were of double-stone or double-stone-with-core construction (see the field manual for definitions of architectural terms). Two-stone-wide wall-construction techniques were adopted later than single-stone-wide techniques in this region.

9
The earliest masonry walls with double-stone cross sections in the Mesa Verde region occur in Chaco-style buildings of the very late A.D. 1000s and early 1100s (Varien 1999*3). Chaco-style great houses in this region were constructed primarily between A.D. 1075 (Lipe and Varien 1999*2:256) and 1135 (Lipe and Varien 1999*1:299). For reasons stated in paragraph 15 in "Architecture," we believe that Architectural Block 1900 at Yellow Jacket Pueblo probably was a Chacoan great house. If this interpretation is correct, then Block 1900 was probably constructed between A.D. 1075 and 1135 (because we did not test excavate this block of structures, we have no other means to date it). It is possible that the A.D. 1101 tree-ring cutting date from a sample we collected in the great tower complex is a reused beam from a structure built in this village during the Chaco era, although it is equally likely that it was salvaged from some other structure in the community.

10
The stones used for masonry at Yellow Jacket Pueblo tend to be blocky, rather than tabular or irregular. In the segments of walls exposed during our testing, there appeared to be no clear correlation between the percentage of blocky stones used in a particular wall and the estimated time of construction of that wall as indicated by pottery dating. Nearly all structure walls observed contained some stones that had been dressed, either by pecking or flaking; a few building stones that had been shaped by abrading were also observed.

11
Nearly every section of structure wall exposed during our testing contained some rocks that had been pecked. As a masonry technique in this region, pecking was developed later than flaking. Pecked-block, or "McElmo" style, masonry did not become common in the Mesa Verde region until after A.D. 1100 (Lipe and Varien 1999*2:262). Our data from Yellow Jacket show no clear relationship, in a specific wall segment, between the percentage of stones with pecked faces and the estimated time of construction (as determined by the associated stratigraphic location of specific pottery types and the results of probabilistic pottery dating). This is not surprising, given the variability observed at Castle Rock Pueblo, for example, in the amount of pecking on the walls of different types of structures and on the inside vs. outside faces of the same walls, even though all of those structures were built in the mid– to late–A.D. 1200s (see The Castle Rock Pueblo Database). Across the region, the exterior faces of towers and curved-walled structures are generally much more intensively pecked than the interior faces and, in general, are more intensively pecked than either face of other types of structures. It is possible that, with a finer construction chronology derived from tree-ring dates and a wider exposure of roomblock walls, one could demonstrate an increase through time in the amount of pecking on the exterior faces of roomblock walls at Yellow Jacket Pueblo.

12
The presence of towers at Yellow Jacket Pueblo suggests the time of construction of various areas of the village. Although towers were constructed in some parts of the Mesa Verde region as early as the late Pueblo II period (Lancaster and Pinkley 1954*1), they were more commonly constructed after A.D. 1150 (Lipe and Varien 1999*1:320). Neily (1983*2:105) states that towers were not constructed in the Hovenweep-Cross Canyon area, northwest of Yellow Jacket, until after A.D. 1150 (Pueblo III period). Greubel (1991*1:84) maintains that the earliest towers in the Hovenweep area were constructed during the late Pueblo II period and were usually attached to the ends of roomblocks, whereas numerous towers constructed during the Pueblo III period were either detached or isolated (Greubel 1991*1:95). None of the towers identified at Site 5MT5 are attached to the ends of roomblocks, and most are detached, suggesting that construction occurred during the Pueblo III period.

13
In sum, on the basis of the times of construction of Chacoan great houses in the region, we suggest that Blocks 1800 and 1900 (the great kiva and great house, respectively) at Yellow Jacket Pueblo were most likely constructed sometime between A.D. 1075 and 1135 and are probably the oldest masonry structures visible on the modern ground surface. All aboveground architecture noted during our testing at this site was of stone masonry more than one stone wide and containing dressed stones. These construction methods, along with the presence of towers, suggest that most structure walls exposed during our testing were probably built during the Pueblo III period (A.D. 1150–1300).

Dating with Pottery

14
Pottery was the primary dating source used to reconstruct the occupational history of Yellow Jacket Pueblo. Several factors, however, adversely affected our ability to produce a fine-grained chronology. First, our sample of sherds is only a very small proportion of the entire population of sherds at the site. Second, undocumented digging at the site in the past 100 years has resulted in significant mixing of deposits in many areas of midden. Third, in some areas tested by Crow Canyon, the architectural blocks are so closely spaced that the boundaries of the associated midden areas were difficult to define; therefore, we cannot be certain that, across the tested portion of the site, the pottery sample for each architectural block accurately represents the time of occupation of the visible roomblock as well as of any earlier structures that might not have been exposed during our testing. And, finally, the Crow Canyon pottery-analysis protocol for assigning a pottery type to a specific sherd requires relatively more design elements to be present for a sherd to be typed as McElmo or Mesa Verde black-on-white than for a sherd to be typed as Mancos Black-on-white. Many sherds that have characteristics of white ware produced during the Pueblo III period do not exhibit enough characteristics to be assigned to either the McElmo or Mesa Verde type, so they are placed into a third, more general, category—Pueblo III White Painted. Thus, unlike Mancos Black-on-white sherds, many sherds that were actually from McElmo or Mesa Verde vessels were assigned to this more general category during analysis. So the counts, weights, and percentages of McElmo Black-on-white and Mesa Verde Black-on-white are probably deflated compared to those of Mancos Black-on-white. Despite these difficulties, we believe that our methods, as described in the following paragraphs, allowed us to work around the problems and reach meaningful conclusions that are supported by the data set.

15
We used three types of pottery data to establish the use history of the site. First, Kuckelman used the stratigraphic locations of typed sherds as temporal indicators; the firmest dating inferences were drawn from the presence and location of typed pottery sherds within undisturbed stratigraphic sequences in the 1-x-2-m units outside the north walls of the roomblocks. Stratigraphic locations of typed sherds indicated when architectural blocks were constructed, inhabited, and abandoned. When sherds were found beneath a surface on which a structure was built, the earliest known dates of production of those pottery types were used to indicate the earliest possible time of construction of that building. Time of abandonment of a block was indicated by types of sherds that rested on use surfaces associated with the habitation of that block. In midden deposits not disturbed by looting or animal burrowing, the types of sherds in the bottommost deposits were used as indicators of the earliest time of refuse deposition, and all typed sherds in a midden were used as general indicators of the full span of habitation of an architectural block. Only the most conservative inferences were drawn from disturbed midden contexts.

16
Second, Kuckelman used typological data on curated pottery vessels (Wilshusen 1996*1) from nonprofessional excavations at the site to make some general inferences about architectural blocks that we were not allowed to test. Approximately 106 vessels in the Chappell Collection (currently housed at the Anasazi Heritage Center, Dolores, Colorado) were removed from Site 5MT5 during nonprofessional excavations between 1930 and 1960 and have been tentatively identified to traditional type (Wilshusen 1996*1:Table 2). Field notes and maps associated with those vessels have allowed the approximate original locations of many of them to be determined.

17
Third, to assess periods of sherd deposition in the specific areas of the site tested by Crow Canyon, Ortman developed a probabilistic technique that incorporates chronological information from both traditional pottery types and specific design attributes. Using this method, Ortman examined the probability that sherds were deposited in a given architectural block during each of the following seven time spans (years A.D.): 1020–1060, 1060–1100, 1100–1140, 1140–1180, 1180–1225, 1225–1260, and 1260–1280. Note that the time spans do not all encompass the same number of years. The details of this model are discussed in the "Artifacts" chapter. In this model, the likelihood of the observed sample of sherds from a given roomblock having been deposited during each specific time period can be calculated using (1) the probability of occurrence of various pottery types and design attributes on decorated bowl rim sherds during different time periods (derived from a calibration data set), (2) the observed counts of the same types and attributes in the sample of decorated bowl rim sherds in each roomblock, and (3) the mean weight of corrugated gray cooking-pot sherds found in the midden test units excavated in each roomblock.

18
The occupation span of each tested architectural block was estimated using a regression equation developed from the Sand Canyon Project Site Testing Program (Varien 1999*2) database. This equation relates the mean weight of corrugated pottery found in midden test units to occupation span estimates derived from total accumulations of corrugated gray pottery. Using this equation, the mean weight of corrugated pottery across midden test units in each architectural block at Yellow Jacket could be translated into an estimated time span over which sherds were deposited in that area.

19
A calibration data set of type and attribute proportions from assemblages at tree-ring-dated sites with short occupation spans was used to calculate the probability that a sherd of any given type or exhibiting any given attribute was deposited during each of the seven temporal phases listed in paragraph 17. These probabilities were combined with type and attribute data from each tested architectural block at Yellow Jacket to calculate, for each block, a composite probability distribution that yielded the probability of the observed sample of sherds having been deposited during each phase. Then, the occupation span estimate and probability distribution for each architectural block were combined to estimate the occupational history of each block area.

20
A total of 66,151 sherds was collected during Crow Canyon's excavations. Few of these sherds date from the Basketmaker III (A.D. 500–750), Pueblo I (A.D. 750–900), or early Pueblo II (A.D. 900–1050) periods. Sherds of the following types could be confidently dated to these time periods: Chapin Gray (4), Moccasin Gray (4), Mancos Gray (5), Indeterminate Neckbanded Gray (37), Chapin Black-on-white (4), Piedra Black-on-white (1), Cortez Black-on-white (2), Early White Painted (12), Early White Unpainted (41), Abajo Red-on-orange (5), Bluff Black-on-red (3), and Deadman's Black-on-red (17). Thus, only 135 sherds (0.2 percent of the total assemblage) date from before A.D. 1050. In addition, only one of the 106 Chappell Collection vessels from Site 5MT5—a possible Deadman's Black-on-red pitcher—is potentially one of the above-listed, early types. This vessel was recovered from a human interment that also contained McElmo and Mesa Verde black-on-white vessels, leading us to infer that if this is indeed an early vessel, it was a curated item that was actually interred sometime after A.D. 1180. The above evidence allows us to make a strong case that the tested areas of the site (Database Map 264) were not inhabited before A.D. 1050. The types of vessels in the Chappell Collection suggest that this conclusion is also valid for some areas that we did not test, such as Architectural Blocks 1600, 2900, and 3100.

21
The substantial number of Mancos Black-on-white sherds (1,123) indicates that habitation of the site probably began before A.D. 1150. In the areas of the site that we tested, however, Mancos Black-on-white sherds nearly always cooccur with sherds of post–A.D. 1100 types, which, along with the relative frequencies of types and attributes, suggests that occupation of this site was, at best, minimal until sometime after A.D. 1100. We have no way of estimating the total number or exact locations of additional structures at this site that could have been built between A.D. 1060 and 1100, but which are not visible on the modern ground surface and were not exposed during testing. Field records for vessels in the Chappell Collection list a few interments that contained only Mancos Black-on-white vessels. For example, Architectural Blocks 1600 and 3100 contained graves that included Mancos Black-on-white vessel(s) and no associated later vessels, according to the field notes. Block 3100 contained the largest number of grave-associated Mancos vessels and is near the possible Chacoan great house (Architectural Block 1900). Three additional potentially early interments are thought to have been located west of the roomblock in Architectural Block 100, possibly just south of the large depression (Architectural Block 2000). These interments might be associated with the earliest habitation of the village, which is thought to have occurred in the mid–A.D. 1000s.

22
A substantial number of sherds typed as McElmo Black-on-white (410) and Mesa Verde Black-on-white (621) were collected during our excavations, and many vessels of these types have also been collected during undocumented digging (Wilshusen 1996*1:Table 2). Many interments that contained one or more Mancos Black-on-white vessels also contained pottery of later types (Wilshusen 1996*1:Table 2) such as McElmo and Mesa Verde black-on-white. Mixing of vessel types was also noted in interments at the smaller sites across the drainage to the west of Site 5MT5 (Yunker 2001*1:202, 208, 223). Interments containing McElmo or Mesa Verde black-on-white vessels were found in virtually every architectural area where undocumented digging occurred. Mesa Verde Black-on-white vessels were present in most areas, which leads to the inference that most of those middens were used for interment sometime after A.D. 1180.

23
The results of the probabilistic pottery dating study described above suggest that, although some areas of Yellow Jacket Pueblo were inhabited between A.D. 1060 and 1180, occupation of the site was most widespread and intensive between A.D. 1180 and 1280, and reached its peak between A.D. 1180 and 1225. Although it appears that the village contracted somewhat after A.D. 1260, sherd deposition, and therefore occupation, continued in several architectural blocks throughout the final decades of Pueblo occupation of the central Mesa Verde region. In addition, it appears that architectural blocks located along the central, north-south "spine" of the village were occupied for longer periods than were architectural blocks in more peripheral areas.

Dating by Architectural Block

24
In this section, dating evidence is presented by architectural block (structure-by-structure descriptions and dating arguments can be found in The Yellow Jacket Pueblo Database). First, the time of occupation of the block is estimated using field data (architectural style of the section of roomblock wall exposed, and stratigraphic location of traditional types of pottery). Tree-ring dates, if available for that block, are also presented. Second, the time of occupation as indicated by the probabilistic pottery-design data is presented, followed by an estimate of the length of occupation as calculated using the accumulation of corrugated gray cooking-pot sherds. These methods of dating did not always produce identical estimated times or durations of occupation for a given block, because none of the methods is precise or absolute.

Architectural Block 100

25
The architectural style of the section of roomblock wall exposed during our testing in Architectural Block 100 suggests that the roomblock was constructed during the Pueblo III period (A.D. 1150–1300). Both late Pueblo II and Pueblo III sherds were found during midden testing; however, the stratigraphic location of Mesa Verde Black-on-white sherds indicates that most artifacts in the tested portion of the midden were deposited sometime after A.D. 1180. It is possible that a firepit on a use surface beneath the midden slightly predates 1180. No hiatus in the deposition of cultural material was defined in the stratigraphy. The portion of roomblock wall exposed during testing rested on a lens of calcium carbonate on top of undisturbed native sediment, indicating that there are no earlier structures or deposits in the location of this test pit. Overall, our field data indicate that Block 100 was occupied sometime after A.D. 1180.

26
The probabilistic pottery data indicate a reasonable probability that some pottery was deposited in the areas of our test pits between A.D. 1100 and 1140, but the greatest probability of deposition is for the period 1180–1280. The accumulation of corrugated gray jar sherds suggests that this area was occupied for 158 years.

Architectural Block 200

27
Two structures were defined in our test excavations in Architectural Block 200. The architectural style of the observed portion of the lower, earlier structure (Structure 204) suggests that this room was constructed either very late in the Pueblo II period or, more likely, during the Pueblo III period. The presence of Mesa Verde Black-on-white sherds in the collapsed roofing material of this room suggests that the roof collapsed after A.D. 1180 and that the structure was therefore probably not built earlier than about A.D. 1150 (the absence of a prepared floor surface or even a well-defined, level surface indicates that the structure was probably used for only a short time). The vertical location of Mesa Verde Black-on-white sherds also indicates that the roomblock containing Structure 205 (which rests on a surface above the level of these sherds) was constructed sometime after A.D. 1180. The presence of Mesa Verde Black-on-white sherds at or near the bottom of the sampled midden deposits south of the roomblock suggests that the refuse in the locations of our test pits was deposited sometime after A.D. 1180.

28
The probabilistic pottery data indicate a low probability that pottery was deposited in the locations of our test pits between A.D. 1060 and 1100, a reasonable probability that sherds were deposited between 1100 and 1180, and a high probability that refuse was deposited between 1180 and 1280. The accumulation of corrugated jar sherds in the sampled area of midden suggests that pottery was deposited in this area for 230 years.

Architectural Block 300

29
The architectural style of the masonry exposed during testing in Architectural Block 300 is typical of the Pueblo III period. The lowermost stratum in a series of cultural deposits within our 1-x-2-m unit at the north edge of the roomblock contains Mesa Verde Black-on-white sherds. This indicates that both this shallow midden and Structure 305 (in the roomblock above it) was constructed after A.D. 1180. Deposits in other midden areas that we tested had been churned by recent looting, but they contained Mesa Verde Black-on-white sherds, which indicates that those areas were used for the deposition of refuse until sometime after A.D. 1180. Deposition in the 1-x-2-m unit appeared to have been continuous, with no evidence of an occupational hiatus. Thus, field data indicate that the area in the immediate vicinity of our test pit was not inhabited until sometime after A.D. 1180; after that date, it was occupied or used continuously until this area of the village was abandoned sometime in the 1200s.

30
The probabilistic pottery data indicate some possible sherd deposition between A.D. 1140 and 1180 but the highest probability of deposition between A.D. 1180 and 1280. The accumulation of corrugated jar sherds suggests 151 years of occupation.

Architectural Block 400

31
In Architectural Block 400, the masonry style of the section of roomblock wall exposed by our testing (Structure 405) is typical of the late Pueblo II period and the Pueblo III period. This section of wall was constructed sometime after A.D. 1180, as indicated by the presence of Mesa Verde Black-on-white pottery in the lowermost stratum of refuse beneath the surface on which this wall was constructed. This type of pottery was also found in the lowermost stratum of the midden area east of the roomblock. There was no evidence of an occupational hiatus in any of our test units. Thus, the stratigraphic locations of specific types of pottery sherds indicate that construction of the roomblock and use and habitation of this area of the village occurred sometime after A.D. 1180 and continued uninterrupted until this area of the village was abandoned sometime in the 1200s.

32
The probabilistic pottery data indicate that the highest probability of sherd deposition occurred between A.D. 1180 and 1280, and the data for corrugated jar sherds indicate 113 years of accumulation.

Architectural Block 500

33
The section of roomblock wall exposed by our testing (Structure 507) is typical of Pueblo III construction style. The inference that the wall was constructed sometime after A.D. 1180 is based on the presence of Mesa Verde Black-on-white pottery beneath the surface on which the structure was built. A short section of wall (Structure 508) appears to have been constructed earlier, sometime after A.D. 1100. This inference is based on the presence of Pueblo III White Painted pottery beneath the surface on which this wall rests. The depositional sequence does not show any clear occupational hiatus between the construction of the early wall and the construction of the main roomblock; nor was any break apparent between the lowermost deposits in which we did not find Mesa Verde Black-on-white and the upper deposits in which we did. Pottery found during testing of midden deposits includes Pueblo I, II, and III sherds. However, the earliest refuse in the sampled portion of the midden contains Mesa Verde Black-on-white pottery. Thus, the stratigraphy indicates that much or all of the refuse in this architectural block was deposited after A.D. 1180.

34
The probabilistic pottery data indicate a reasonable probability that some sherds were deposited between A.D. 1060 and 1100 and a higher probability that sherds were deposited between 1100 and 1225. The data suggest a depositional hiatus between A.D. 1225 and 1260 and then a reasonable probability of additional deposition between 1260 and 1280. The quantity of corrugated sherds suggests a total length of accumulation of 193 years.

Architectural Block 600

35
The exposed portion of the roomblock in Architectural Block 600 (Structure 605) exhibits masonry typical of the late Pueblo II period and the Pueblo III period. Two use surfaces were defined in our test pit at the north edge of this roomblock. Both surfaces were used sometime after A.D. 1100, as indicated by the presence of Pueblo III White Painted pottery beneath the lower surface. The roomblock wall rests on the upper of these surfaces and so it, too, was constructed sometime after 1100. However, the lowermost stratum of undisturbed midden in this architectural block contains Mesa Verde Black-on-white sherds, leading to the inference that occupation of this block actually postdates A.D. 1180.

36
The probabilistic pottery data show a high probability that sherds were deposited between A.D. 1180 and 1280, and the accumulation of corrugated jar sherds suggests that this block was occupied for 106 years.

Architectural Block 700

37
In Architectural Block 700, a subterranean structure of unknown type (Structure 704) yielded a tree-ring sample with a noncutting date of A.D. 974. We infer, however, that Structure 704 was actually constructed sometime after A.D. 1050, given the near-absence of Cortez Black-on-white pottery at this site. This structure was located between the roomblocks in Architectural Blocks 600 and 700 and was tested by a 1-x-1-m unit that was designed to sample the midden in Architectural Block 700. The structure was abandoned sometime after A.D. 1100, perhaps around A.D. 1180. The portion of the roomblock exposed during testing (Structure 706) rests on undisturbed native sediment; the masonry style suggests construction sometime during the Pueblo III period, and post–A.D. 1180 pottery was found just above this surface. The refuse sampled in this architectural block was also deposited sometime after A.D. 1180.

38
The probabilistic pottery data indicate a reasonable probability that sherds were deposited between A.D. 1060 and 1100 and a much higher probability that deposition occurred between A.D. 1100 and 1225. The accumulation of corrugated gray jar sherds suggests 150 years of deposition.

Architectural Block 800

39
The masonry style of the section of roomblock wall we exposed in Architectural Block 800 (Structure 803) indicates construction during the Pueblo III period. Mesa Verde Black-on-white pottery was found beneath the surface on which the wall was built, indicating that construction occurred sometime after A.D. 1180. The pottery data from the exposed use surfaces and the sampled midden deposits confirm that this architectural block was inhabited sometime after A.D. 1180.

40
The probabilistic pottery data indicate a reasonable probability that sherds were deposited between A.D. 1180 and 1225, a high probability that sherds were deposited between 1225 and 1260, and a reasonable probability of deposition between 1260 and 1280. The accumulation of corrugated jar sherds suggests 41 years of deposition.

Architectural Block 900

41
An earth-walled pit structure just north of the roomblock predates the masonry structures in Architectural Block 900. This structure was abandoned sometime after A.D. 1100, as evidenced by the presence of Mesa Verde Corrugated Gray sherds in the intentional fill of a feature inside the structure, as well as by the presence of Pueblo III White Painted sherds on the floor of the structure. The exposed portion of the roomblock wall (Structure 908) was built after A.D. 1150 and was probably abandoned sometime after A.D. 1180. The refuse in the tested areas of the midden was deposited sometime after 1180. Thus, the available data indicate that this architectural block dates from sometime after A.D. 1180, with an earlier earth-walled structure dating from sometime after A.D. 1050. No occupational hiatus was noted in the stratigraphy in this block.

42
The probabilistic pottery data indicate that the highest probability of sherd deposition was between A.D. 1180 and 1260. The accumulation data for corrugated jar sherds suggests 90 years of deposition.

Architectural Block 1000

43
In Architectural Block 1000, the construction style of the exposed portion of the roomblock wall (Structure 1001) is Pueblo III. Mesa Verde Black-on-white sherds were found in the shallow midden deposits. These data lead to the inference that this architectural block was inhabited sometime after A.D. 1180. Only a few vertical courses were preserved in the exposed portion of the north wall of the roomblock, and only a small quantity of rubble was noted in the vicinity. Thus we suspect that this roomblock might have been dismantled so that the building stones could be reused, possibly for the construction of the great tower complex nearby (Architectural Block 1200).

44
The probabilistic pottery data indicate that the period of highest probability of deposition was between A.D. 1225 and 1260. The accumulation of corrugated jar sherds suggests that this area was occupied for 13 years.

Architectural Block 1100

45
The construction style of the portions of roomblock walls exposed in Architectural Block 1100 (Structures 1103 and 1104) is typical of Pueblo III construction. The presence of Mesa Verde Black-on-white sherds within and beneath the midden indicates that this architectural block was inhabited sometime after A.D. 1180.

46
The probabilistic pottery data indicate that the highest probability of sherd deposition was between A.D. 1180 and 1260. The data for corrugated jar sherds suggest 63 years of accumulation.

Architectural Block 1200

47
The style of the masonry in Architectural Block 1200 indicates construction during the Pueblo III period. The predominance of Mesa Verde Black-on-white pottery among decorated pottery types indicates occupation sometime after A.D. 1200. A noncutting tree-ring date of 1254+vv in Structure 1201 is the best indication of the time of construction and occupation of this architectural block and suggests that construction occurred an unknown length of time after A.D. 1254.

48
The probabilistic pottery data indicate that the highest probability of deposition is between A.D. 1260 and 1280, with a lower probability of deposition between 1225 and 1260. The accumulation of corrugated jar sherds suggests that this block was occupied for 20 years.

Architectural Block 2000

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Architectural Block 2000 consists solely of a large, natural depression and an associated north-south-trending berm; no buildings are included within this block. The area was sampled with an east-west, 1-x-2-m unit excavated through the berm, and a 1-x-1-m unit excavated within the depression itself. Late Pueblo II and Pueblo III pottery (including Mesa Verde Black-on-white) was found in use-associated refuse on bedrock within the depression and was also found in the stratum that rested on the surface on which the berm was constructed. The presence of Mesa Verde Black-on-white pottery in these contexts indicates that use of these areas occurred sometime after A.D. 1180, although use actually could have begun any time after A.D. 1050.

50
The probabilistic pottery data indicate that the highest probability of deposition was between A.D. 1180 and 1280. The data for corrugated jar sherds suggest 131 years of accumulation.

Architectural Block 2100

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Pecked-block, double-stone-wide masonry construction of the exposed section of roomblock wall (Structure 2103) and the presence of Mesa Verde Black-on-white pottery beneath the surface on which the roomblock was constructed lead to the inference that Architectural Block 2100 was constructed sometime after A.D. 1180. Only one vertical course was preserved in the exposed portion of the north wall of the roomblock, and only a small quantity of rubble was noted in the vicinity. This suggests that this roomblock might have been dismantled so that the stones could be reused, possibly for the construction of the nearby great tower complex (Architectural Block 1200).

52
The probabilistic pottery data indicate that the highest probability of sherd deposition was between A.D. 1180 and 1225, but there is a reasonable probability that sherds were also deposited between 1225 and 1260. The accumulation of corrugated jar sherds suggests 13 years of deposition.

Architectural Block 2200

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The pecked-block and double-stone-wide masonry style of the exposed section of roomblock wall (Structure 2203) suggests that the roomblock in Architectural Block 2200 was constructed during the Pueblo III period. Mesa Verde Black-on-white pottery was associated with the surface on which this structure rested, indicating abandonment sometime after A.D. 1180. Mesa Verde Black-on-white pottery associated with a use surface beneath the midden would have been deposited sometime after this date as well. Thus, this architectural block was inhabited sometime after A.D. 1180. Only a few vertical courses were preserved in the exposed portion of the north wall of the roomblock, and only a small quantity of rubble was noted in the vicinity. This suggests that this roomblock might have been dismantled so that the stones could be salvaged for use in the construction of the great tower complex nearby (Architectural Block 1200).

54
The probabilistic pottery data indicate a high probability that sherds were deposited between A.D. 1180 and 1225. The data for corrugated jar sherds suggest 32 years of accumulation.

Architectural Block 2300

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The pecked-block and double-stone-wide masonry styles of the exposed section of roomblock wall (Structure 2302) suggest that construction of Architectural Block 2300 occurred during the Pueblo III period. Mesa Verde Black-on-white pottery is contained within the midden, leading us to infer that the architectural block was abandoned sometime after A.D. 1180.

56
The probabilistic pottery data indicate a high probability that sherds were deposited between A.D. 1225 and 1260. The accumulation of corrugated jar sherds suggests a 31-year occupation span.

Architectural Block 2400

57
The pecked-block and double-stone-wide masonry styles of the exposed section of roomblock wall (Structure 2404) in Architectural Block 2400 indicate construction during the Pueblo III period. The stratigraphy within the sampled midden units had not been disturbed. Pueblo III White Painted and Mesa Verde Corrugated Gray sherds were found in the lowermost strata of these units, and Mesa Verde Black-on-white sherds were found in the upper strata. These data indicate that refuse deposition began sometime after A.D. 1100 and continued until sometime after A.D. 1180.

58
The probabilistic pottery data indicate a reasonable probability of sherd deposition between A.D. 1100 and 1140, then a hiatus, then probably more deposition between A.D. 1180 and 1225. The accumulation of corrugated jar sherds suggests 59 years of deposition.

Architectural Block 2500

59
In Architectural Block 2500, the presence of Pueblo III White Painted pottery on the surface on which this structure was built indicates that the roomblock was abandoned an unknown length of time after A.D. 1100. The pecked-block masonry style indicates construction during the Pueblo III period. Undisturbed midden rested on undisturbed native sediment containing Mesa Verde Black-on-white pottery, leading to the inference that the roomblock was occupied until sometime after A.D. 1180.

60
The probabilistic pottery data indicate a high probability that sherd deposition occurred between A.D. 1180 and 1260 and slightly less probability that it continued through 1280. The accumulation of corrugated jar sherds suggests that this area was occupied for 53 years.

Architectural Block 2600

61
Extramural surfaces beneath the level of the roomblock in Architectural Block 2600 date from sometime after A.D. 1100. A mostly dismantled, masonry structure (Structure 2607) north of the roomblock was constructed of double-stone-wide masonry, indicating late Pueblo II or Pueblo III construction. The masonry style of the exposed section of roomblock wall (Structure 2608) is pecked-block and double-stone-with-core, which indicates construction during the Pueblo III period. The 50-cm-thick midden deposits south of the roomblock contain both late Pueblo II and Pueblo III sherds. The presence of Pueblo III White Painted pottery in this refuse and beneath the extramural surfaces that predate the roomblock indicates that this architectural block was constructed sometime after A.D. 1100. The presence of Mesa Verde Black-on-white pottery on a use surface associated with the roomblock indicates that occupation of the roomblock ended sometime after A.D. 1180. The pottery in the tested portion of the midden suggests post-1100 deposition; the large number of Mancos Black-on-white sherds indicates that this midden could have originated from undetected late Pueblo II structures.

62
The probabilistic pottery data indicate a good probability of deposition between A.D. 1100 and 1140 but the highest probability of deposition between 1140 and 1180. The accumulation of corrugated jar sherds suggests deposition for 65 years.

63
The field data and the probabilistic data are somewhat at odds for this architectural block. The masonry style of the exposed roomblock wall is later than the time of occupation as indicated by the pottery data for the midden. One possible reason for this discrepancy is that we excavated our midden units in an area of early refuse deposition associated with buildings that we did not expose, and we failed to sample the refuse that was deposited by the inhabitants of the masonry roomblock. Alternatively, this roomblock could have actually been built and occupied in the late 1000s or early 1100s and abandoned by 1140; this raises the possibility that this compact, two-story structure with blocked-in kivas was a second Chacoan great house. More data are needed to resolve this question.

Architectural Block 3200

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The double-stone-with-core masonry style of the exposed section of wall (Structure 3201) in Architectural Block 3200 suggests construction during the Pueblo III period. The earliest deposits in this talus-slope architectural block contain Pueblo III White Painted and Mesa Verde Corrugated Gray sherds, which leads to the inference that this architectural block was constructed sometime after A.D. 1100. The large number of Mancos Black-on-white sherds indicates that the tested portion of the midden could have originated from undetected late Pueblo II structures. This is one of two tested areas of the site (the other is in Architectural Block 2600) that appears to contain refuse dating earlier than A.D. 1150.

65
The probabilistic pottery data indicate a high probability that sherds were deposited between A.D. 1100 and 1140. The data for corrugated jar sherds suggest accumulation for 27 years.

Architectural Block 3300

66
No masonry or extramural surfaces were exposed in this talus-slope architectural block. The types of pottery found in the midden deposits lead to the inference that much of the refuse was deposited sometime after A.D. 1180. A lower stratum of refuse could slightly predate A.D. 1180, but Mesa Verde Black-on-white pottery was found in the refuse just above this stratum and deposition appears to have been continuous. The lower refuse probably does not predate A.D. 1180 by very many years.

67
The probabilistic pottery data suggest a reasonable probability of sherd deposition between A.D. 1100 and 1140, followed by a hiatus, then a higher probability that sherd deposition occurred between A.D. 1180 and 1225. The data for corrugated jar sherds suggest accumulation for 21 years.

Architectural Block 3400

68
No masonry or surfaces were exposed in this talus-slope architectural block. The cultural debris was very sparse, but included late Pueblo II sherds and Pueblo III sherds. The presence of Mesa Verde Black-on-white pottery deep in the midden leads to the inference that much of the refuse was deposited after A.D. 1180.

69
The probabilistic pottery data indicate that the highest probability of deposition occurred between A.D. 1225 and 1260 and that there was a lower probability of deposition between 1260 and 1280. The accumulation of corrugated jar sherds suggests deposition for two years.

Conclusions

70
All available dating information indicates that Yellow Jacket Pueblo (Site 5MT5) was a large village beginning during the late Pueblo II period, sometime between the middle A.D. 1000s and the early 1100s. The presence of a few early pottery sherds and corn-grinding tools (see paragraph 148 in "Artifacts") suggests some occupation of the site area before that time, as early as the Basketmaker III and/or Pueblo I periods, but those earlier remains are believed to be buried beneath the Pueblo III architectural blocks in locations other than where we excavated. It is also possible that there are earlier, buried remains in areas of the site that we were not granted permission to test. However, most of the roomblock walls that we exposed rested either on undisturbed native sediment or on shallow refuse deposits containing Pueblo III sherds. Given the spatial distribution of our test pits (Database Map 264), it seems likely that, had the site area been intensively occupied before A.D. 1060, we would have found some evidence of earlier structures or more than a few sherds dating from that time.

71
It is not unlikely that the possible Chacoan great house and the great kiva were among the first structures to be built at the site. A few additional architectural blocks were probably constructed during this same general time, possibly in the vicinities of Blocks 500 and 2600 and in the untested areas west and southwest of the great kiva. Frequencies of specific pottery-design styles indicate that there is also a reasonable probability that sometime between A.D. 1100 and 1140 sherds were deposited in the vicinity of Architectural Blocks 100, 500, 700, 2400, 2600, 3200, and 3300, although construction this early could be confirmed stratigraphically and architecturally only for the areas of Blocks 700, 2400, and 3200. Although we could find no clear evidence of an occupational hiatus in the stratigraphy of any of the areas we tested, the probabilistic pottery-design data suggest that three of these early architectural blocks (100, 2400, and 3300) might have been abandoned between A.D. 1140 and 1180, during a drought that appears elsewhere in the region to have caused a near-cessation of building construction (Lipe and Varien 1999*1:299; Petersen 1988*1; Van West 1994*2).

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During the Pueblo III period, more specifically beginning around A.D. 1180, construction at Yellow Jacket increased dramatically, and a large village developed (also see "Population Estimates"). This large village consisted of nearly all buildings visible on the ground surface today, with the possible exception of Architectural Block 3200. Yellow Jacket Pueblo appears to have been a sizable village until the mid- to late 1200s; most of the residential architectural blocks tested by Crow Canyon were occupied as late as 1260, and there is a reasonable probability that many were still occupied after that date. The political, economic, and social implications of as many as 35 architectural blocks being constructed during one occupation are impressive, as are the implications of this large community center enduring for perhaps three generations. This village and its community must have played an important role in the late prehistory of the Mesa Verde region.

¹Date suffixes (Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, Tucson, Arizona): B = bark is present; vv = there is no way of estimating how far the last ring is from the true outside; many rings may be lost; + = one or a few rings may be missing near the outside whose presence or absence cannot be determined because the series does not extend far enough to provide adequate cross dating. Of the suffixes appended to the dates for the Yellow Jacket samples, only "B" denotes a cutting date.

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