Social Interaction among Late Archaic and Incipient Agricultural Groups in the North American Southwest

Abstract

This study proposes that the transition to agriculture in the North American Southwest caused changes in social group relationships, especially in terms of cooperation and competition over land use. The research will provide new insights into the interaction of Late Archaic (1200-800 B.C.) and incipient agricultural (800 B.C.-A.D. 200) groups by analyzing the differences and similarities of projectile point attributes from the Tucson Basin, Black Mesa, and the Hueco Bolson of the North American Southwest. The expectations of this study are that it will show that mobility and subsistence strategies permitted Late Archaic groups to be more cooperative and in less competition for resources, and therefore they would have similar projectile point morphology due to group interactions. In contrast, the later incipient agricultural groups across the North American Southwest who relied more on agriculture would have had smaller territories and would have been in competition with each other for suitable farmlands. Therefore, projectile point design styles between each region should show statistically significant differences in their attributes. Evidence from the research indicates that groups from the Tucson Basin, Black Mesa, and the Hueco Bolson had complex and dynamic social interaction resulting from acculturation during the Late Archaic and incipient agricultural periods.