BURIALS

A total of eleven primary burials have been recovered from within the excavated rooms. In addition, an unknown number of burials, greatly disturbed by carnivore activities, have been encountered. Of particular interest is a deposit of human bones on the floors of the ground stories of Features 5, 6, and 8. This deposit represents secondary burials of partly articulated bones, many of which show evidence of carnivore gnawing. It is my conclusion that these bones originated from the greatly disturbed primary burials in Features 18 and 26. Although a final count of the individuals has yet to be calculated, an estimate of between 35 and 40 has been made for all of the remains encountered to date (Cynthia Bradley 1986, pers. communication). Table 6 presents selected data for the 11 more or less intact primary burials. All of the human remains, with the exception of Burial 7, date to the post-A.D. 1200 use of the site.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

Wallace Ruin is a multistory, multicomponent pueblo site located near Cortez, Colorado. It was built and occupied between A.D. 1045 and A.D. 1125 and reused during the thirteenth century. Architectural and artifactual evidence indicates that at least the main construction episode (Building Phase 3) was either inspired by, or more likely, directed by a person or people from Chaco Canyon or the Chacoan sites in the San Juan Valley in New Mexico. Possible road entry features also indicate a probable link with the Chaco System. Although other excavations have been done at sites in southwestern Colorado identified as showing Chacoan traits (Powers et al. 1983), none of them have exhibited the number of traits that might allow them to be considered a central site.

Schelberg (1984:5-18) has proposed a model of how the Chaco System may have been organized with a resulting three-tiered hierarchy of sites representing three distinct levels of complexity. A similar and complimentary model of how the Chaco System may have been organized on the northwest frontier has been presented by Bradley (1984: 122-127). Although preliminary, this model seems to fit the archaeological evidence that is now known from the area. Although a substantial effort has gone into the identification of Chacoan "outliers" (Marshall et al. 1979; Powers et al. 1983), little is actually known about how the sites may have been used and functioned because of the very limited amount and quality of excavated data. That many outlying Chacoan sites are still to be identified is clear, with new reports being made each field season. The frontier has now been pushed into southeastern Utah by the recording of a Chacoan small house site on Cedar Mesa, Utah (Bradley 1985).

The destruction of the other large sites in the Lake View Community has greatly diminished the possibility of ever understanding Wallace Ruin in its proper context. On the other hand, it is hoped that continued excavation at Wallace Ruin and other contemporary sites in southwestern Colorado, and the identification of additional sites will help us to begin to understand more about the very complex culture that is now subsumed under the name of the Chaco Phenomenon.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Over the many years that this research has spanned, I have received encouragement and help from many individuals. Most of the excavation and analyses I have done myself, but the following individuals have contributed varying amounts of time and effort to these pursuits: Mike Adler; Morris Anderson; Fred Blackburn; Carol, Cindy, Jake, Jim, Joey, Kyle, and Travis Bradley; Joel Brisbin; Dennis Dahms; Alan Denoyer; Susan Eastwood; Bob Grimsrud; Dave Hall; Larry and Nancy Hammack; Betty and George Haver; Dan Hayes; Ed Huber; Paul Johnson; Donna Larocca; Jeanne Moe; Burt and Dorothy Mountain; Dee Pehrson; Dick Polhemus; Mary Puller; Steve Shelley; Kim Smiley; Carla Van West; Bob Waller; and Joe Watkins. To each of these I extend my thanks.

T.J. Fergeson, Walt Heikes, and Steve Lekson each read this manuscript and offered useful suggestions. Steve Shelley has undertaken the animal bone and bone tool analyses for his dissertation. During the initial years' work, the site was owned by Walt and Wilda Wallace who gave me a lease that allowed the work to be undertaken. Eventually the property was transferred to Wesley and Shirley Wallace. I have now purchased the property. Thanks are also due Ona and Ralph Conrad who kept an eye on the site and graciously pulled me out of their irrigation ditches on more than one occasion.

Special gratitude is also owed to my parents, Betty and Harry Bradley, who have continually supported and encouraged my archaeological endeavors. Without their help (especially in the realm of room and board, storage and lab space), this project would have been most difficult to sustain.

Although no outside financial support has been used in this project, the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center has provided logistical support in the preparation of this report. Finally, my greatest gratitude must be reserved for my wife, Cindy. Along with being active in the excavations, she has also undertaken the analyses of the human remains from the site. Most of all she has continued to lend unflagging support, even when faced with the task of taking care of a young family while I was out digging and washing sherds. Without her, this work could never have been accomplished.

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