Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant: Religion at the Edges: Social Boundaries and Religious Architecture in the Prehispanic Southwest

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Under the supervision of Dr. Barbara Mills, Katherine Dungan will analyze prehispanic religious architecture dating to the 13th and 14th centuries C.E. in east-central Arizona and west-central New Mexico. This large region contains multiple spatial and social boundary zones, areas where groups practicing distinct cultural traditions lived in close proximity to one another. The study will examine the relationship of religious architecture to these boundary zones, asking whether religion played a role in the creation and reinforcement of social boundaries, or, alternatively, whether religion was more flexible at social boundaries. The study will approach these questions through the examination of spatial variability in great kiva (religious structure) characteristics. If great kivas in social boundary zones adhere to an ideal form or size this would suggest that they facilitated boundary maintenance. Conversely, greater variability among boundary zone structures would suggest that a boundary position contributed to religious experimentation or flexibility. Research on religion in the context of boundaries over time challenges the long-standing view of religion in premodern or small-scale societies as primarily integrative.The research will include revisiting collections and records from previously excavated great kivas, along with the creation of a large-scale database from published and unpublished records of approximately 100 sites. Most of the collections to be reexamined were excavated in the mid-20th century, with only the most unusual or spectacular finds interpreted as evidence of religious activity. Reevaluation of these collections, housed primarily at the Field Museum, Harvard Peabody Museum, and Museum of New Mexico Laboratory of Anthropology, should contribute substantially to the broader study of Southwestern religion. The use of existing collections adheres to a preservation-focused approach to archaeology, which emphasizes research with a minimal impact on the archaeological record. The Upper Gila area of New Mexico will serve as an intensive local study area, with data from recently completed excavations and intensive collections analysis complementing the regional database. Limited excavation at a 13th-century site in Mule Creek, NM has demonstrated that this area served as a social boundary zone through time and that the site's religious architecture is unusual compared to that of the larger region. Beyond these specific questions, the research aims to make broader contributions. The database, with spatial data removed, will be made available online, substantially increasing the accessibility of data from understudied collections. Public lands make up a large portion of the study area; the study will increase the information available to managing agencies and for public interpretation. The analysis of material from the completed excavations will continue to provide training opportunities for undergraduates at multiple institutions, including the University of Arizona and Pima Community College. The research continues the collaboration between the University of Arizona and Archaeology Southwest, a non-profit organization focused on archaeological preservation and research. The results of the work will be presented to the public through Archaeology Southwest's website, magazine, and public presentations in Tucson and the Upper Gila, and to an academic audience through peer-reviewed publications. Finally, the results will be used in Archaeology Southwest's landowner outreach in the Upper Gila, ultimately contributing to the preservation of the archaeological record.