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Burning the Corn: Subsistence and Destruction in Ancestral Pueblo Conflict

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Book cover The Archaeology of Food and Warfare

Abstract

Archaeological studies situated within tightly defined and even historical frameworks are essential for gaining a better understanding of human conflict. Our work at Burnt Corn Pueblo in northern New Mexico, conducted since 2000, examines a specific episode of conflict within the context of Ancestral Pueblo society during the late 1200s C.E. Widespread burning of foodstuffs stored within the village has significant implications for the nature of the event, particularly given a local environment of relative scarcity. Evidence suggesting different patterns of destruction at neighboring, contemporary sites complicates this picture as does the sacred nature of corn within Ancestral Pueblo society. Collectively, these patterns imply that burning foodstuffs was an act encompassing more than the subsistence sphere. Further examination of the burned corn at Burnt Corn thus allows us to engage the relationships between food, subsistence, destruction, and ritual. This chapter will evaluate the archaeological patterning of this episode within the framework of Pueblo culture and thus promote a more anthropological approach to the archaeology of war.

How the roofs groan under the weight of the drying corn

—Cushing 1920, p. 212

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Notes

  1. 1.

    This represents a site number designated by the Laboratory of Anthropology (LA) at the Historic Preservation Division (HPD) of New Mexico; sites are numbered sequentially in the order in which they are discovered.

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Acknowledgments

The “Archaeology of Food and Warfare Conference” at UCSB was a congenial and stimulating environment in which to discuss a challenging subject. Thanks to Amber M. VanDerwarker and Gregory D. Wilson for their invitation and hard work. Archaeology at Burnt Corn Pueblo was conducted under permit from the Bureau of Land Management and by permission of the owner of the northern portion of the site, Buck Dant. Thanks to Paul Williams for facilitating this arrangement and to both individuals for their support. Work at Lodestar was conducted under the auspices of the Archaeological Conservancy. Gratitude is due to the various local volunteers and student participants (George Mason University; California Polytechnic University, Pomona; UCLA). Mark W. Allen and Monica L. Smith are particularly acknowledged. Insights provided by various visitors to the sites and commentators on reports/presentations/publications have been extremely helpful. Funding for the project (2004–2007) was provided by the National Science Foundation (BCS #0352702).

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  1. California State University, Northridge, USA

    James E. Snead

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  1. James E. Snead
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Correspondence to James E. Snead .

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  1. University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA

    Amber M. VanDerwarker

  2. University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA

    Gregory D. Wilson

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Snead, J.E. (2016). Burning the Corn: Subsistence and Destruction in Ancestral Pueblo Conflict. In: VanDerwarker, A., Wilson, G. (eds) The Archaeology of Food and Warfare. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18506-4_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18506-4_7

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