Construction of the Cochiti Dam on the Rio Grande River in north-central New Mexico will ultimately inundate many prehistoric sites. Salvage investigations supported by the National Park Service were begun in 1962, and this publication is the first in a projected series intended to report the results of these investigations.
This volume is comprised of separate papers and appendices by various authors dealing with the natural environment of the affected area, site surveys, and excavation results at three stations. All of the latter are assignable to Pueblo II through Pueblo III. One, the Alfred Herrera Site, was large, with multi-room surface structures, kivas, and pit houses. It was extensively excavated, and the bulk of the volume provides a detailed analysis of the rich cultural data obtained. In addition to the customary archaeological content, the faunal and floral materials are given separate treatment. So are such topics as the glazed pottery and human skeletal remains.
The publication is overtly descriptive in character, the authors preferring to postpone interpretation until all phases of the field work are accomplished. The description of excavation results is admirable, but the reservoir area is not dealt with in equal depth, as one might have expected. None of the maps succeeds in pinpointing the location of the dam and the sites, so that some of the text discussions are not clear.
