Modeling changes in faunal use and availability on the Pajarito Plateau, New Mexico

Abstract

This thesis tests the hypothesis that resource depletion accompanied aggregation on the Pajarito Plateau. It does so by examining changes in faunal resource availability and resource use during the Coalition and early Classic periods. The prehistoric deer population was estimated using precipitation data, following Young (1979). This estimation was used as a measure of potential resource availability for the periods concerned. Based upon the model, the mule deer population was expected to increase from the Coalition period to the early Classic period. Resource use was measured using faunal assemblages from 10 sites from the Pajarito Plateau. The sites examined in this thesis support various expectations which would suggest that resource depletion occurred on the Pajarito Plateau. It was found that changes in resource use could not be explained by environmental change alone. Thus, it appears that resource depletion on the Pajarito Plateau may have been due to human impact on the environment.