Homesteading in Cebolla Canyon, New Mexico: Ethnicity Studies in Using Dendrochronology, Historical Documents, and Oral Histories

Abstract

Cebolla Canyon, in the El Malpais National Conservation Area, New Mexico, was homesteaded extensively in the late 18th and early 19th centuries by Hispanic and Euro-American families. The local environment provided grazing resources for sheep and cows, and the ability to homestead in this area allowed families to pursue seasonal or year-round occupation. The regional histories of these migrants differ, but the exploitation possibilities of land and timber provided people with the promise of land ownership and sustainability with respect to their necessities and desires; these are strongly based on sociopolitical factors of the time. Focus here is on Hispanic and Euro-American homesteading sites, comparatively. Dendrochronology can provide target dates for felling events, and in combination with archaeological remains we can grasp the duration of occupation for homesteading sites. We can also identify methods in which ethnicity can be delineated in the historical archaeological record. Further insight is provided by historical documents, such as census records and homesteading patents that can give us an idea of how people institutionally- or self-identified as an ethnic group. Additionally, information about interactions between ethnic groups can be parsed from historical documents that may not be fully present in the archaeological record.