The Archaeology of Skiles Shelter (41VV165): A Long-Term Rockshelter Plant Baking Facility in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands of Texas
Date
2019-12
Authors
Heisinger, Bryan E.
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Abstract
Skiles Shelter (41VV165) is located at the mouth of Eagle Nest Canyon, roughly 250
meters northwest from the Rio Grande in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands of southwest
Texas. Skiles Shelter is characterized by a fading panel of Pecos River Style rock art,
numerous bedrock milling features, and a massive burned rock midden (BRM) accumulation
of fire cracked rock (FCR) and cultural refuse. In 2013 and 2014, archaeologists with the
Ancient Southwest Texas Project (ASWT) of Texas State University carried out extensive
excavations in Skiles Shelter to better understand the rockshelter and how its archaeological
deposits formed. Based on the initial excavation results, Skiles Shelter was hypothesized to
have been used primarily as an earth oven facility for the baking and processing of plant and
animal foods. This thesis further explores Skiles Shelter’s use as an earth oven facility
through the examination of artifacts, samples, and data from the 2013 and 2014 excavations.
Description
Keywords
Archaeology, Archeology, Lower Pecos Canyonlands, Gender, Lithic analysis, Ground stone analysis, Earth ovens, Burned rock middens, Rockshelter, Late Prehistoric, Earth oven facilty, Skiles shelter, Texas archaeology, Ancient Southwest Texas project, Eagle Nest Canyon, Photogrammetry, Heating element, Plant processing, Stratigraphy, Earth oven quantification
Citation
Heisinger, B. E. (2019). <i>The archaeology of Skiles Shelter (41VV165): A long-term rockshelter plant baking facility in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands of Texas</i> (Unpublished thesis). Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.