Towaoc, Colorado
West Mancos Survey and Site Preservation Project
The Ute Mountain Reservation in the Four Corners region of the American Southwest contains some of the most spectacular and numerous prehistoric archaeological sites in the country. Compared to Mesa Verde National Park, which borders the reservation to the northeast, sites are similar in composition and size but are generally less well understood and preserved. Phase I of this project consisted of recording and mapping three archaeological sites and completing an initial condition assessment of the standing architecture. The results indicate that the three sites varied in date and function, from the middle of the Pueblo II period (A.D. 1075 to 1125) to the late Pueblo III period (A.D. 1225-1280), painting a complex picture and raising a number of questions with regard to community, politics, history and functionality. In order to achieve further understanding and effectual preservation of these on-reservation cultural resources, the Tribe proposes developing 3-D models of each site that can be experienced and appreciated by Tribal members and future generations in perpetuity.
