Site Structure of a Village of the Late Pithouse-Early Pueblo Period in N e\V Mexico

The period of change from pithouse to pueblo as the prefen-ed dwelling in the American Southwest represents an architectural transition associated with greater complexity of community organization. Excavation of more than 70% of the principal residential area within a small) single component) late Mogollon pithouse village (A.C. 1150-1200) in New Mexico (but located near EI Paso) Texas) helpsprovide behavioral definition of this period. Through an examination of trash location and artifact size) feature-fill sequence reconstruction) and overall community plan) a ((coreactivity area))for Meyer Pithouse Village has been established. This activity zone is the material con-elate of supra-household cooperation) a condition held necessaryfOr the subsequent acceptance in antiquity ofpueblo room-block architecture similar to that of the neighboring Anasazi area.