Abstract
The possible contribution of pinon (Pinus edulis) seed to the diet of an Anasazi population is investigated using present data on seed productivity and archaeological data on resource use. Annual estimates of total productivity for a 135.7 sq km study area in Montezuma County, Colorado, vary by a factor of 141 in a sample spanning 5 yr. Trees greater than about 25 cm (basal diameter) are usually monoecious and produce significantly more cones per tree but fewer good seeds per cone than smaller, usually dioecious specimens. Archaeological data suggest that pinon seed was a relatively unimportant food item after the initial period of Anasazi colonization of the Dolores River valley about a.D. 600. Use of pinon seed as food was inversely related to degree of agricultural intensification and use of pinon for fuel.
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