House of Shields: Defensive Imagery at Defensive Sites in Tsegi Canyon

Abstract

The archaeological record of the Late Pueblo III (C.E.1250–1300) period in the Tsegi Canyon drainage reveals Kayenta communities shifted from locales favoring access to water and arable land to canyon alcoves with difficult to access entries, as part of a larger regional shift to defensively situated settlements. This coincides with the creation of large depictions of shields on the right side of alcove villages. While prior research has considered shield designs as possible symbols of group identity, this article argues that the placement of shield imagery within Pueblo III alcove communities is an indicator of consolidated group practice. Through comparison of spatial placement of shield imagery on Pueblo III sites throughout the Northern Southwest, I make a case that the peoples of the Tsegi Canyon system shared a form of community identity, marked by the placement of these iconic, highly visible images on the right side of cliff dwellings.