‘Our Work Will Continue’: Geochemical Sourcing by XRF of Obsidian in the Collections of Helen Greene Blumenschein

Abstract

Analysis of artifacts collected by the late Helen G. Blumenschein (HGB) provides a region-wide database for obsidian use between the Middle – Late Archaic and the Talpa phase in the Taos area of northern New Mexico, approximately 3000 B.C.E. to 1300 C.E. Using GIS to associate these artifacts with site locations from HGB’s records and the current site files maintained by the State of New Mexico allows us to verify locations of HGB’s work and to associate these artifacts with documented archaeological sites. However, many of HGB’s collection localities are not presently recorded in official site records, meaning that a significant amount of data can still be recovered from these 50+ year old documents. Results of our obsidian sourcing suggest that El Rechuelos obsidian accounts for nearly two-thirds of obsidian use between the Archaic and the Talpa phase, indicating a consistent lithic-source preference by Taos-area residents over several millennia.