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The Archaeology of 5MT2, a Multicomponent Pueblo III Hamlet

By Richard H. Wilshusen and Stephen H. Lekson

Site 5MT2 is a small two component Pueblo III hamlet that was investigated by the University of Colorado Museum between 1986 and 1988. Its earliest component consists of a small roomblock of six to eight rooms and a single kiva and was occupied sometime between A.D. 1160 and 1225. The structures in this area were dismantled upon abandonment and the materials likely recycled in another nearby building, possibly in building the structures associated with the second component of occupation at the site. The second component of occupation is built about 25 m to the north of the first and, at its peak occupation, is made up of a 14-room pueblo and a single kiva. Based on ceramic evidence, the occupation of this area of the site dates to some time between A.D. 1200 and 1280. The site was intentionally abandoned with over 25 vessels purposefully left behind in structures that were deliberately destroyed.

This report consists of four general sections, with the last section offering a more detailed report on the archaeology of the site. The introduction to 5MT2 offers a synopsis of the site's archaeology, as well as a short history of the excavations and a description of supporting documents. The site setting places 5MT2's occupation into the context of the surrounding sites and natural landscape. A short summary presents what we have learned so far and proposes various research options for the future. A detailed report of the occupations at 5MT2 introduces each area and then presents specificchronological and architectural data, as well as research opportunities for each area.