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The X-ray fluorescence analysis of obsidian artifacts from four study areas in Baja California, Mexico, suggests regional and local patterning in the geological sources used by indigenous hunter-gatherers during the late prehistoric and colonial periods. Obsidian artifacts were typically made from materials from the closest geological source, creating a distinct north-south pattern of obsidian distribution. In the northern region of Baja California, this pattern appears to correspond to ethnographically-documented language boundaries. However, within each study area, particular sites exhibit higher degrees of obsidian source diversity than others—a pattern that may suggest chronological or social variation in access to particular obsidian sources. Unexpectedly, projectile points do not exhibit noticeably higher levels of source diversity when compared to an aggregate of all other obsidian artifacts. Together, these patterns offer a baseline of knowledge about regional obsidian distributions and point toward potential avenues for future research on obsidian availability and conveyance in Baja California.

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For the past few decades, surfers from all over the world, but predominantly American, have visited the barely populated Sierra de San Andrés, 4 km North of Santa Rosalillita on the Pacific Coast of Baja California. These visits have turned the Sierra into one of the most heavily looted areas in the peninsula. The first archaeological survey in the area has revealed its archaeological richness along with the impacts caused by foreign looters. Therefore, it is urgent that environmental and surfing organizations take accountability and protection in the development of a responsible management plan for the Sierra de San Andrés. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Proceedings of the Society for California Archaeology is the property of Society for California Archaeology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article describes macroscopic and microscopic analyses of archaeological ceramics recovered from El Vallecito in 2012 by the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) during the seventh field season of the Archaeological Site Registry and Rescue Project of Baja California, Phase of the Municipality ofMexicali. The three El Vallecito rock shelter sites of El Corral, La Explanada, and La Cueva del Indio were excavated and have been radiocarbon dated to approximately 500 B.P. We summarize the history of archaeological research at El Vallecito and describe the excavations conducted in the summer of 2012. We present the results of a macroscopic ceramic analysis and introduce a thin-section petrographic study involving 18 sherds from the three sites, as well as a stratified sample of 22 sherds from the rock shelter at El Corral. The ceramic material from El Vallecito will be compared with the existing database of previously analyzed material from southern California and northern Baja California to determine raw material procurement and ceramic production locations, with the aim of investigating the nature of Kumeyaay habitation at the sites and identifying potential inter-site relationships across the Mexico-U.S. border. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Proceedings of the Society for California Archaeology is the property of Society for California Archaeology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Rock art near Guadalupe Canyon includes both petroglyph and pictograph sites. This paper documents a rock shelter in the canyon containing pictographs in both black and red pigments. The black figures were made in two styles, by painting using a black pigment and by scratching with a charcoal stick. As judged by content, superposition and preservation, the black figures (of both types) seem much more recent than most of the red figures. Because of fading and superposition, the red figures can be very difficult to make out. The DStretch rock art enhancement program was used to improve the visibility of the red figures. The abstract style of the faded red figures differs from the painted black figures, which include many anthropomorphs and animals, and from the scratched black designs. There are stylistic similarities between the faded red designs and petroglyphs found in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective will be to offer some criteria and hypotheses to test in future site recording and excavations. These will be used to confirm that the people we identify as belonging to the San Dieguito Complex did indeed behave in ways that distinguished them from other groups that were earlier, contemporaneous, or later, as evidenced in their material remains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]