The Excavation of Guilá Naquitz

While MacNeish was excavating at Purron Cave in the Tehuacan Valley, he was frequently asked what he was finding. “Well,” ran his favorite reply, “at least the botanist had a good day.” This response reflected the fact that Purron Cave had superb plant preservation but not many highly diagnostic artifacts per square meter. The month of March was spent in testing other caves and extending our survey. Finally the authors returned to Guila Naquitz on April 14 with a larger crew and excavated there until May 10, 1966. Digging at Guila Naquitz was so soft that it was never necessary to use a tool larger than a trowel. In addition to a trowel, however, each excavator was provided with a screwdriver. The excavation of a typical square would begin with an examination of the profile and a discussion of exactly how deep the trowel would have to go to loosen the first living floor.