TY - JOUR
T1 - Historical continuity in Sonoran Desert free-range ranching practices
T2 - Carbon, oxygen, and strontium isotope evidence from two 18th-century missions
AU - Grimstead, Deanna N.
AU - Pavao-Zuckerman, Barnet
N1 - Funding Information:
The stable isotope research was supported by the Faculty Small Grants Program of the Office of the Vice President for Research at the University of Arizona . Identification and analysis of zooarchaeological remains from Mission San Agustín was funded by Desert Archaeology, Inc., and the authors are grateful to J. Homer Thiel, Jonathan Mabry, and William Doelle for access and support for this work. The authors are also grateful to Arq. Júpiter Martínez (Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia—Sonora) for the opportunity to examine zooarchaeological materials from Mission Cocóspera. We are grateful to Dave Dettman and Jay Quade for access to the Stable Isotope Laboratory Carbonate Lab laboratories, and the Radiogenic Isotope Geochemistry Laboratory, both on the campus of the University of Arizona, as well as their technical expertise and advice. Modern plant samples were identified by Ashley Shepherd and Mitch McClaran (University of Arizona, School of Natural Resources and the Environment); McClaran provided additional advice and expertise regarding range plants in the Sonoran Desert. Our thanks to Aaron Comstock for preparing the map for publication, and to Nicole Mathwich for ad hoc assistance through the manuscript preparation phase. We are grateful also to John Marchello (University of Arizona Meat Sci.), and Guzman's Meat Processing (Cochise, AZ), for access to modern cattle specimens. Finally, we are deeply indebted to Micaela McGibbon (and the McGibbon–King Ranch family) for her permission to sample water and plants, for sharing her ranching and forage expertise, and for taking time out of her busy schedule to show us around the ranch.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Elsevier Ltd.
PY - 2016/6/1
Y1 - 2016/6/1
N2 - Carbon (δ13C), oxygen (δ18O), and strontium (87Sr/86Sr) isotopes from cattle, caprine, and small mammal teeth from two historic-period Spanish missions, and modern cattle, were assayed with the goal of reconstructing historic ranching practices in the Sonoran Desert of southwestern North America. δ13C values from modern cattle indicates it is possible to distinguish cattle free-ranged within upper elevation desert habitats (-11.9 to -7.8‰) from lower elevations or possibly foddered animals (-2.5 to 0.8‰). It is not possible to distinguish maize-foddering versus low elevation free-ranging of livestock in the Sonoran Desert; however, the data indicates free-ranging occurred in both upland and lowland ecosystems, with some animals exhibiting evidence of a mixed upland/lowland strategy. δ18O values in mission livestock (-3.0 to 2.5‰) overlap with modern cattle (-3.1 to -0.1‰) watered from evaporated reservoirs, suggesting missions managed water for livestock, and livestock were likely kept away from riparian zones. 87Sr/86Sr results demonstrate that livestock were moved, likely through trade, some coming from a minimum distance of 40 km. Taken together these results are consistent with continuity in Sonoran Desert free-ranged herd management from the historic era to present. These results also point to continuity in water management strategies extending well prior to the colonial period.
AB - Carbon (δ13C), oxygen (δ18O), and strontium (87Sr/86Sr) isotopes from cattle, caprine, and small mammal teeth from two historic-period Spanish missions, and modern cattle, were assayed with the goal of reconstructing historic ranching practices in the Sonoran Desert of southwestern North America. δ13C values from modern cattle indicates it is possible to distinguish cattle free-ranged within upper elevation desert habitats (-11.9 to -7.8‰) from lower elevations or possibly foddered animals (-2.5 to 0.8‰). It is not possible to distinguish maize-foddering versus low elevation free-ranging of livestock in the Sonoran Desert; however, the data indicates free-ranging occurred in both upland and lowland ecosystems, with some animals exhibiting evidence of a mixed upland/lowland strategy. δ18O values in mission livestock (-3.0 to 2.5‰) overlap with modern cattle (-3.1 to -0.1‰) watered from evaporated reservoirs, suggesting missions managed water for livestock, and livestock were likely kept away from riparian zones. 87Sr/86Sr results demonstrate that livestock were moved, likely through trade, some coming from a minimum distance of 40 km. Taken together these results are consistent with continuity in Sonoran Desert free-ranged herd management from the historic era to present. These results also point to continuity in water management strategies extending well prior to the colonial period.
KW - Colonial archaeology
KW - Historical archaeology
KW - Isotope geochemistry
KW - Livestock
KW - Ranching
KW - Water storage
KW - Zooarchaeology
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jasrep.2016.03.009
DO - 10.1016/j.jasrep.2016.03.009
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84962716282
VL - 7
SP - 37
EP - 47
JO - Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
JF - Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
SN - 2352-409X
ER -