Fresnal Shelter: a Prehistoric Campsite

Fresnal Shelter: a Prehistoric Campsite. . , Fresnal Shelter is a prehistoric campsite located in the cliff face across the canyon. This site was a seasonal shelter for the Archaic hunter-gatherers that once inhabited the Sacramento Mountains of southern New Mexico., The Archaic culture consisted of small, highly mobile groups continually moving to locations where hunting and plant gathering would be most productive. Archeological analysis of artifacts and radiocarbon dating of charcoal suggest that Fresnal Shelter was occupied in the late summer and early fall months between 6000 and 500 В.С., Artifacts found at this early campsite included stone tools and basketry fragments but no pottery; ceramics were not used in this region until hundreds of years later in the Mogollon culture., Fresnal Shelter was an excellent place to camp. The south-facing overhang would have provided protection from the elements and best exposure to the sun during cold periods. Fresnal Creek is a permanent water source which supports many local plants and animals which could have been exploited such as piñon and jun.... sotel, cacti, mesquite..., Since the rock shelter is dry, considerable number of perishable artifacts remained intact for thousands of years. Some of the items recovered by archeologists during the excavation of the site include more than 400 sandals, 30 basketry fragments, pieces of hide, twine, atlatls, darts, fire drills, feathers, vegetal material, and bone. Some of the earliest known corn remains were also recovered: these date to around 1500 B.C. and indicate that some foods were cultivated., Once disturbed, archeological remains cannot be replaced. Please do not excavate in historic or prehistoric sites, and do not collect artifacts from the surface. Leave them for others to enjoy, and for future archeologists to study to help fit to together more parts of the prehistoric puzzle., Captions , Projectile Point . Biface . Sandel Fragments . Projectile Point . Site Map