A Primary Cremation at the NAN Ranch Ruin, with Comparative Data on Other Cremations in the Mimbres Area, New Mexico

Abstract

In 1980 a primary cremation was excavated at the NAN Ranch Ruin in Grant County, New Mexico. This cremation has been dated to the Three Circle Phase (A.C. 750–1000) of the Late Pithouse Period (A.C. 550–1000) on the basis of both stratigraphy and archaeomagnetic dating. Cremation was a rare form of mortuary treatment at the NAN Ranch Ruin and was equally rare in a review of other Three Circle Phase and Classic Period (A.C. 1000–1150) sites in the Mimbres region. During these periods, cremations were interred in special rooms and special areas within the community proportionally more often than were inhumations; and cremations were much more likely to have projectile points accompanying them. These fact and the rare occurrence of cremation during these phases are perhaps most easily attributed to unusual conditions of death, although some cremations may represent individuals with higher status.During the following Black Mountain Phase (A.C. 1150–1350), cremation became a more frequently–used method of mortuary treatment and evidently was the exclusive treatment during the Cliff Phase (A.C. 1350–1450). The change in relative frequency of cremation is an important basis for differentiating the Black Mountain Phase from the Cliff Phase. There is no evidence during these phases that cremations received special treatment in terms of interment location, and none of the cremations were interred with projectile points. Overall, it seems clear that cremation was a significant, though not always frequent, form of mortuary behavior in the Mimbres area during the period A.C. 550–1450.

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