Bodies, Ontology, and Bioarchaeology

This volume introduces the place of Arroyo Hondo Pueblo in our understanding of Southwestern Archaeology in the Northern Rio Grande. The author discusses the reanalysis of the skeletal and mortuary remains that draws on a half century of research since the original excavations were conducted by the School of American Research from 1970-1974 under the direction of Douglas W. Schwartz.The volume offers a close read of the mortuary evidence at Arroyo Hondo Pueblo and integrates ideas about corn as a central feature of Tewa cosmology with this crop as the paramount dietary staple. The author discusses the health consequences of dry-farming subsistence and present evidence for malnutrition and other dietary issues and finally describes the impact of malnutrition and other maladies on the everyday lives of Arroyo Hondo’s villagers. This volume is for readers interested in bioarchaeology, paleopathology, and Southwestern Archaeology.

Ann M Palkovich, Krasnow Professor of Anthropology Emerita at George Mason University is interested in life experience in past societies, which includes expertise in bioarchaeology, human osteology, forensics, osteobiographies and Southwestern Archaeology.  Her primary focus is on understanding the ways in which diet,subsistence, social organization and belief systems shaped the everyday lives of people in the past.  She has held affiliations with the School of Advanced Research, Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study, the National Museums of Kenya, the Smithsonian Institution, the University of Nairobi, and the University of Maryland. While at George Mason University, she founded two innovative academic units, the Computational Social Science Program and New Century College, as well as serving as Provost’s Liaison to Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.  She also served as a consultant to Northern Virginia Regional Medical Examiner’s Office and to theNational Park Service.