Introduction

Paleoindian
  Overview
  Food
  Housing
  Artifacts

Archaic
  Overview
  Food
  Housing
  Artifacts

Basketmaker II
  Overview
  Food
  Housing
  Artifacts

Basketmaker III
  Overview
  Food
  Housing
  Artifacts

Pueblo I
  Overview
  Food
  Housing
  Artifacts

Pueblo II
  Overview
  Food
  Housing
  Artifacts

Pueblo III
  Overview
  Food
  Housing
  Artifacts

 

The Pueblo II Period: A.D. 900 to 1150

Artifacts

Artifacts dating from this period reflect the continued importance of farming in Pueblo culture. Two-hand manos and trough metates were used to grind corn, and pottery vessels of various types were used to store, cook, and serve food. And, because people still relied on wild animals for a portion of their diet, archaeologists also find stone projectile points that would have been affixed to the ends of wooden arrow shafts (Figure 1).

Pueblo II period projectile points. Pen-and-ink drawing by Carole Graham. Copyright Crow Canyon Archaeological Center.

Figure 1: Pueblo II Period Projectile Points

Pottery styles continued to evolve during the Pueblo II period. Corrugated gray ware jars became the most common cooking and storage vessels (Figure 2). The coils used to form the jar were scraped smooth on the inside of the vessel, but were left exposed from top to bottom on the outside. To create the distinctive “corrugated” texture, Pueblo potters made slight indentations in the coils with a finger or thumb, sometimes leaving partial fingerprints that we can still see today. Through experimentation, archaeologists have demonstrated that corrugated pottery is more durable than pottery that is not corrugated.

Corrugated gray ware. Pen-and-ink drawing by Lee R. Schmidlap, Jr. Copyright Crow Canyon Archaeological Center.

Figure 2: Corrugated Gray Ware

White ware pottery made during this time includes bowls, jars, ollas, ladles, and pitchers. Black designs were painted on a white background, and most vessels were polished and slipped. Common designs include parallel lines, dots, triangles, and diagonal hachure (Figure 3). Red ware pottery continued to be made in the western portion of the Mesa Verde region, and its occurrence at sites elsewhere in the region indicates relatively short-distance trade.

Pueblo II white ware designs. Pen-and-ink drawing by Lee R. Schmidlap, Jr. Copyright Crow Canyon Archaeological Center.

Figure 3: Pueblo II White Ware Designs

One of the most exciting developments of the Pueblo II period, however, was the burst of trading activity with peoples outside the Mesa Verde region. The presence of Chaco-style pottery vessels, macaw-feather sashes, and copper bells at some sites indicates that the Pueblo people of the Mesa Verde region were part of a vast trading network that included not only Chaco Canyon, but much more distant locations in Mexico as well. Other traded objects included beautiful jewelry and other ornaments made of shell, jet, and turquoise. In addition, decorated white and red ware pottery was widely traded throughout the Southwest during this time.