The Dendroarchaeology of Pueblo III Kiva Construction on Mesa Verde, Colorado

For a century, dendrochronology has provided Southwestern archaeology with the most precise and accurate prehistoric chronological controls available in the world. Being accurate to the calendar year, lacking statistical uncertainty, and having seasonal resolution, tree-ring dating provides the backbone of Southwestern chronology, especially on the Colorado Plateau. In addition, comprehensive dendroarchaeological data illuminate important aspects of the behavior of the people who produced the structures with which the wood specimens are associated. Four thoroughly sampled and documented late thirteenth century kivas on Mesa Verde (Kivas F and G at Square Tower House, Kiva I at Long House, and Kiva A at Badger House) exemplify the contributions that dendrochronology can make to archaeological analysis. These four structures exhibit markedly different construction sequences and wood-use practices that illuminate prehistoric construction behavior. These results have important implications for tree-ring sampling procedures, for evaluating archaeological tree-ring dates, and for understanding peoples’ use of trees as a natural resource and wood as a raw material.