Zooarchaeological Analysis of Subsistence Practices at the Lake Roberts Vista Site (LA71877) Gila National Forest, New Mexico

This work examines the faunal subsistence practices at Lake Roberts Vista, a small Mimbres pueblo with a pithouse component occupied during the Late Pithouse to Classic Mimbres periods (A.D. 550-1130). It is in the Sapillo Valley, a tributary to the Gila River in southwestern New Mexico. Inhabitants consumed mostly deer and rabbits throughout their occupation. Evidence suggests a decline in Artiodactyla resource abundance in later years based on a declining Artiodactyl Index and an increasing fragmentation rate of Artiodactyla bones. Inhabitants captured more cottontails than jackrabbits throughout their occupation