Architecture of Arroyo Hondo Pueblo

Reviews of the Architecture of Arroyo Hondo Pueblo, New Mexico 

Book Notes 

1994 Review of The Architecture of Arroyo Hondo Pueblo, New Mexico, by Winifred Creamer. Kiva 59(4): 481-482. 

Using architectural and dendrochronological data to document the growth, partial abandonment, reoccupation, and final abandonment of the large 14th century pueblo of Arroyo Hondo, the volume is able to describe the ways in which rooms, plazas, and kivas were built and used. The internal organization of the pueblo is also used to draw social inferences. This volume includes two appendices: one of tree-ring dates and one with architectural data. 

Crown, Patricia L. 

1994 Review of The Architecture of Arroyo Hondo Pueblo, New Mexico, by Winifred Creamer. Man 29(4): 984-985. 

While many large ruins in the U.S. Southwest remain untouched, there are few published reports detailing findings. The Arroyo Hondo Archaeological Series stands out, then, as a thorough documentation of an important site. The excavation of Arroyo Hondo is impressive both for its painstaking excavation strategies, but also its pronounced inclusion of plazas and its careful in-room inspections for signs of collapsed upper stories and rooftops. As such, Creamer was able to draw inferences about the full Puebloan use of space including activities that took place outdoors and on rooftops. Her interpretations support ethnohistoric accounts of a rich use of outdoor space for cooking and crafting for much of the year. There are five descriptive chapters and then three chapters covering the construction sequence, room functions, and the social implications of the architectural layout. While Creamer’s interpretations are sensible, they are also cautious, and could have benefitted from additional explorations such as what the architecture suggests about socio-political organization at the site. This volume deals solely with the architecture of Arroyo Hondo; those interested in how the architecture fits in with pottery, for example, must refer to other volumes.  

This volume also has valuable data organization and appendices. There are over 45 tables synthesizing information on rooms, plazas, and features. Meanwhile, the appendices present all tree-ring dates and summaries of information on each room. 

Kolb, C. C. 

1994 Review of The Architecture of Arroyo Hondo Pueblo, New Mexico, by Winifred Creamer. Choice March 1994: 391. 

This volume, which is best for advanced undergraduates and above, documents the architecture of the large village site of Arroyo Hondo near Santa Fe. This study defined two occupational units (divided by a period of abandonment) on the basis of construction episodes and demographic changes. 312 dendrochonological samples helped Creamer interpret the pueblo’s construction sequence. In addition to social implications of the architecture, the book also details site design, construction technologies, room categories and features, and site stratigraphy. The author also compares ancient and contemporary sites in terms of architecture.  

Livres reçus 

1994 L’Homme 34(130): 232-234. 

Publications: New Archaeological Books and Journals 

1994 Journal of Field Archaeology 21(2): 236. 

Steere, Peter L. 

1994 Review of The Architecture of Arroyo Hondo Pueblo, New Mexico, by Winifred Creamer. Books of the Southwest 424: 2-3.