As the last week of the season approaches, the crew has been working to complete excavation and documentation of all of the units opened this summer. After archaeologically sterile soil, or soil without any cultural material, has been reached in a unit, the unit is augered as much as another meter to ensure that there are no further cultural layers. At this point, the paperwork for the unit must be completed. This includes making plan and profile drawings for the floor and walls of the unit, measuring end depth elevations, and taking final photos.

Most archaeological projects employ “crew chiefs” who are responsible for ensuring that this documentation is completed correctly. The crew chiefs split their time between a number of sundry tasks. These include recording point proveniences (unique and fragile artifacts), doing bucket runs (transportation of excavated dirt to the lab for wetscreening), and supervising the student crew. In addition, the crew chiefs have been responsible for such tasks as assisting the lab managers and running the auger program.

This week’s “artifact of the week” is an animal bone feature that was found in Stratum 11 of unit N1018 E980. Intact recovery of the animal bone during excavation proved impossible due to poor preservation. Soil conditions at the site, such as acidity and moisture, may have greatly affected the survival of fragile artifacts. This bone was located in an area that was possibly a marsh associated with El Polín Spring. In cases where artifacts are poorly preserved, photo documentation and written records are crucial in collecting and preserving information for future analysis.