Archaeological Reconnaissance of Portions of the Río Conchos, Chihuahua, Mexico–J. Charles Kelley’s 1949 and 1951 Surveys

During the summers of 1949 and 1951, the late J. Charles Kelley conducted limited archaeological reconnaissance surveys of portions of the Río Conchos Valley in north-eastern Chihuahua, Mexico. The Río Conchos is the largest river in Chihuahua and the largest tributary of the Río Bravo del Norte/Rio Grande. The 1949 reconnaissance encompassed an area from La Junta, where the Río Conchos enters the Río Bravo on the US–Mexico border, southward to near Jiménez, Chihuahua. The areas reconnoitered were limited to those that could be accessed using a four-wheel-drive vehicle.

The 1949 effort resulted in the recording of 42 prehistoric and historic era archaeological sites that ranged from fire-cracked-rock scatters to hearths and midden campsites to a historic house ruin and village site. Many of these were associated with the Bravo Valley culture. An array of ceramic, flaked stone, and ground stone artifacts was recorded and collected. In addition to Bravo Valley wares, Jornada Mogollon and Medio Period Casas Grandes wares were recorded along with projectile points and the near-omnipresent notched pebbles.

The 1951 reconnaissance, extending from Julimes to Falomir, Chihuahua, resulted in the recording of 52 sites. The area surveyed was mountainous and inaccessible by vehicle, thus Kelley resorted to survey by burro back. This season proved to be extremely arduous. As with the 1949 survey, site types ranged from isolated hearths and ring middens to campsites with associated artifact scatters; again, both prehistoric and historic era sites were recorded. The cultural and temporal affinities of most of these, however, were ambiguous. Many of the sites were designated “Brown Ware culture” sites, likely of Chihuahuan affinity, because of the presence of unspecified brownwares. Again, an array of flaked and ground stone was recorded or collected.