Alliance and Landscape: Perry Mesa, Arizona in the Fourteenth Century

The goal of the proposed analysis is to investigate contacts and movement between sites in the Verde region and sites on the Hopi Mesas. This goal will be accomplished through chemical sourcing (Neutron Activation Analysis, NAA) of Jeddito Yellow Ware (JYW) pottery. Interaction between Hopi and Perry Mesa villages in the 14th century is attested to by the presence of Hopi-made pottery, known as Jeddito Yellow Ware, on Perry Mesa sites. Jeddito Yellow Ware was among the most widely distributed wares in the late prehistoric period, and is found on sites as far away as California, northern Mexico, and Utah (Schaefer 1969). Because JYW was made exclusively on the Hopi Mesas (Bernardini 2005), its presence on sites away from the mesas can be read as a measure of contact (either direct or indirect) with Hopi producers.