Recent

Dr. Tim M. Mills: In addition to the range of prehistoric and historic documentation services that Four Corners Research provides, we have recently added paleoenvironmental and archaeobotanical documentation through the expert services of Dr. Tim Mills.  Through examination of landscapes, Dr. Mills is able to define plant patterns that reflect natural communities and disturbed areas.  Cultural disturbances and anthropogenic processes tend to alter plant patterns and their distributions across the landscape.  Once recognized, these alterations to the natural plant communities may provide valuable insights into how prehistoric and historic groups used and altered the landscape we see today.  Dr. Mills can also identify plants that were of economic importance to prehistoric and historic groups, and prepare models of distribution trends, which aid in recognition and prediction of where archaeological sites may be found.  His understanding of plant associations with the landscape enables archaeologists to better understand and interpret cultural landscapes, site distributions, activities, and potential exploited resources.

New Mexico Highway 3: Cross Roads of Culture Through the Upper Pecos River Valley.  Recently, completed as part of the Four Corners Research Statewide Archaeological Services contract to the New Mexico Department of Transportation, the NM 3 project examined the archaeology, historic  architecture, and cultural setting of the Pecos River valley between El Pueblo and Ribera, including the village of San Miguel del Vado.  This highway restoration project required consideration of potential impacts to the numerous historic adobe structures and other components of the built environment located along the NM 3 route, especially that of the Historic District of San Miguel del Vado.  Consideration was given to the communities of El Pueblo and Ribera as historic districts, and the project area was evaluated as a rural landscape.  Four Corners Research was supported by Criterion Environmental Consulting during this important project.