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Archaeological site fenced off for protection
EL RITO, N.M. (AP)--A mostly state-owned ancient pueblo site has been fenced off with barbed wire and "No Trespassing" signs to keep out pot-hunters and stray cattle. Anyone entering the site near El Rito could be fined $500, and two volunteers will make periodic forays into the site to discourage treasure hunters. "This is one of two sites that are just so important that you can't put a value on them of any sort," said David Eck, an archaeologist for the state Land Office. The 20-acre Sapawe'uinge Pueblo, which is perched on a terrace along the El Rito River, may have been home to about 2,000 people from between 1375 to 1541, or about the time the first Spaniards explored the region. Walking through the pueblo, Eck pointed out the fine craftsmanship evident in white and black pottery shards scattered around the site. Sapawe is listed on the National Register of Historical Places. It was surveyed in 1963, and was the site of an archaeological field school from then until 1969. Only about a dozen of the rooms were excavated, but no substantial analysis of the ruins exists, Eck said. "There isn't much known about the place," he said. The state owns most of the site, except for the north and south extremities of the ruins, which are on private land. Animals grazing on the site are the primary concern of those who want to preserve it, because cattle destroy vegetation and speed up erosion, which would leave the site unprotected, Eck said. Uncovering the undisturbed layers of soil in the ruins could someday shed light on the historical context of Sapawe in relation to contemporary pueblo ruins, he said. Eck estimated that collectors trading in illicit artifacts have probably made off with dozens of bags of pottery, "We are probably talking many, many tons of material that have been picked up and taken away," he said. State Land Office spokesman Michael Bowers said the fencing project is part of state Land Commissioner Patrick Lyons' "Don't Trash the Trust" campaign, started in December. Date: 10/14 /04
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