Colored Washes and Cultural Meaning at the Montezuma Castle Cliff Dwelling and Casa Grande Great House
Guebard M , Bass A , Porter D. 2018. Colored Washes and Cultural Meaning at the Montezuma Castle Cliff Dwelling and Casa Grande Great House. Journal of Arizona Archaeology. 5(2):101-113
Colored earthen washes are the primary form of wall decoration at the Montezuma Castle cliff dwelling (AZ O:5:14 [ASM]) and the Casa Grande great house (AZ AA:02:14 [ASM]). This paper explores the possible meaning of colored washes at both sites using an interdisciplinary approach incorporating architectural analysis, archaeology, and Native American oral histories. Yellow washes at Montezuma Castle, and red micaceous earth and gypsum washes at Casa Grande are compared with other objects in the archaeological record, particularly ceramics, to investigate visual symbolism. Additionally , the intended audiences for these washes are considered by investigating concepts of physical and visual access. Taken together, this approach provides an interesting perspective on the aesthetic preferences of past people and the possible cultural meaning associated with colored washes at both sites.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Guebard, Matt; Bass, Angelyn; Porter, Doug
- Units
- CAGR , MOCA
- Keywords
- Casa Grande Great House, Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, Earthen Architecture, Hohokam, Oral History, Preservation