Foothold Pueblito

Foothold Pueblito Map
 Located on the east side of Palluche Canyon at the base of a talus slope, the pueblito is built on top of a boulder. Evidence suggests that the masonry structure on top of the boulder may have been two-story. There are remnants of roof and a hooded fireplace. In addition, outlines of a masonry structure is present at the base of the boulder which would have provided access to the pueblito above as evident by hand and footholds carved into the boulder (hence the sites name). Earlier recording of the site noted two hogans, but have not been relocated since (Powers and Johnson 1987).

Ceramic Assemblage: Ceramics documented included Dinetah Gray, Gobernador Polychrome, Jemez Black-on-white, and Zia, Santa Ana, Tewa, Hopi, and Zuni wares (Towner 1997).

Tree-ring Analysis: Thirty-nine tree-ring samples have been collected from this site. Wood species included juniper, pinyon, and cottonwood. Majority of the samples had evidence of metal ax use. Though numerous tree-ring samples had been collected, few resulted in cutting dates. Results suggest a construction date for the pueblito sometime after 1739 (Room 2) and 1740 (Room 1). Tree-ring samples taken from one of the hogans indicates a date sometime after 1710 (Towner 1997).
Land Owner: Bureau of Land Management
Site Elevation: 6340 ft / 1932 m (estimated)
Hiking Difficulty: Access to the site is problematic as it requires traveling through private property. The site can be viewed from above from Overlook Pueblito.
References:
Defensive Sites Of Dinetah Powers, Margaret A. and Byron P. Johnson 1987
Defensive Sites of Dinetah. New Mexico Bureau of Land Management Cultural Resources Series No. 2, 1987. U.S. Dept of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Albuquerque District.
The Dendrochronology of the Navajo Pueblitos of Dinetah Towner, Ronald H. 1997
The Dendrochronology of the Navajo Pueblitos of Dinetah, PhD dissertation, University of Arizona.

More Information

  • ➠ Foothold Pueblito Drawings (PDF 1.5 MB)
  • ➠ Dinetah Pueblitos (Google Map)
  • ⇩ How to Download KML Files from Google Map (PDF 154 KB)
  • ⇩ Dinetah Pueblitos (GPX Data, ZIP 3 KB)
  • ⇩ Dinetah Pueblitos (KML Data, ZIP 8 KB)
  • ⇩ Dendrochronology Dates (PDF 162 KB)
  • ⇩ Temporal Map Distribution (PDF 520 KB)
  • ➠ Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research
  • ➠ Office of Archaeological Studies Ceramic Typology