Always multivocal and multivalent: Conceptualizing archaeological landscapes in arizona’s san pedro valley

Reeve Ruin is perched on a mesa overlooking the San Pedro River, a thin ribbon of water that wends its way northward from Mexico through southeastern Arizona (Figure 3.1). The mesa is a natural stronghold, protected by a vertical cliff and a steep escarpment, with a clear view for miles in nearly every direction. Below, the river provides a steady source of water in the desert and its regular fl ooding regenerates soils ideal for growing corn or beans or squash. Today the mesa is covered by sprawling creosote, but the exposed sandstone walls of the ruin, fi rst uncovered and excavated in 1956, are visible between the plants.