RUDD CREEK PUEBLO: A LATE TULAROSA PHASE VILLAGE IN EAST CENTRAL ARIZONA

Rudd Creek Pueblo is a late Tularosa phase (A.D. 1225-1300) village located in the Upper Little Colorado region south of Springerville, Arizona. In 1996, Arizona State University, in cooperation with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, conducted archaeological fieldwork at Rudd Creek. This paper summarizes the results of that field season, which included the clearing of disturbed fill from a number of looted rooms, as well as limited test excavations in two great kivas, undisturbed rooms, and extramural areas. Comparison of the archaeology of Rudd Creek Pueblo with other Tularosa phase settlements in the Mogollon highlands along the Arizona-New Mexico border highlights key dimensions of variability in thirteenth century settlement in this area. Our investigations suggest that future research focusing on Tularosa phase settlements has the potential to contribute greatly to current debates in Southwest archaeology concerning migration, exchange, and population aggregation.