The dynamic nature of cultural identity during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries in central New Mexico

Architectural, ceramic, kiva mural, and faunal data from two sites along the Lower Rio Puerco in central New Mexico indicate that fourteenth- and fifteenth-century residents of the region were struggling with two contradictory aspects of identity. On the one hand, residents of the region had adopted a new ritual system that focused on village-wide social integration. On the other hand, social groups with different migration histories into the villages were emphasizing their unique heritage. I argue that these seemingly contradictory behaviors reflect the dynamic nature of identity and the attempts made by people to negotiate their place in a new social landscape affected by immigration and population aggregation.