Wirt H. Wills
Encyclopedia
Wirt Henry Wills, Phd, is an American
Southwest
archaeologist and a retired Virginia Tech Emeritus
Professor
of anthropology
at the University of New Mexico
. He has written numerous papers and books on the archaeology of the prehistoric southwest. He is most notable for investigations and excavations in or near New Mexico
, including: the prehistoric site at Bat Cave in Catron County, New Mexico
, the Mogollon Su site in western New Mexico and Pueblo Bonito
located in Chaco Culture National Historical Park
.
on his father's farm which contained many prehistoric and historic sites. He attributes growing up around old things as a probable stimulus for a desire to work in archeology. The first site he ever worked was in a salt marsh in Lewes, Delaware
, at the age of 12 and he has been poking around in sites ever since.
Wills began teaching at the University of New Mexico
in 1986, and his fieldwork has continued within the state of New Mexico. Wills outlined goals are stated in his Curriculum Vitae:
Excavations at Pueblo Bonito, Chaco Canyon's most famous site, is what sets him apart from most American anthropologists. Dated roughly from 919-1067 C.E., this vast structure consists of over 800 rooms that took 150 years to construct. The rooms served as living areas, religious centers and even storage units.
project from 2006 to the present. The Chaco Stratigraphy Project is an interdisciplinary research program at the University of New Mexico involving field investigations in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. Chaco was the center of an unprecedented cultural development between ca. AD 800 and 1200 known as the "Chaco Phenomenon." Wills is hoping that the Chaco Stratigraphy Project will contribute to a greater understanding of the human experience in Chaco through detailed studies of socioeconomic change, with an emphasis on agricultural production and technology during the Bonito phase (ca. AD 850 – 1140).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Southwest
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
archaeologist and a retired Virginia Tech Emeritus
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
at the University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
. He has written numerous papers and books on the archaeology of the prehistoric southwest. He is most notable for investigations and excavations in or near New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, including: the prehistoric site at Bat Cave in Catron County, New Mexico
Catron County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*89.8% White*0.4% Black*2.7% Native American*0.2% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.1% Two or more races*3.7% Other races*19.0% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, the Mogollon Su site in western New Mexico and Pueblo Bonito
Pueblo Bonito
Pueblo Bonito, the largest and best known Great House in Chaco Culture National Historical Park, northern New Mexico, was built by ancestral Pueblo people and occupied between AD 828 and 1126....
located in Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Chaco Culture National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park hosting the densest and most exceptional concentration of pueblos in the American Southwest. The park is located in northwestern New Mexico, between Albuquerque and Farmington, in a remote canyon cut by the Chaco Wash...
.
Biography
Wills grew up in VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
on his father's farm which contained many prehistoric and historic sites. He attributes growing up around old things as a probable stimulus for a desire to work in archeology. The first site he ever worked was in a salt marsh in Lewes, Delaware
Lewes, Delaware
Lewes is an incorporated city in Sussex County, Delaware, USA, on the Delmarva Peninsula. According to the 2010 census, the population is 2,747, a decrease of 6.3% from 2000....
, at the age of 12 and he has been poking around in sites ever since.
Wills began teaching at the University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
in 1986, and his fieldwork has continued within the state of New Mexico. Wills outlined goals are stated in his Curriculum Vitae:
- “Dr Wills is an archaeologist and his research concerns the emergence of new socioeconomic organization in the past, especially with respect to agriculture and food production. Since coming to the University of New Mexico, his field work has been in the American Southwest, primarily in New Mexico. This field research has been fundamental to his work in four major problem areas; 1) the origins of agriculture during the Late Archaic period (ca. 4000 to 3000 B.C.), 2) the emergence of village communities during the Early Ceramic period (ca. A.D. 200 to 500), 3) the development of hierarchically complex corporate groups after A.D. 1000 in the Colorado Plateau, and 4) the formation of Hispanic irrigation communities during the 18 th century in the northern Rio GrandRio GrandRio Grand is an American Texas Country group. Tommy Rennick , Danny Rivera , and Fred Stallcup . All three members are natives of the state of Texas. In addition, Tommy Rennick was previously a member of 37 South and the Allison Paige band...
Valley”.
Contributions
Chaco Canyon is the center of Wills work. For his dissertation, Dr Wills wrote an article that was later published in the journal of field archaeology entitled The Preceramic to Ceramic Traditions in the Mongollon Highlands of Western New Mexico that focused on his excavation of a pit house on the SU site.Excavations at Pueblo Bonito, Chaco Canyon's most famous site, is what sets him apart from most American anthropologists. Dated roughly from 919-1067 C.E., this vast structure consists of over 800 rooms that took 150 years to construct. The rooms served as living areas, religious centers and even storage units.
Economic theory
An essential part of Will's economic theory separates a site's storage capacity and intensification. Wills' ecological interests focused on sophisticated analyses of prehistoric subsistence, agriculture, and storage practices. In his work with the Pit house Agriculture he stated “Large crop yields or high levels of domesticate consumption might be the product of intensification, but not necessarily”.Women’s Economic intensification
Wills work on the “Archaeology of Gender in the American Southwest” focused on both time allocation and economic intensification. His contributions to economic intensification were key to identifying some of the origins of southwestern ceramic containers.Future Projects
Wills has been actively involved in the Chaco StratigraphyStratigraphy
Stratigraphy, a branch of geology, studies rock layers and layering . It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks....
project from 2006 to the present. The Chaco Stratigraphy Project is an interdisciplinary research program at the University of New Mexico involving field investigations in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. Chaco was the center of an unprecedented cultural development between ca. AD 800 and 1200 known as the "Chaco Phenomenon." Wills is hoping that the Chaco Stratigraphy Project will contribute to a greater understanding of the human experience in Chaco through detailed studies of socioeconomic change, with an emphasis on agricultural production and technology during the Bonito phase (ca. AD 850 – 1140).
Publishing
As a scholar, Wills has written and co-authored many articles and books dealing with Southwestern Archaeology. The first book co-written by Wills was entitled “The Archaeological Correlates of Hunter-Gatherer Societies: Studies From the Ethnographic Record” in 1980. Wills has also written extensive articles that have been published by the journal of field archaeology. In 2006, Wills wrote “The Late Archaic Across the Borderlands: From Foraging to Farming” which described the transition of foraging for food to the use of agriculture for food development.Selected Work
- (1980) Archaeological Correlates of Hunter-Gatherer Societies: Studies From the Ethnographic Record.
- (1994) The Ancient Southwestern Community: Models and Methods for the Study of Prehistoric Social Organization.
- (2006) The Late Archaic Across the Borderlands: From Foraging to Farming.
- (1988)
With others
- (1994)
- Wills, Wirt H. And Crown, Patricia.
- (1996) The Preceramic to Ceramic Traditions in the Mongollon Highlands of Western New Mexico
- (1995) “The Archaeology of Gender in the American Southwest ” Journal of Anthropological Research, Vol. 51, No. 2.
External links
- Wills, Wirt H. And Crown, Patricia.
- (1994)