MORTAR & PESTLE: SMALL; McELMO CANYON, MONTEZUMA COUNTY, SOUTHWEST COLORADO
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MORTAR & PESTLE: SMALL; McELMO CANYON, MONTEZUMA COUNTY, SOUTHWEST COLORADO:
$98.00
MORTAR & PESTLE: SMALL; McELMO CANYON, MONTEZUMA COUNTY, SOUTHWESTCOLORADO
Mortar
Height: 1 ¾”
Bowl Depth: 1 ¼”
Outside Rim Diameter: 4”
Weight:7.6 oz
Pestle
Length: 3”
Width:1”
Weight:2.6 oz
This delightfully tiny, densely firedclay mortar and associated pestle came from a site not far from the famed Mesa Verderuins. During late 19thcentury boundary staking, many stone and pottery artifacts came to light onprivate land
The mortar is nicely symmetrical andbased on the amount of internal striations, crush marks, strongly indicates itwas regularly used.
A mortar and relatively small pestlesuch as this would be used for tiny batches of material—perhaps for makingshamanistic poultices for healing/ritual ceremonies.
It’s small size rules out any foodpreparation use—it is too tiny.
While crafted from fired clay, the cliffdweller-makers—ensured the mortar was extraordinarily strong and durable.
Given their expertise in stone carving,the obvious question is “why fired clay?”
Without a time-line, absolute date—whichis the issue, by the way, with all out of context artifacts—we can only guess.
My suspicion is this assemblage dates tothe ending period of this cliff dwelling culture—specifically, at the end of a26 year drought when craftspeople had little time to systematically carve amortar out of hard stone (late 1200s A.D.)—they were too busy with hunger andother external southwestern threats totheir survival.
Abrasion scratches, minor dings and tinynicks are present. Pitting, dings and percussion marks are alsoevident on the pestle.
An intriguing, round-based mortar from adistant time used by the mysterious cliff dwelling ancients of the Four-Cornersarea of Colorado.
MORTAR & PESTLE: SMALL; McELMO CANYON, MONTEZUMA COUNTY, SOUTHWEST COLORADO:
$98.00