Painted Sherds in the Painted Desert: A Multiscalar Analyis of a Shrine Site in Petrified Forest National Park

Lacey Point is a prominent butte rising above the Painted Desert in Petrified Forest National Park, containing a concentration of Ancestral Pueblo petroglyphs, an extensive and diverse ceramic assemblage, and the fugitive remains of a small jacal structure on the butte’s summit. Archaeologists interpret Lacey Point as a regional shrine site devoted to themes of hunting and fertility. To assess this interpretation, I reviewed the form and landscape context of shrine sites in the American Southwest and conducted a comparative study of Lacey Point’s ceramics with three contemporary Painted Desert sites to determine if Lacey Point’s ceramic assemblage is indeed disproportionate in its quantity and diversity. I determine the landscape context of Lacey Point is consistent with regional shrine sites and identify cupule and grinding slick features characteristic of devotional shrine features. I establish Lacey Point has a disproportionately large and diverse ceramic assemblage, with a deeper temporal span than previously understood. I conclude Lacey Point was a space designed for regional ritual gatherings, with a range of domestic and ceremonial activities taking place on-site. Adopting a multifarious approach enables a more holistic understanding of landscape iconography, imbedding petroglyphs within a greater network of interrelated archaeological features.