Feature 19
Feature 19 was a pithouse located in the south-central portion of the property. The feature was first identified in the walls of Trench 7 as a layer of burned plaster overlying natural caliche; the 0.20 m of fill above the plaster contained a high percentage of burned adobe, ash, and charcoal.This feature was a square shaped pithouse with the entryway facing 335·. The pit for the house was dug approximately 0.10 m below the original prehistoric occupation surface. The house floor measured 5.54 x 5.13 m, with a total area of 28.42 square meters. Haury (1976) has classified similar houses as P-4 or P-3 in type. The distinction between these two types is based on size with the P-3 house being smaller and lacking the four large central posts. These houses are generally considered to be associated with Pioneer period occupations.
The entry of Feature 19 was parallel-sided, measured 1.0 x 1.4 m, and lacked a preparedstep. A continuous floor groove surrounded the house as well as the entry. The fill above the entryway consisted of a layer of fine silt just above the floor.The floor was not level, displayed uneven burning, and was somewhat disturbed by rodents. It was plastered with a very compacted caliche plaster and had been replastered in spots. The fill in the 0.15 m above the floor contained substantial amounts of burned and unburned adobe in an ashy brown silt matrix with charcoal flecks, and was continuous across the floor.The basin-shaped hearth, Feature 75, measured 0.12 m deep and 0.28 m in diameter and was well plastered with a collar that rose approximately 0.02 m above the surrounding floor. The western and eastern walls were damaged by rodents. The collar showed some signs of replastering on the southern side.
The construction trench completely surrounded the floor. It was 0.10-0.20 m wide, 0.10 m deep, and contained postholes in a zigzag pattern similar to that found in Feature 14. This trench was filled with brown silty soil that contained few artifacts. It was excavated into sterile soil. There had been three major supports on the interior of the house. These support posts were placed in the corners and had an average depth of 0.57 m and an average diameter of 0.44 m. A burned beam was found in each of these postholes. The fourth major support in this configuration was removed by the trench. Two other interior posts were present and averaged 0.35 m in diameter, with an average depth of 0.15 m. The construction trench contained 71 postholes, the average depth of which was 0.25 m and the average diameter was 0.15 m. All interior postholes were basically circular, while all exterior postholes were circular to ovoid. A circular subfloor pit (Feature 71) that measured 0.52 m in diameter and 0.10 m deep was located 0.40 m north of the hearth. The fillof this pit was a grayish brown silt with small gravels and had a low content of charcoal and ash. The pit was very regularly shaped, except for a small amount of rodent disturbance. Given this regularity of shape and close distance to the hearth,it is probable that this was an ash or trivet pit.
Another circular subfloor pit (Feature 126) was located in the southeastern corner of Feature 19. This pit was plaster-lined, 0.98 m in diameter, and 0.12 m deep. The fill of this pit was the same as the fill of the house and few artifacts were found. Given the large diameter and shallowness of this pit, it probably was not used for storage, but might have been for food preparation. Due to the paucity of artifacts on the floor of this pithouse, it is hypothesized that the feature was intentionally abandoned. The fill across the house floor contained burned (as well as unburned) daub and charcoal flecks, indicating that the house had burned. Feature 153 was 0.20 m above and 1.0 m north of Feature 19. This feature was probably a house floor, although only the hearth and a portion of the entry remained after the area was stripped for Feature 19. Feature 46 was a cluster of potbusts discovered during stripping for Feature 19. These broken vessels were 0.30 m directly above Feature 19. Feature 49 was a cache of ground stone in a pit located near the center of Feature 19 and situated 0.10 m above it. Feature 42 was an activity area just west of Feature 19 that was intruded by Feature 19.