The Prehistory of South Texas

Description

The prehistoric archaeology of southern Texas is summarized in this paper. The region, often known as the Rio Grande Plain, has a distinctive archeological record in terms of site use patterns and artifact types. From the Paleoindian through the Early Archaic, the cultural patterns of there are part of broad phenomena crosscutting this and other regions. With the Middle Archaic and Late Archaic, specific regional patterns can be seen; of particular note are major cemetery sites and trade or interaction with other regions. During the Late Prehistoric, regional patterns are present, and the Toyah horizon of Central Texas expands to encompass much of the area. Protohistoric sites of the 16th and 17th centuries are also known. Much remains to be learned about South Texas prehistory, since few sites have been excavated, few radiocarbon dates exist, and specific theoretical goals have not been made explicit.