The archaeological La Jolla complex (Shell Midden People, Encinitas Tradition, Millingstone Horizon) represents a prehistoric culture oriented toward coastal resources that prevailed during the middle
Holocene
The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene togeth ...
period between c. 8000 BC and AD 500 in southwestern
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
and northwestern
Baja California
Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...
.
Description
Characteristics of the La Jolla complex include handstones and basin or slab millingstones (
manos and
metate
A metate (or mealing stone) is a type or variety of quern, a ground stone tool used for processing grain and seeds. In traditional Mesoamerican cultures, metates are typically used by women who would grind nixtamalized maize and other organic ...
s), rough percussion-flaked stone edge tools,
flexed burials, and extensive exploitation of shellfish, particularly venus clam (''Chione'' spp.), scallop (''Argopecten aequisulcatus''), mussel (''Mytilus californianus''), and oyster (''Ostrea lurida''). Cogged stones and discoidals are distinctive but unusual artifacts. Other uncommon artifacts include shell ornaments (primarily spire-removed ''Olivella'' spp. beads) and projectile points (Pinto, Gypsum, and Elko forms). Bones from sea mammals and fish occur in La Jollan middens, but they are not abundant. Fish remains usually represent near-shore species, pointing to a littoral rather than maritime economy.
The La Jolla complex was initially characterized as the Shell Midden people by
Malcolm J. Rogers, the region's pioneering archaeologist. Rogers distinguished successive phases for the complex. Subsequent investigators have sometimes proposed modified versions of Rogers' phase sequence, but the most striking characteristics of the complex may be its comparatively simple material remains and its long cultural continuity, at least in the San Diego region.
Claude N. Warren relabelled the complex as the Encinitas Tradition, which extended as far north as the Santa Barbara Channel region but was replaced by the Campbell tradition in its northern reaches after about 2000 BC. An inland counterpart of the La Jolla complex was the Pauma complex.
Human remains
Two human skeletons, a male and a female, were found in
La Jolla, California, in 1976; they date back at least 9,500 years. They were found during construction work on a house. They were the subject of a decade-long legal battle.
The University of California decided to return the remains to one of the local
Kumeyaay Indian bands. This was done in 2016.
[Kristina Killgrove, Jan 30, 2016 â€]
Two 9,500-Year-Old Skeletons Found At UC San Diego President's House Will Return To Tribes.
forbes.com
See also
*
San Diego Historical Landmarks in La Jolla
*
Paleo-indians
Notes
References
* Gallegos, Dennis R. (editor). 1987. ''San Dieguito-La Jolla: Chronology and Controversy''. San Diego County Archaeological Society Research Paper No. 1.
* Moratto, Michael J. 1984. ''California Archaeology''. Academic Press, Orlando, Florida.
* Rogers, Malcolm J. 1929. "The Stone Art of the San Dieguito Plateau". ''American Anthropologist'' 31:454-467.
* Rogers, Malcolm J. 1945. "An Outline of Yuman Prehistory". ''Southwestern Journal of Anthropology'' 1:167-198.
* Warren, Claude N. 1968. "Cultural Tradition and Ecological Adaptation on the Southern California Coast". In ''Archaic Prehistory in the Western United States'', edited by
Cynthia Irwin-Williams
Cynthia Irwin-Williams (April 14, 1936 – June 15, 1990) was an archaeologist of the prehistoric American Southwest. She received a B.A. in Anthropology from Radcliffe College in 1957; the next year she received a M.A. in the same field. In 196 ...
, pp. 1–14. Eastern New Mexico University Contributions in Anthropology No. 1(3). Portales.
{{Pre-Columbian North America
Pre-Columbian cultures
Native American history of California
Archaeological cultures of North America
Archaeological sites in California
Archaeological sites in Baja California
History of San Diego
History of San Diego County, California
6th-millennium BC establishments
6th-century disestablishments in North America
Oldest human remains in the Americas