Apex complex is a cultural tradition of the Middle Archaic period. Apex complex artifacts, dated from about 3000 to 500 BC, first appeared in the Magic Mountain site near Apex Creek in Colorado. The Irwins, archaeologists at Magic Mountain, believe that the artifacts are from ancestors of the

Pueblo peoples The Pueblo peoples are Native Americans in the Southwestern United States who share common agricultural, material, and religious practices. Among the currently inhabited Pueblos, Taos, San Ildefonso, Acoma, Zuni, and Hopi are some of the ...

of the

American southwest The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural list of regions of the United States, region of the United States that includes Arizona and New Mexico, along with adjacen ...

. The cultural complex is distinguished by its Apex projectile points, which were noted for the increase in their frequency as one starts from the bottom to the top zone of the Magic Mountain site. Discovered tools also included scrapers, choppers, and leaf-shaped bifaces, which may have been used as knives. Evidence of a few grave sites suggest that burials were conducted near their living areas, covered with stones and milling slabs.Gunnerson, pp. 33-34. The functions and implications of the excavated artifacts, particularly the projectile points, are still not clearly understood. It is also noted that the characteristics of the projectiles reflect a parallel technological developments found in San Jose and northern

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

References

Bibliography

* Gunnerson, James H. (1987)
''Archaeology of the High Plains.''
Denver: United States Forest Service. Archaic period in North America Archaeology of the United States Archaeological cultures in the United States Hunter-gatherers of the United States Native American history of Colorado Pre-Columbian cultures Prehistoric cultures in Colorado 30th-century BC establishments 5th-century BC disestablishments {{PreColumbian-stub

See also

References

Bibliography