The Land Conveyance and Transfer Project: Volume 4, Research Design 87 CHAPTER 77 CERAMIC ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF CLASSIC PERIOD PUEBLOS ON LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY LAND COLLECTED BY THE PAJARITO ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH PROJECT Samuel Duwe INTRODUCTION Archaeological questions of identity, technology, and craft specialization have preoccupied researchers over the past 25 years. By understanding the methods and use-life of craft (such as pottery) it becomes possible to delineate interesting patterns in the material record. These can be used to infer group identity and modes of social cohesion, social boundaries, and interactions and relationships at an inter- and intra-site level. This research also is important to descendent communities of prehistoric people whose material culture is being analyzed. These lines of inquiry make it possible to not only understand the presence and location of a prehistoric society in culture historic terms, but also create ways in explaining this behavior. The above questions are especially pertinent in the American Southwest where a detailed culture history has been devised, making it possible to ask detailed and somewhat abstract questions. The reason for the precision of knowledge of the archaeological record owes much from the over 100 year history of investigation and inquiry. The northern Rio Grande is no exception. In fact, much of the early work in the Southwest was performed near or amongst the modern Rio Grande pueblos. This area was also subject to many ethnographic analyses, which has given researchers the ability to use analogies of Pueblo behavior as an effective middle-range theory in interpreting prehistoric ruins and artifacts. Even with this excellent knowledge of the archaeological record, as well as a firm base in the ethnographic and ethnohistoric literature, certain large portions of prehistory have yet to be addressed, or if already addressed, more completely understood. This includes Classic period (AD 1325–1600) prehistoric Tewa populations on the Pajarito Plateau. Although a general understanding of their location and material culture are understood, questions of chronology, identity, and the degree of craft specialization and pottery technology have not been successfully answered. Another problem that plagues the entire field of archaeology is the collection of artifacts that remain unanalyzed. This too is true of many collections of northern Rio Grande sites currently housed in museums but never examined to their full potential (or in many cases, not at all). This report examines ceramics collected from two Classic Period sites on the Pajarito Plateau by the Pajarito Archaeological Research Project (PARP): Otowi (LA 169) and Tsirege (LA 170). These collections have never been fully analyzed and their analysis promises answers to a broad range of questions, including those mentioned above. I will first briefly describe the study area and the history of archaeological research. After laying out a research design for analyzing these collections, I analyze multiple attributes of pottery sherds (both painted and utilitarian wares) including not only basic visual properties but also microscopic temper/paste characteristics and