Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology

It is clear that Protohistoric Period ceramic jars were necessary for adapting to the harsh conditions of the Lower Colorado River Valley and its adjoining deserts. Although it remains to be conclusively demonstrated whether the Trigo Mountains cache also reflected ritual behavior, such analyses merit further exploration, given the ethnographic insights on this issue. Despite the fact that noneconomic activity is difficult to document archaeologically, ceramic design iconography is a promising and largely untapped avenue for considering this dimension of native survival in the Lower Colorado Desert. Analysis of the Trigo Mountains cache contributes new perspectives on this and related topics.