San Luis Rey Complex
Encyclopedia
The San Luis Rey Complex is an archaeological pattern representing the latest phase of prehistory in the region occupied at the time of European contact by the Luiseño Indians. Studies by Clement W. Meighan
and Delbert L. True
in northern San Diego County, California
, defined the complex, which is also represented in adjacent portions of Riverside
and Orange
counties.
Current estimates put the beginning of the San Luis Rey Complex at around AD 500–1000. The primary traits that distinguish this complex from the locally preceding San Dieguito, La Jolla
, and Pauma
complexes are the presence of small projectile points (indicative of use of the bow and arrow), pottery, and the practice of cremation. Other San Luis Rey Complex lithic tools include mortars and metates (both bedrock and portable), pestles and manos, flaked edge tools (scrapers and knives), hammers, drills, steatite arrow straighteners, pendants, beads, and quartz crystals. Shell ornaments and bone tools are also present. Red and black geometrical pictographs were painted.
Chronologically, two phases of the complex were proposed. San Luis Rey I was distinguished from San Luis Rey II primarily by the appearance of pottery in the latter, an introduction that was estimated to have occurred as late as AD 1500 or even 1750. Subsequent studies have pushed the local presence of pottery back to at least AD 1000 and perhaps several centuries earlier, calling into question the validity of the phase distinction.
A northern limit for the San Luis Rey Complex is defined by the scarcity or absence of prehistoric pottery among the Luiseño's Gabrielino and Serrano
kinsmen. To the east, in the Colorado Desert
, the Tizon Brown Ware pottery made by the Luiseño was replaced by the Lower Colorado Buff Ware and Salton Brown Ware of the Patayan
Complex.
To the south, True made detailed archaeological comparisons between the San Luis Rey Complex and the Cuyamaca Complex
, produced by the Luiseño's linguistically unrelated but culturally similar neighbors, the Kumeyaay
. Perhaps the strongest distinction found by True was between the roughly equal frequencies of Desert Side-notched and Cottonwood Triangular points in the Cuyamaca Complex and the scarcity of Desert Side-notched points in the San Luis Rey Complex. This contrast was based primarily on comparisons between sites on Palomar Mountain
and in Cuyamaca Rancho
. In coastal and inland valley portions of Luiseño and Kumeyaay territories, the differences are less pronounced.
The San Luis Rey Complex has been studied primarily in the middle and upper watershed of the San Luis Rey River
. For this region, True proposed a bipolar fission/fusion model of settlement. Groups of people were believed to have congregated during the winter months at main villages in the river valley and then dispersed during the summer to higher-elevation sites on Palomar Mountain. Different settlement systems may have existed among groups that exploited coastal resources.
Clement Woodward Meighan
Clement W. Meighan was an archaeologist who made notable contributions to reconstructing the prehistory of southern California, Baja California, and west central Mexico.-Early life and education:...
and Delbert L. True
Delbert Leroy True
D. L. True was an archaeologist who worked in California, particularly San Diego County, and in northern Chile....
in northern San Diego County, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, defined the complex, which is also represented in adjacent portions of Riverside
Riverside County, California
Riverside County is a county in the U.S. state of California. One of 58 California counties, it covers in the southern part of the state, and stretches from Orange County to the Colorado River, which forms the state border with Arizona. The county derives its name from the city of Riverside,...
and Orange
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
counties.
Current estimates put the beginning of the San Luis Rey Complex at around AD 500–1000. The primary traits that distinguish this complex from the locally preceding San Dieguito, La Jolla
La Jolla Complex
The archaeological La Jolla Complex represents a prehistoric culture oriented toward coastal resources that prevailed during the middle Holocene period between c...
, and Pauma
Pauma Complex
The Pauma Complex is a prehistoric archaeological pattern initially defined by Delbert L. True in northern San Diego County, California.The complex is dated generally to the middle Holocene period...
complexes are the presence of small projectile points (indicative of use of the bow and arrow), pottery, and the practice of cremation. Other San Luis Rey Complex lithic tools include mortars and metates (both bedrock and portable), pestles and manos, flaked edge tools (scrapers and knives), hammers, drills, steatite arrow straighteners, pendants, beads, and quartz crystals. Shell ornaments and bone tools are also present. Red and black geometrical pictographs were painted.
Chronologically, two phases of the complex were proposed. San Luis Rey I was distinguished from San Luis Rey II primarily by the appearance of pottery in the latter, an introduction that was estimated to have occurred as late as AD 1500 or even 1750. Subsequent studies have pushed the local presence of pottery back to at least AD 1000 and perhaps several centuries earlier, calling into question the validity of the phase distinction.
A northern limit for the San Luis Rey Complex is defined by the scarcity or absence of prehistoric pottery among the Luiseño's Gabrielino and Serrano
Serrano (people)
The Serrano are a Native American tribe of present day California, United States. They use the autonyms of Taaqtam, meaning "people"; Maarenga'yam, "people from Morongo"; and Yuhaviatam, "people of the pines." The Serrano historically populated the San Bernardino Mountains and extended east into...
kinsmen. To the east, in the Colorado Desert
Colorado Desert
California's Colorado Desert is a part of the larger Sonoran Desert, which extends across southwest North America. The Colorado Desert region encompasses approximately , reaching from the Mexican border in the south to the higher-elevation Mojave Desert in the north and from the Colorado River in...
, the Tizon Brown Ware pottery made by the Luiseño was replaced by the Lower Colorado Buff Ware and Salton Brown Ware of the Patayan
Patayan
Patayan is a term used by archaeologists to describe prehistoric and historic Native American cultures who inhabited parts of modern day Arizona, west to Lake Cahuilla in California, and in Baja California, between 700–1550 CE...
Complex.
To the south, True made detailed archaeological comparisons between the San Luis Rey Complex and the Cuyamaca Complex
Cuyamaca Complex
The Cuyamaca complex is a precolumbian complex, dating from the late Holocene, with archaeological sites in San Diego County, California. This complex is related to the Kumeyaay peoples....
, produced by the Luiseño's linguistically unrelated but culturally similar neighbors, the Kumeyaay
Kumeyaay
The Kumeyaay, also known as Tipai-Ipai, Kamia, or formerly Diegueño, are Native American people of the extreme southwestern United States and northwest Mexico. They live in the states of California in the US and Baja California in Mexico. In Spanish, the name is commonly spelled...
. Perhaps the strongest distinction found by True was between the roughly equal frequencies of Desert Side-notched and Cottonwood Triangular points in the Cuyamaca Complex and the scarcity of Desert Side-notched points in the San Luis Rey Complex. This contrast was based primarily on comparisons between sites on Palomar Mountain
Palomar Mountain
Palomar Mountain is a mountain in the Peninsular Ranges in northern San Diego County. It is famous as the location of the Palomar Observatory and Hale Telescope, and known for the Palomar Mountain State Park.-History:...
and in Cuyamaca Rancho
Cuyamaca Rancho State Park
Cuyamaca Rancho State Park is a state park located forty miles east of San Diego, California in the Laguna Mountains of the Peninsular Ranges. The park's 26,000 acres feature pine, fir, and oak forests, with meadows and streams that exist due to the relatively high elevation of the area compared...
. In coastal and inland valley portions of Luiseño and Kumeyaay territories, the differences are less pronounced.
The San Luis Rey Complex has been studied primarily in the middle and upper watershed of the San Luis Rey River
San Luis Rey River
The San Luis Rey River is a river in northern San Diego County, California. The river's headwaters are in the Cleveland National Forest near Palomar Mountain. The river drains into the Pacific Ocean on the northern end of the city of Oceanside. The river is over long and drains...
. For this region, True proposed a bipolar fission/fusion model of settlement. Groups of people were believed to have congregated during the winter months at main villages in the river valley and then dispersed during the summer to higher-elevation sites on Palomar Mountain. Different settlement systems may have existed among groups that exploited coastal resources.