Projectile point · Late Archaic
Marcos
600 BCE–200 CE, Plains Archaic
Marcos is a Late Archaic dart point of central and south-central Texas, named by Suhm and Krieger for the San Marcos River and dated to about 600 BCE–200 CE. It is made from Edwards chert, often well flaked and thin, and is common in Edwards Plateau and Colorado River collections. Large, thin examples with intact barbs are valued.
| Object | Projectile point |
|---|---|
| Dates | 600 BCE–200 CE |
| Period | Late Archaic |
| Cultures | Plains Archaic |
| Regions | North America — Great Plains |
Diagnostic traits
Large, broad, thin dart point with a triangular blade, deep corner notches, sharp barbs and a wide expanding stem with a straight base.
Identification
Marcos is larger and more thinly flaked than Ensor and has deeper notches and sharper barbs; Castroville has broader, shallower notches and a wider stem, and Marshall has a narrower straight stem with longer barbs. Williams has an expanding stem with a convex base.
Reproductions and fakes
Edwards chert reproductions lack the tan patina and have glassy scars; genuine Marcos points often show ploughsoil polish and broken barb tips.
Cite this article
Stratum Strata. "Marcos" (Artifact type). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/types/marcos. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-marcos,
title = {Marcos},
author = {{Stratum Strata}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/types/marcos}},
year = {2026},
note = {Artifact type article, Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.