Projectile point · Late Prehistoric
Pueblo Side-notched
1000–1500 CE, Ancestral Puebloan
Pueblo Side-notched is the general name for the side-notched arrow points of Pueblo II through Pueblo IV Ancestral Puebloan sites across the Four Corners and the Rio Grande, dated to about 1000–1500 CE. Points were made from cherts, chalcedony, obsidian and petrified wood and are common at Mesa Verde, Chaco and Rio Grande pueblos. Many were later reused by Navajo and Pueblo people as amulets and offerings.
| Object | Projectile point |
|---|---|
| Dates | 1000–1500 CE |
| Period | Late Prehistoric |
| Cultures | Ancestral Puebloan |
| Regions | North America — Southwest |
Diagnostic traits
Small, thin triangular arrow point with a pair of side notches set low and a straight to slightly concave base, sometimes with a third basal notch.
Identification
Pueblo Side-notched is generally smaller than Plains Washita and Harrell and often made of chalcedony or petrified wood; Desert Side-notched has a notched or concave base and is thinner. Nawthis is the Fremont equivalent with a narrower base.
Reproductions and fakes
Reproduced in petrified wood and chalcedony for the tourist trade; genuine ones show dull edges and often calcium crust.
Elsewhere
- Wikidata: Q138715148
Cite this article
Stratum Study. "Pueblo Side-notched" (Artifact type). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/study/types/pueblo-side-notched. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-pueblo-side-notched,
title = {Pueblo Side-notched},
author = {{Stratum Study}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/types/pueblo-side-notched}},
year = {2026},
note = {Artifact type article, Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, wikidata. 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.