Illuminating the Presence of Indios Amigos through Obsidian Sourcing at Kuaua Pueblo (LA 187) My name is Evan Sachse, and I am pursuing an M.A. in Public Archaeology at the University of New Mexico. I have worked in cultural resource management extensively in the Southwest, and my M.A. research combines X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) obsidian sourcing with detailed lithic analysis to investigate the material presence of the Indios Amigos, a significant yet underrepresented demographic of Coronado’s historic expedition (CE 1540-1542). Obsidian XRF sourcing has become an increasingly valuable tool for investigating mobility, exchange, and social interaction. While archaeological interpretations have traditionally emphasized stylistic material culture, obsidian sourcing provides an independent line of evidence for reconstructing procurement, exchange, and population movement. In addition, it can identify the presence of foreign cultures through material signatures and aids in identifying cultural groups that were previously underrepresented in site interpretations. In the middle Rio Grande, Contact-period sites associated with Coronado’s expedition are producing increasingly greater evidence of obsidian artifacts sourced to Central Mexico, including Pachuca and Zinapécuaro. This demonstrates the potential of obsidian studies to identify otherwise underrepresented participants. Approximately 370 Spanish conquistadors accompanied Francisco Vázquez de Coronado into the American Southwest. Of greater significance, this expedition included an estimated 1,300–2,000 indigenous participants (Indios Amigos), who served as warriors, guides, interpreters, laborers, and craftspeople, constituting the largest demographic of the expedition. Accordingly, material evidence of Indios Amigos’ should become apparent in artifact assemblages at sites with evidence of Coronado’s expedition. Yet despite outnumbering the Spanish, they remain among the expedition's most overlooked participants. Indios Amigos were not only underrepresented in historical documents, but also in archaeological analyses. As such, identifying material evidence of the Indios Amigos represents compelling and under-explored areas of focus for understanding Coronado’s expedition. Working with Dr. Matt Schmader at Piedras Marcadas Pueblo (LA290), I examined obsidian artifacts from one of the principal battlefields associated with Coronado’s expedition. This established the foundation for a broader research design that investigates obsidian provenance and lithic technology across Contact-period sites in the middle Rio Grande to further illuminate the material culture of Indios Amigos. Building upon this work, I submitted a research design to the New Mexico Cultural Properties Review Committee to investigate obsidian from Kuaua Pueblo (LA187). This proposal was approved, establishing the first systematic obsidian sourcing study conducted at Kuaua Pueblo. Since beginning fieldwork, I have systematically documented and collected ~1,000 obsidian artifacts. A sample of these specimens exhibits distinctive technological and macroscopic characteristics comparable to documented Mesoamerican blade technology. Rather than assuming their origin, these artifacts provide an opportunity to test whether these technological characteristics and material observations correspond with non-local geological sources through XRF. Overall, I am developing a regional comparative framework for investigating Contact-period assemblages from Kuaua, Piedras Marcadas, and additional middle Rio Grande legacy collections. Support from the Michael Bryk Memorial Grant would fund XRF analysis at Dr. M. Steven Shackley's laboratory, allowing the analytical phase of this research to move forward. The standard rate for XRF in the Shackley lab is $18 a sample, so the $3,000 grant would allow me to analyze approximately 165 additional samples (http://www.swxrflab.net/labfees.htm). More importantly, the grant would support a project that has already established substantial momentum and has the potential to expand the confirmed sample of Central Mexican obsidian artifacts associated with Coronado-period sites while helping illuminate the material contributions of the expedition's Indigenous participants. By integrating lithic technological analysis with XRF sourcing, this research seeks to provide a more complete archaeological understanding of one of the Southwest's most significant historical encounters, and its indigenous participants. Thank you for your consideration-Evan Sachse