String of Travertine Beads from Mogollons

American Indians inhabited Texas long before the Spanish wrote the first descriptions of their cultures in the 1500s. From about 150 CE to 1450 CE, the area surrounding modern-day El Paso was home to the Jordana-Mogollon culture, ancestors of Puebloan peoples. Archeological findings, such as these travertine beads found in a cave near El Paso, offer glimpses into the lives of the Mogollon. Travertine is a type of stone often found in hot springs or caves, and it is believed that these beads and the cave in which they were found had ceremonial significance to the Mogollon. The beads were missing their original string when they were discovered. They may have been strung together as shown, or arranged in smaller, separate strands.