THE MYSTERY of CHACO CANYON Is Broadcast Nationally by PBS and Internationally by National Geographic and Is Narrated by Robert Redford
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Southwestern Monuments
SOUTHWESTERN MONUMENTS MONTHLY REPORT MAY 1939 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE GPO W055 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR *$*&*">&•• NATIONAL PARK SERVICE / •. •: . • • r. '• WASHINGTON ADDRESS ONLY THE DIRECTOR. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE April 2k. 1939. Memorandum for the Superintendent, Southwestern National Monuments: I am writing this as an open letter to you because all of us recognize the fine friendly spirit engendered by your Southwestern National Monuments n.onthly reports. I believe that all park and monument reports can be made as interesting and informative as yours. Your monthly report for L.erch i6 on my desk and I have glanced through its pages, checking your opening statements, stopping here and there to j.ick up en interesting sidelight, giving a few moments to the supplement, and then looking to your "Ruminations". The month isn't complete unless I read themJ As you know, the submission of the monthly reports from the field has been handled as another required routine statement by some of the field men. It seems to me you have strained every effort to rrake the reports from the Southwestern National Monuments an outstanding re flection of current events, history, and special topics; adding a good share of the personal problems and living conditions of that fine group of men and women that constitute your field organization. You have ac complished a great deal by making the report so interesting that the Custodians look forward to the opportunity of adding their notes. In issuing these new instructions, I am again requesting that the Superintendents and Custodians themselves take the time to put in writing the story of events, conditions, and administration in the parks and monuments they represent. -
The Primary Architecture of the Chacoan Culture
9 The Primary Architecture of the Chacoan Culture A Cosmological Expression Anna Sofaer TUDIES BY THE SOLSTICE PROJECT indicate that the solar-and-lunar regional pattern that is symmetri- Smajor buildings of the ancient Chacoan culture cally ordered about Chaco Canyon’s central com- of New Mexico contain solar and lunar cosmology plex of large ceremonial buildings (Sofaer, Sinclair, in three separate articulations: their orientations, and Williams 1987). These findings suggest a cos- internal geometry, and geographic interrelation- mological purpose motivating and directing the ships were developed in relationship to the cycles construction and the orientation, internal geome- of the sun and moon. try, and interrelationships of the primary Chacoan From approximately 900 to 1130, the Chacoan architecture. society, a prehistoric Pueblo culture, constructed This essay presents a synthesis of the results of numerous multistoried buildings and extensive several studies by the Solstice Project between 1984 roads throughout the eighty thousand square kilo- and 1997 and hypotheses about the conceptual meters of the arid San Juan Basin of northwestern and symbolic meaning of the Chacoan astronomi- New Mexico (Cordell 1984; Lekson et al. 1988; cal achievements. For certain details of Solstice Pro- Marshall et al. 1979; Vivian 1990) (Figure 9.1). ject studies, the reader is referred to several earlier Evidence suggests that expressions of the Chacoan published papers.1 culture extended over a region two to four times the size of the San Juan Basin (Fowler and Stein Background 1992; Lekson et al. 1988). Chaco Canyon, where most of the largest buildings were constructed, was The Chacoan buildings were of a huge scale and the center of the culture (Figures 9.2 and 9.3). -
Ancient Maize from Chacoan Great Houses: Where Was It Grown?
Ancient maize from Chacoan great houses: Where was it grown? Larry Benson*†, Linda Cordell‡, Kirk Vincent*, Howard Taylor*, John Stein§, G. Lang Farmer¶, and Kiyoto Futaʈ *U.S. Geological Survey, Boulder, CO 80303; ‡University Museum and ¶Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309; §Navajo Nation Historic Preservation Department, Chaco Protection Sites Program, P.O. Box 2469, Window Rock, AZ 86515; and ʈU.S. Geological Survey, MS 963, Denver Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225 Edited by Jeremy A. Sabloff, University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, PA, and approved August 26, 2003 (received for review August 8, 2003) In this article, we compare chemical (87Sr͞86Sr and elemental) analyses of archaeological maize from dated contexts within Pueblo Bonito, Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, to potential agricul- tural sites on the periphery of the San Juan Basin. The oldest maize analyzed from Pueblo Bonito probably was grown in an area located 80 km to the west at the base of the Chuska Mountains. The youngest maize came from the San Juan or Animas river flood- plains 90 km to the north. This article demonstrates that maize, a dietary staple of southwestern Native Americans, was transported over considerable distances in pre-Columbian times, a finding fundamental to understanding the organization of pre-Columbian southwestern societies. In addition, this article provides support for the hypothesis that major construction events in Chaco Canyon were made possible because maize was brought in to support extra-local labor forces. etween the 9th and 12th centuries anno Domini (A.D.), BChaco Canyon, located near the middle of the high-desert San Juan Basin of north-central New Mexico (Fig. -
A Navajo Myth from the Chaco Canyon Gretchen Chapin
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by University of New Mexico New Mexico Anthropologist Volume 4 | Issue 4 Article 4 12-1-1940 A Navajo Myth From the Chaco Canyon Gretchen Chapin Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/nm_anthropologist Recommended Citation Chapin, Gretchen. "A Navajo Myth From the Chaco Canyon." New Mexico Anthropologist 4, 4 (1940): 63-67. https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/nm_anthropologist/vol4/iss4/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Anthropology at UNM Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in New Mexico Anthropologist by an authorized editor of UNM Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. NEW MEXICO ANTHROPOLOGIST 63 from the Dominican monastery until 1575. The Real y Pontificia Universidad de Mexico lasted without much interruption until the period of the French Intervention. Then it was closed for many years; became the Universidad Nacional de Mexico in 1910; and in 1929 was chartered as the Universidad Nacional Aut6noma de Mexico.. The University of Lima became the Universidad Mayor de San Marcos de Lima in 1574, and has continued ever since, with major interruptions only during the War for Independence and again just a few years ago. In final summary one can say that, of the New World institutions of higher learning, the College of Santa Cruz was first founded and opened; the University of Michoacin has had the longest history; the University of Lima probably has been open the most years, has been at her present site longest, and has retained present form of name longest; and the University of Mexico has had the greatest number of students, graduates, and faculty members and was the first to actually open of the formally constituted universities. -
Interpretation and Visitor Experience at Chaco Culture National Historic Park Maren Else Svare
University of New Mexico UNM Digital Repository Anthropology ETDs Electronic Theses and Dissertations 7-1-2015 Speaking in Circles: Interpretation and Visitor Experience at Chaco Culture National Historic Park Maren Else Svare Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/anth_etds Part of the Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Svare, Maren Else. "Speaking in Circles: Interpretation and Visitor Experience at Chaco Culture National Historic Park." (2015). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/anth_etds/69 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Electronic Theses and Dissertations at UNM Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Anthropology ETDs by an authorized administrator of UNM Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Maren Else Svare Candidate Anthropology Department This thesis is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication: Approved by the Thesis Committee: Dr. Ronda Brulotte, Chairperson Dr. Erin Debenport Dr. Loa Traxler i SPEAKING IN CIRCLES: INTERPRETATION AND VISITOR EXPERIENCE AT CHACO CULTURE NATIONAL HISTORIC PARK by MAREN ELSE SVARE BACHELOR OF ANTHROPOLOGY THESIS Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Anthropology The University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico May, 2015 ii Acknowledgments This thesis could have been completed without the wisdom, support, and diligence of my committee. Thank you to my committee chair, Dr. Ronda Brulotte, for consistently and patiently guiding me to rethink and rework. Dr. Erin Debenport supplied both good humor and good advice, keeping my expectations realistic and my writing on track. I am grateful to Dr. -
Chaco Culture
National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Chaco Culture Chaco Culture N.H.P. Chaco Canyon Place Names In 1849, Lieutenant James Simpson, a member of the Washington Expedition, surveyed many areas throughout the Southwest. He described and reported on many ancestral Puebloan and Navajo archaeological sites now associated with Chaco Culture NHP. Simpson used the names given to him by Carravahal, a local guide, for many of the sites. These are the names that we use today. However, the Pueblo Peoples of NM, the Hopi of AZ, and the Navajo, have their own names for many of these places. Some of these names have been omitted due to their sacred and non-public nature. Many of the names listed here are Navajo since the Navajo have lived in the canyon most recently and continue to live in the area. These names often reveal how the Chacoan sites have been incorporated into the culture, history, and oral histories of the Navajo people. There are also different names for the people who lived here 1,000 years ago. The people who lived in Chaco were probably diverse groups of people. “Anasazi” is a Navajo word which translates to “ancient ones” or “ancient enemies.” Today, we refer to this group as the “Ancestral Puebloans” because many of the descendents of Chaco are the Puebloan people. However there are many groups that speak their own languages and have their own names for the ancient people here. “Ancestral Puebloans” is a general term that accounts for this. Chaco-A map drawn in 1776 by Spanish cartographer, Bernardo de Pacheco identifies this area as “Chaca” which is a Spanish colonial word commonly used to mean “a large expanse of open and unexplored land, desert, plain, or prairie.” The term “Chaca” is believed to be the origin of both the word Chacra in reference to Chacra Mesa and Chaco. -
Archaeoastronomy in the Ancient Americas
Journal of Archaeological Research, Vol. 11, No. 2, June 2003 ((CC 2003) Archaeoastronomy in the Ancient Americas Anthony F. Aveni11 Since its popular resurgence in the 1960s, the interdisciplinary field of archaeoas- tronomy, which seeks evidence from the written as well as the unwritten record to shed light on the nature and practice of astronomy and timekeeping in ancient civ- ilizations, has made ever-increasing significant use of the ararchaeological record.d. Thiss esessaybrieflytouchesesontheoriginandd historyy ofofthesesedevelopments,, discussess the methodology of archaeoastronomy, and assesses its contributions via the dis- cussssioionn ofof seselelectcted casese ststudieiess atat sisitetess inin Nortrth,h, Soututh,h, andd Mesosoamerericica.a. Spececifiifi-- cally, archaeology contributes significantly to clarifying the role of sky events in site planning. The rigorous repetition of axial alignments of sites and individual oddly shaped and/or oriented structures can be related to alterations in the calen- darr often initiated by crcrososs-cultururalal contact. TTogetherer withh evevidencee acquirired frfrom other forms of the ancient record, archaeology also helps clarify the relationship between functional and symbolic astronomical knowledge. In state-level societies, it offers graphic evidence that structures that served as chronographic markers also functioned as performative stages for seasonally timed rituals mandated by cosmic connections claimed by the rulership. KEY WORDS: archaeoastronomy; archaeology; architecture; orientation (alignment). HISTORICAL AND THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE Mostst ancicientt cicivivililizazatitionss paidid sosome atattetentntioionn toto whatat goeses on inin ththee skskyy.. Thee periodic cycles of the sun, moon, and planets are the most pristine, predictable, and consequently, the most reliable natural phenomena on which to anchor the counting of the days and the making of the calendar. -
The Chaco Phenomenon
The Chaco CROW CANYON Phenomenon ARCHAEOLOGICAL CENTER September 24–30, 2017 ITINERARY SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 Arrive in Durango, Colorado, by 4 p.m. Meet the group for dinner and program orientation. Our scholar, Erin Baxter, Ph.D., provides an overview of the movements of Chaco culture, as well as the latest research. Overnight, Durango. D MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 Drive south to Chaco Culture National Historical Park, in the high desert of what is now northern New Mexico. From about A.D. 900 to 1150, Chaco Canyon was the center of a vast regional system that integrated much of the Pueblo world. Our Chaco Canyon exploration begins with the great houses of “downtown” Chaco. At Chetro Ketl and Pueblo Bonito, we examine the architectural features that define great houses and discuss current theories about their function in the community. With the transformation of Pueblo Bonito into the largest of all great houses, some believe Chaco Canyon became the center of the ancestral Pueblo world. We meander along the cliffs on the north side of the canyon, searching for rock art. Overnight, camping under the stars, Chaco Canyon. B L D TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 This morning we explore the great houses, great kivas, and small house sites of Tsin Kletsin in Chaco Canyon (2.5 mile round-trip hike, 450-foot Chetro Ketl elevation change). We also visit Casa Rinconada and associated small house sites. Though small house sites are contemporaneous with great houses, the architecture differs markedly, and we discuss the meaning of these differences. After some time at the visitor center, we take the short hike to Una Vida and nearby rock art. -
The Archaeology of Chaco Canyon
The Archaeology of Chaco Canyon Chaco Matters An Introduction Stephen H. Lekson Chaco Canyon, in northwestern New Mexico, was a great Pueblo center of the eleventh and twelfth centuries A.D. (figures 1.1 and 1.2; refer to plate 2). Its ruins represent a decisive time and place in the his- tory of “Anasazi,” or Ancestral Pueblo peoples. Events at Chaco trans- formed the Pueblo world, with philosophical and practical implications for Pueblo descendents and for the rest of us. Modern views of Chaco vary: “a beautiful, serene place where everything was provided by the spirit helpers” (S. Ortiz 1994:72), “a dazzling show of wealth and power in a treeless desert” (Fernandez-Armesto 2001:61), “a self-inflicted eco- logical disaster” (Diamond 1992:332). Chaco, today, is a national park. Despite difficult access (20 miles of dirt roads), more than seventy-five thousand people visit every year. Chaco is featured in compendiums of must-see sights, from AAA tour books, to archaeology field guides such as America’s Ancient Treasures (Folsom and Folsom 1993), to the Encyclopedia of Mysterious Places (Ingpen and Wilkinson 1990). In and beyond the Southwest, Chaco’s fame manifests in more substantial, material ways. In Albuquerque, New Mexico, the structure of the Pueblo Indian Cultural COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL 3 Stephen H. Lekson Figure 1.1 The Chaco region. Center mimics precisely Pueblo Bonito, the most famous Chaco ruin. They sell Chaco (trademark!) sandals in Paonia, Colorado, and brew Chaco Canyon Ale (also trademark!) in Lincoln, Nebraska. The beer bottle features the Sun Dagger solstice marker, with three beams of light striking a spiral petroglyph, presumably indicating that it is five o’clock somewhere. -
Solving the Mystery of Chaco Canyon?
VIRTUALBANNER ARCHAEOLOGY BANNER • BANNER STUDYING • BANNER PREHISTORIC BANNER VIOLENCE BANNER • T •ALE BANNERS OF A NCIENT BANNER TEXTILE S american archaeologyWINTER 2012-13 a quarterly publication of The Archaeological Conservancy Vol. 16 No. 4 SOLVINGSOLVING THETHE MYMYSSTERYTERY OFOF CHACHACCOO CANYONCANYON?? $3.95 $3.95 WINTER 2012-13 americana quarterly publication of The Archaeological archaeology Conservancy Vol. 16 No. 4 COVER FEATURE 26 CHACO, THROUGH A DIFFERENT LENS BY MIKE TONER Southwest scholar Steve Lekson has taken an unconventional approach to solving the mystery of Chaco Canyon. 12 VIRTUALLY RECREATING THE PAST BY JULIAN SMITH Virtual archaeology has remarkable potential, but it also has some issues to resolve. 19 A ROAD TO THE PAST BY ALISON MCCOOK A dig resulting from a highway project is yielding insights into Delaware’s colonial history. 33 THE TALES OF ANCIENT TEXTILES BY PAULA NEELY Fabric artifacts are providing a relatively new line of evidence for archaeologists. 39 UNDERSTANDING PREHISTORIC VIOLENCE BY DAN FERBER Bioarchaeologists have gone beyond studying the manifestations of ancient violence to examining CHAZ EVANS the conditions that caused it. 26 45 new acquisition A TRAIL TO PREHISTORY The Conservancy saves a trailhead leading to an important Sinagua settlement. 46 new acquisition NORTHERNMOST CHACO CANYON OUTLIER TO BE PRESERVED Carhart Pueblo holds clues to the broader Chaco regional system. 48 point acquisition A GLIMPSE OF A MAJOR TRANSITION D LEVY R Herd Village could reveal information about the change from the Basketmaker III to the Pueblo I phase. RICHA 12 2 Lay of the Land 50 Field Notes 52 RevieWS 54 Expeditions 3 Letters 5 Events COVER: Pueblo Bonito is one of the great houses at Chaco Canyon. -
The House of Our Ancestors: New Research on the Prehistory of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, A.D. 800•Fi1200
University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Anthropology Faculty Publications Anthropology, Department of 2015 The ouH se of Our Ancestors: New Research on the Prehistory of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, A.D. 800–1200 Carrie Heitman University of Nebraska-Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/anthropologyfacpub Part of the Archaeological Anthropology Commons, Indigenous Studies Commons, Other Languages, Societies, and Cultures Commons, and the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons Heitman, Carrie, "The ousH e of Our Ancestors: New Research on the Prehistory of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, A.D. 800–1200" (2015). Anthropology Faculty Publications. 127. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/anthropologyfacpub/127 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Anthropology, Department of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Anthropology Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Published in Chaco Revisited New Research on the Prehistory of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, ed. Carrie C. Heitman and Stephen Plog. The University of Arizona Press, Tucson, 2015. Pp. 215–248. Copyright 2015 The Arizona Board of Regents. digitalcommons.unl.edu The House of Our Ancestors: New Research on the Prehistory of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, A.D. 800–1200 Carrie C. Heitman, University of Nebraska–Lincoln In a paper honoring the career of archaeologist Gwinn -
Olde New Mexico
Olde New Mexico Olde New Mexico By Robert D. Morritt Olde New Mexico, by Robert D. Morritt This book first published 2011 Cambridge Scholars Publishing 12 Back Chapman Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2XX, UK British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Copyright © 2011 by Robert D. Morritt All rights for this book reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. ISBN (10): 1-4438-2709-6, ISBN (13): 978-1-4438-2709-6 TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword ................................................................................................... vii Preface........................................................................................................ ix Sources ....................................................................................................... xi The Clovis Culture ...................................................................................... 1 Timeline of New Mexico History................................................................ 5 Pueblo People.............................................................................................. 7 Coronado ................................................................................................... 11 Early El Paso ............................................................................................