ResearchOnline@JCU This file is part of the following reference: Munro, Andrew M. (2011) The astronomical context of the archaeology and architecture of the Chacoan culture. PhD thesis, James Cook University. Access to this file is available from: http://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/40277/ The author has certified to JCU that they have made a reasonable effort to gain permission and acknowledge the owner of any third party copyright material included in this document. If you believe that this is not the case, please contact [email protected] and quote http://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/40277/ The Astronomical Context of the Archaeology and Architecture of the Chacoan Culture Thesis submitted by Andrew M. MUNRO, M.Sc. Astron., Swinburne University of Technology [email protected] in December 2011 for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Centre for Astronomy, School of Engineering and Physical Sciences James Cook University Statement of Access I, the undersigned, author of this work, understand that James Cook University will make this thesis available for use within the University Library and, via the Australian Digital Theses network, for use elsewhere. I understand that, as an unpublished work, a thesis has significant protection under the Copyright Act and; I do not wish to place any further restriction on access to this work. Signature: i Statement of Sources Declaration I declare that this thesis is my own work and has not been submitted in any form for another degree or diploma at any university or other institution of tertiary education. Information derived from the published or unpublished work of others has been acknowledged in the text and a list of references is given. Portions of chapters 1, 3, 4, and 6 were presented as Munro, A.M., and Malville, J.M., 2010a, Astronomy and the Design of Late Bonito Great Houses at Chaco Canyon, a paper presented at the 2010 Society for American Archaeology Annual Meeting symposium on Archaeoastronomy in the Americas in Saint Louis. Proceedings of this symposium are currently being edited by Dr. Robert Benfer of the University of Missouri for inclusion in a future volume to be published by the University of Florida Press. Portions of chapters 4, 5, and 6 have been published as Munro, A.M., and Malville. J.M., 2010b. Field Methods in Archaeoastronomy with Applications to Chaco Canyon. Journal of Cosmology, 9, 2147-2159, web published at http://journalofcosmology.com/AncientAstronomy115.html. Portions of chapters 1, 3, 4, and 6 have been published as Munro, A.M., and Malville, J.M., 2011a. Ancestors and the sun: astronomy, architecture and culture at Chaco Canyon. In Ruggles, C.L.N. (ed.). Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy: Building Bridges Between Cultures, Proceedings of the 278th Symposium of the IAU and ‘Oxford IX’ International Symposium on Archaeoastronomy. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, pp. 255-265. Portions of chapters 1, 3, 4, and 6 have been published as Munro, A.M., and Malville. J.M., 2011c. Calendrical Stations in Chaco Canyon. Archaeoastronomy, the Journal of Astronomy in Culture, XXIII, (PP NN-NN). ii Portions of chapters 6, 7 and 8 were presented as Munro, A.M., and Malville. J.M., 2011b. Migration, Ceremonial Staffs and Chacoan Architecture, a paper presented at the 2011 Conference on Archaeoastronomy of the American Southwest in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Proceedings of this conference are currently in peer review for inclusion in a future volume tentatively entitled Astronomy and Ceremony in the Prehistoric Southwest: Revisited, to be published in the Papers of the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology Series. Signature: iii Statement on the Contribution of Others Nature of Contribution Name & Affiliation Assistance Methods and Guidance on literature review and J. McKim Malville, Ph.D., Principal intellectual sources Supervisor, Professor Emeritus, Department support Training on fieldwork, and data of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, reduction techniques University of Colorado & Adjunct Professor, Fieldwork planning Centre for Astronomy, James Cook Recruiting assistance for fieldwork University support team Collaborative review of data, and interpretation Coauthoring of peer reviewed articles Editorial support Guidance on literature review Wayne Orchiston, Ph.D., Co-Supervisor, Leadership of confirmation seminar Centre for Astronomy, James Cook Program structure recommendations University Guidance on thesis structure and content Editorial guidance Overview of great circle distance and Tom Brand, Col., United States Air Force azimuth calculation methods utilized (retired) in navigation, and validation of initial calculated results Post-publication comments and Michael Zeilik, Ph.D. suggestions regarding papers that F. Joan Mathien, Ph.D. were inputs to this thesis Jonathan Reyman, Ph.D. Scott Ortman, Ph.D. Data collection Field research permit application and Wendy Bustard, Dabney Ford, Roger Moore, approval process and Barbara West, U.S. National Park Service, Chaco Culture National Historic Park Jim Copeland, and Peggy Gaudy, U.S. Bureau of Land Management iv Site archival data access and site Dabney Ford, Roger Moore, Russ Bodnar, background information Tracy Bodnar, and G.B. Cornucopia, U.S. National Park Service, Chaco Culture National Historic Park Recruiting assistance for fieldwork Cherilynn Morrow, Ph.D., Professor of support team Physics, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Georgia State University Fieldwork support team: equipment Robert Beehler, Beverly Beehler, transport, and surveys Nancy Malville, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Adjoint, Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado, Gene McCracken, Anne Marie Munro, Donald D. Munro IV, John Nickerson, Greggory Rothmeier Photographic methods Patrick René Field photography Patrick René, Jim Walton, Lauren Lamont, Elizabeth Munro-Jeffery, Clint Shoemaker Access for measurements and James Krakker, Archaeological Collections photography of curated artifacts Specialist, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution Anibal Rodriguez, Sr. Museum Technician, American Museum of Natural History David Hurst Thomas, Ph.D., Curator of North American Archaeology, American Museum of Natural History Independent examination and Frances Joan Mathien, Ph.D., U.S. National evaluation of thesis, Park Service (retired) recommendations for editorial Ruth Van Dyke, Ph.D., Associate Professor improvements and additional sources. of Anthropology, Binghamton University Documentation Editorial assistance, proofreading, Anne Marie Munro and graphics production v Signature: vi Electronic Copy Declaration l, the undersigned, the author of this work, declare that the electronic copy of this thesis provided to the James Cook University Library is an accurate copy of the print thesis submitted, within the limits of the technology available. Signature: vii Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge the following individuals for their thoughtful support and assistance. During September of 2006 I had the privilege of assisting with the public astronomy program at Chaco Culture National Historic Park (NHP) as a volunteer docent. During that visit I met Dr. J. McKim Malville for the first time. Kim serves as an Adjunct Professor at James Cook University’s Centre for Astronomy, and is Professor Emeritus of Astrophysics and Planetary Sciences at the University of Colorado. He suggested that I consider pursuing a Ph.D. with a focus on Archaeoastronomy, and offered to serve as my thesis supervisor. I found myself unable to refuse the opportunity to study under one of the world’s most knowledgeable practitioners of fieldwork-based Archaeoastronomy. In the over five years since, Kim has been a consistently patient and supportive teacher, mentor, and guide. Without Kim’s support, I would never have begun this work, let alone completed it. He has my deepest thanks. Acting as co-supervisor for my Ph.D. program, Dr. Wayne Orchiston is Associate Professor at the Centre for Astronomy at James Cook University. Wayne has been responsive, diligent and consistently supportive in helping me to navigate the non-traditional path of international graduate distance-education. Thank you very much Wayne. I offer my special thanks to National Park Service Interpretive Ranger G.B. Cornucopia of Chaco Culture NHP. G.B. is a dear friend who has provided me with the opportunity to participate in the Chaco public astronomy program as a volunteer. He has spent decades educating the public on the amazing achievements of the ancestral Pueblo and Diné people who lived at Chaco, and he has conducted a voluntary program of Archaeoastronomy observational support and confirmatory photography for years. G.B. has been kind enough to share his photographic confirmatory evidence for calendrical events at sites including Wijiji, Piedra del Sol, Kin Kletso and Casa Chiquita, and he continues to directly assist my research viii through visual observations and confirmatory photography. G.B. is also a deeply knowledgeable and well-read amateur astronomer. He patiently and without bias supports all interested researchers while serving the public. G.B.’s direct support of my efforts has included introductions to other researchers (including Kim Malville), encouragement, expert opinion, and brainstorming in personal communications from July 2003 to the present. Multiple additional members of the National Park Service professional team have been directly supportive of my research efforts, beginning with helping me through