Chaco Canyon

Good Morning Boys and girls,

          Welcome to the first day of Ancestral Puebloans 101.

          (I warned you yesterday that there would be a History Lesson today!)

          Initially I should point out that the current term Ancestral Puebloans is the preferred way that the current Native Americans that are descended from these people, namely the modern Pueblo tribes, would like their ancestors to be called. The name/term Anasazi is a Navajo word meaning “ancient enemies” and this does not really accurately describe these folks from long ago. Bedsides, the Navajo are not related in any way to the Old Ones.

          Now that that is out of the way we  can concentrate on how interesting the A.P. are. There are many theories about all of the things that we think that we know about the lives and cultures of them. The stories and traditions handed down from generation to generation of the present Puebloan society help give credence to many of the facts and ideas that we now believe.

          The questions that usually surround discussions of the A. P. are topics like,

          Where did they come from?

          Why did they abandon such magnificent structures?

          Where did they go?  

          And a host of other questions, but these main three are what most people concentrate on.

          I am going to over-simplify the answers to these questions because I’m guessing that by now your collective eyes have already glazed over and are eagerly looking at the clock and hoping that the Professor ends class early so you can go catch some Frisbees on the Common.

          So here goes.

           They came from the same place as most Native Americans, the Siberian Land Bridge, thousands of years ago and started making their societal organizations in about 1200 B.C. It took another thousand years before they started  acting anything like the Ancestral Puebloans that we study today.

          They abandoned their really cool buildings probably for the same reasons that you or I would move.

          Their jobs changed.

          Their jobs back then were simply to exist.

          That means that if the growing conditions, (drought) or availability of food, (hunting) became negative, or if their religious leaders said, “We’re getting out of here!” that’s what they did, they got out of there!

          The third one is probably the easiest.

          They went south, (no, not to Miami) just down a-ways, far  enough for them to be able to live where the forces that made them migrate no longer impacted them as they did before.

          Now, I told you that I would simplify (actually over-simplify!) all of this and that is what I did. If you are in any way interested in any of this there are two wonderful authors that help with the understanding of these topics while making the journey (both figuratively and literally) through the Four Corners Region an incredible literary experience.

          They are Craig Childs and David Roberts.

          Two vastly different styles of writing, but both of which I wish were my friends.

          Read House of Rain by Childs and start with either In Search of the Old Ones or the Lost World of the Old Ones by Roberts.

          No worries if delving into all of this is not what makes you tick. Maybe you just want to get out and see some neat stuff from a long time ago and come up with your own questions and possibilities.

          No problem!

          Mesa Verde, Chaco Canyon, and Taos Pueblo are all on the UNESCO World Heritage list and as such are fairly guaranteed a special place in our current society for years to come. In addition to these Big Three, there are thousands of archeological sites strewn about this area and most are on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land and as such are there for your careful and thoughtful perusal at your leisure. There are several etiquette type aspects to this type of exploring, most of which can be categorized as “Make sure you leave the site nice for the next people who happen to come along”