May 20
JohnAmerican Southwest, North America, South America
Pueblo Bonito
In 1849, U.S. Army Lieutenant James Simpson was exploring northwester New Mexico when he came upon Chaco Canyon. He noted eight large ruins, seemingly built by an ancient, unknown civilization. The local Navajo’s and meztiso’s called the largest ruin, Pueblo Bonito, which means “pretty village.” Pottery shards on the soil surface of Chaco Canyon suggested that it was Native Americans who built the large masonry structures, but for several more decades, a wide range of fanciful stories accompanied interpretations of the ruins which assigned their origin to Romans, Vikings, Egyptians, Celts, Welsh and the 10 Lost Tribes of Israel.
http://www.examiner.com/x-40598-Architecture–Design-Examiner~y2010m5d17-Americas-Architectural-Heritage-Chaco-Canyon-New-Mexico–Part-2
May 20
JohnAmerican Southwest, North America, South America
Was Chaco Canyon culturally related to the Pacific Coast of South America?
In the April 1, 2010 article on the Early Farmers of the Southwest, it was pointed out that until 800 AD the architecture of the indigenous peoples of the American Southwest was quite primitive. Most structures were simple; one room homes built from adobe walls and sapling shed roofs. After 700 AD some Southwestern communities built up to fiver residential units together on isolated farmsteads.
http://www.examiner.com/x-40598-Architecture–Design-Examiner~y2010m5d16-Americas-architectural-heritage-Chaco-Canyon-New-Mexico–Part-1
Apr 12
JohnAmerican Southwest, North America, Sites
As states across the country scramble to close budget gaps, many are targeting state parks. Arizona is the first to go through with it. In February, the state closed five of its 30 parks, and a number of them contain fragile archaeological sites. Now residents are taking steps to prevent looting.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125672892
Mar 23
JohnAmerican Southwest, Animal Husbandry, North America
Americans love turkeys, so it’s surprising how little researchers know about the birds’ early relationship to humans. Many archaeologists credited Mesoamericans–who lived in the area extending from present-day Mexico to Honduras–with bringing domesticated turkeys to North America sometime between 200 B.C.E. and 500 C.E., much like they brought maize, beans, and squash. But a new study shows that Native Americans in what is now the southwestern United States likely tamed turkeys on their own.
http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2010/02/02-02.html
Mar 20
JohnAmerican Southwest, North America
University of Missouri researcher Todd VanPool believes pottery found throughout the North American Southwest comes from a religion of peace-seeking women in the violent, 13th-century American Southwest. These women sought to find a way to integrate newly immigrating refugees and prevent the spread of warfare that decimated communities to the north.
http://munews.missouri.edu/news-releases/2010/0309-pottery-leads-to-discovery-of-peace-seeking-women-in-american-southwest/
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