Aztec Ruins National Monument, New Mexico — John Shaqi
Aztec Ruins National Monument, New MexicoCorbett, John M. (John Maxwell)
History
Aztec Ruins National Monument, New Mexico
Corbett, John M. (John Maxwell)
Aztec Ruins National Monument (N.M.)
The two construction periods at Aztec, as indicated by the tree-ring
dates, are corroborated nicely by other evidence found by Morris that
Aztec actually was built by one group of people, abandoned, and then
reoccupied at a later date by a slightly different group of people.
Throughout all the rooms he dug, he found sterile layers of windblown
sand and ruined debris from falling walls and ceilings. In this debris
and under the sand he found Chaco-like pottery and artifacts. In
addition there were surprisingly few burials. The last point might seem
strange, except for the fact that even today, 40 years after Morris’
work and despite endless searching, archeologists have located few
Chaco-type burials in Chaco Canyon itself. Whatever the burial customs
of the Chaco people may have been, they have eluded archeologists for
many years. The absence of burials of this period at Aztec is a clue
that probably a group of Chaco-like people, bearing the distinctive
Chaco culture, may actually have moved into the Aztec area.
Morris wrote that he found many rooms built in typical Chaco-style
architecture. Granting that the local sandstone was not quite as easily
worked as that at Chaco, the large-size rooms, the high ceilings, the
banded-veneer masonry walls, the large doorways, and other techniques
used were very similar to the architectural techniques of the Chaco
area.
Overlying the Chaco debris and sterile sand layers, Morris found
pottery, household utensils, and burials characteristic of the classic
Mesa Verde Period—a period which occurred later than the great Chaco
Period. In addition, there were obvious architectural signs of
rebuilding and remodeling within the pueblo. Large Chaco-type rooms had
been made smaller by wattle-and-daub partition walls, while doorways had
been shortened and narrowed more like the ones at Mesa Verde.
Thus there were two definite periods of occupation at Aztec, one by a
Chaco-like people and one by a Mesa Verde-type people. The two major
construction periods, as indicated by the tree rings, agree with Morris’
evidence of two occupation periods and, so far as we know, closely date
those periods during which the pueblo was actively inhabited.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account