Chaco Canyon and Ancestral Puebloan Culture Notes mod 9 done

Scarlet macaws, native to Mexico (over 1,000 miles away), indicate trade networks between Mesoamerica and the Southwestern world.
Attempts to breed these birds in the Southwest suggest the use of their feathers as status symbols or for ceremonial purposes.
A room with a thick layer of guano at Pueblo Bonito indicates the existence of an aviary.
Copper bells found at Chaco, originating from Mexico, further support the existence of trade networks.
Chaco likely traded turquoise for these materials, with turquoise found as far south as the Yucatan Peninsula.

Oil drilling and fracking threaten the Chacoan world.
Chaco was one of the first sites to be made a national monument after the passage of the Antiquities Act of 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt.
Chaco Canyon is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Greater Chacoan Region extends beyond the protected National Park Service and UNESCO site boundaries.
Undiscovered structures and roads within the Greater Chaco Region need to be surveyed to enhance our understanding of this culture.
Chaco holds sacred and ancestral significance for many Native Americans.
Destruction of the Greater Chaco Region damages an important connection to the ancestral past, present, and future for Native peoples and all.

Pre-Columbian: Refers to the period in the Americas before the arrival of Christopher Columbus.
The original inhabitants of the Americas traveled across the Bering Strait, connecting North America and Asia.
This connection was severed at the end of the last Ice Age, around 10,000 BCE.
In 1492, Christopher Columbus arrived in the Caribbean, mistakenly believing he had reached Asia.
Columbus' arrival marked the beginning of the colonization of the Americas.
Columbus incorrectly referred to the native inhabitants of Hispaniola as "Indians".
The Spanish conquistadores discovered advanced civilizations in Mesoamerica, with densely populated cities, towering architectural monuments like Teotihuacan, and advanced writing systems.

Chacoan culture extended beyond Chaco Canyon, facilitated by staircases and a network of roads connecting distant sites.
Aztec Ruins National Monument in New Mexico shares architectural features with Chaco, including a Great House and T-shaped doorways.
Archaeological excavations, especially at Pueblo Bonito, have revealed more than 15,000 artifacts that shed light on Chacoan life and interactions with distant cultures.
Pottery sherds with traces of cacao from Mesoamerica found in Pueblo Bonito suggest the use of cylindrical vessels for drinking cacao, similar to Maya vessels.

Pueblo Bonito is a massive D-shaped structure with 600-800 rooms and multiple stories, some reaching four stories high.
Some upper floors included balconies.
Pueblo Bonito contains numerous round rooms called kivas, including three great kivas and thirty-two smaller kivas.
Great kivas were larger and likely used for large gatherings, while smaller kivas functioned as ceremonial spaces and multi-purpose rooms.
Doorways in Pueblo Bonito, sometimes aligned to give a view through the building, include T-shaped doors, also found at other sites in the region.
The origin of T-shaped doors is under investigation to determine if they indicate Chacoan influence or a common aesthetic.
Dendroprovenance testing has shown that the wood used to construct the buildings came from the San Mateo Mountains and the Chuska Mountains, over 50 miles away.
Approximately 240,000 trees were used for one of the larger Great Houses.

Chaco is located in a high, desert region of New Mexico where water is scarce.
The presence of dams, canals, and basins indicates that Chacoans invested significant resources in water control for agriculture, especially corn cultivation.
Astronomical observations played a crucial role in Chaco life and likely had spiritual significance.
Petroglyphs reveal an interest in lunar and solar cycles, and many buildings are oriented to align with winter and summer solstices.

"Downtown Chaco" features several "Great Houses" built of stone and wood.
These complexes have Spanish and Navajo names, such as Tsebida't'ini'ani, nastl'a kin, Chetro Ketl, and Pueblo Bonito.