the mystery of chaco canyon transcript

U.S. Neither your address nor the recipient's address will be used for any other purpose. For general feedback, use the public comments section below (please adhere to guidelines). This newly conceived series (in progress) will bring recent revelations about the ancient Native Americans who built massive enigmatic structures throughout the southwest. Chaco Canyon was a huge ancestral Puebloan city located in what is now Northern New Mexico, about 100 miles south of Durango. They built "Great Houses," which were as much as four stories tall and contained hundreds of rooms. The ancient ruins of Chaco Canyon, built in 850 and 1150 A.D. in New Mexico, are described in the movie. The Mystery of Chaco Canyon: Unveiling the Ancient Astronomy Since its release in 2000, our award-winning film, The Mystery of Chaco Canyon, has aired more than 10,000 times on 95% of PBS stations across the country. They hit a hiking pace with the log of just under 3 mphnot much slower than their normal walking speed. "Instead, we carried sand and heavy logs around using our heads.". Pueblo Bonito, a Chaco Canyon "Great House," once spanned hundreds of rooms and was several stories tall. That's where we go to heal, to pray,' said Weiner, who will receive his doctorate in anthropology from CU Boulder later this spring. Adjust the colors to reduce glare and give your eyes a break. They hit a hiking pace with the log of just under 3 mphnot much slower than their normal walking speed. The sample of Chacoan Great Houses assessed for astronomical associations was unchanged from the mid 1990s to 2007. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Directors I also felt that the place had been meant only for a certain time and a specific purpose, which thought was echoed at the end of the film. Most large complexes had four or five stories and averaged over 200 rooms, with the largest boasting as many as 700 rooms. This third orientation tradition may represent some form of cultural affiliation with contemporary Rio Grande Valley people based upon comparison to previous orientation studies conducted by Lakatos, or it may perhaps represent an alternative cosmological intent. New Mexico PBS has broadcast this full-length documentary more than 90 times. Dr. Brad Eden, UNLV, MC Journal'Make(s) a compelling case for this ancient people's astronomical prowess. Redford, Robert (narrator) The Mystery of Chaco Canyon challenges the long-held assumption that Chaco was a center of trade and offers an explanation of the site which reveals the brilliant astronomy of ancient pueblo people. Chaco Canyon was the center of the ancestral Puebloan world, home to immense great houses as high as five stories tall and containing as many as 800 rooms, cavernous kivas built so that dancers . Your feedback is important to us. Directed by Anna Sofaer. Engineered roads stretch across dozens of miles in straight lines to significant landforms, but with little evidence of travel or trade. pointed out that there's no clear evidence that the residents of Zuni Pueblo share cultural connections with the people who once inhabited Chaco Canyon. James Wilson, left, and Rodger Kram, right, carry a ponderosa pine log weighing more than 130 pounds in Chautauqua Park in Boulder, Colorado. Thus specific cultural systems including cosmovisions emerged, which allowed man to establish and maintain order and rhythm in personal and social life, interacting with given environmental conditions and to answer the human questions about the whys and wherefores concerning him and the world. For years archaeologists have assumed that Chaco Canyon was primarily an ancient trading center. Join this channel to get access to perks:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa6vhwh3rTB0rmu6mN9bj3A/joinMAD HISTORY .. HISTORY has no sides, no opinions no rig. Dr. R. Gwinn Vivian, Ex-Curator of Archaeology at the Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona. Sofaer, Anna (film producer) THE MYSTERY OF CHACO CANYON examines the deep enigmas presented by the massive prehistoric remains found in Chaco Canyon in northwestern New Mexico. of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History. Join this. The team's findings show that the key to this testament to human labor may have been simple devices called tumplines. Seventy miles from the nearest town and accessible only by washboard dirt roads, it's remote by today's standards. The Mystery Of Chaco Canyon examines the deep enigmas presented by the massive prehistoric remains found in Chaco Canyon in northwestern New Mexico, revealing that between 850 and 1150 AD, the Chacoan people designed and constructed massive ceremonial buildings oriented in a complex celestial pattern throughout this vast desert region. Their immense buildings in Chaco Canyon, a remote, barely habitable canyon innorthwestern New Mexico, have been the subject of heated archaeological debate for decades. L'Astronomie culturelle la croise des chemins - Inti yaykuna : Annexes, The Chacoan World: Light and Shadow, Stone and Sky, Solar-Aligned Pictographs at the Paleoindian Site of Painel do Pilo along the Lower Amazon River at Monte Alegre, Brazil, The Primary Architecture of the Chaco Culture: A Cosmological Expression, The Great North Road: a Cosmographic Expression of the Chaco Culture of New Mexico, Remote Sensing of Chaco Roads Revisited: Lidar Documentation of the Great North Road, Pueblo Alto Landscape, and Aztec Airport Mesa Road, The Sun Dagger Interactive Computer Graphics Model: A Digital Restoration of a Chacoan Calendrical site, Lunar Markings on Fajada Butte, Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, Astronomical Markings at Three Sites on Fajada Butte, Pueblo Bonito Petroglyph On Fajada Butte: Solar Aspects, The Enigmas of Fajada Butte, Chaco Canyon, HOUSES OF THE SUN AND THE COLLAPSE OF CHACOAN CULTURE. I cut a 1-foot-long section of pine and weighed it on my bathroom scale, said Kram, who lives on a wooded property in the hills west of Boulder. The Fajada Butte petroglyph is constructed in line with a sliver of light that shines in different spots on the calendar depending on the position of the sun. I multiplied by 16 feet and realized, That cant add up to 275 kilograms.. Kram got interested in Chaco Canyon several years ago. The structures and ruins are protected from destruction and development and . One of the tribes, the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, has increased its efforts to stop the project. Contemporary Pueblo Indians, descendants of the Chacoans, speak in the film of the spiritual significance of Chaco in their world today. Your California Privacy Rights | Do Not Sell My Personal Information From the 9th to the 12th century BCE, Chaco Canyon was the center of a pre-Columbian civilization that flourished in the San Juan Basin of the American Southwest. The authors mention that sherpas in Nepal still use tumplines to carry loads as heavy as 111 kilograms, all the while guiding tourists whose shoulders are likely burning with much . An enduring mystery from the great houses of Chaco Canyon is the origin of more than 240,000 construction timbers. His first move was to revise the inaccurate 600 pound weight estimate by doing his own weight estimations on a log from his wood pile. Once you get it positioned so that it's right on the crown of your head, then the load lines up with your neck and with the rest of your spine, Kram said. These straps, which sherpas, or native mountain peoples of Nepal, still widely use today, loop over the top of the head. This document is subject to copyright. Chaco Canyon National Historical Park is one of those extraordinary gems and an excellent example of ArchaeoAstronomy. Concepts of housing the world are implemented in the architecture of lodgings, cultic buildings, settlements, territories, and the artificial shaping of the landscape. To construct these great houses, archaeologists have estimated that the Chacoans would have needed wood from some 200,000 trees, and those 16-foot-long wooden beams must have been transported from mountain ranges as far as 70 miles (110 km) away. The duo and their colleagues described their experiment Feb. 22 in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. Keep up with all the latest news, arts and culture, and TV highlights from KPBS. A summary of the film provides the teacher with useful background knowledge for his or her own preparation and to share with students prior to viewing the film. It is located in the region known as the Four Corners, where the states of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico meet. The Mystery of Chaco Canyon is valuable, respectful, and decent. Shining light on the astronomical brilliance of the austere civilization of Chaco Canyon Narrated by Robert Redford . Many scientists have hypothesized about how the Chacoans might have accomplished this feat. They attempted their final test on a forest road leading to Gross Reservoir southwest of Boulder, carrying the timber using tumplines on either end. These and other bizarre encounters suggest the park may be a portal between our world and distant star system. They built Great Houses, which were as much as four stories tall and contained hundreds of rooms. Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder may have solved a 1,000-year-old supply chain mystery: How did ancient ancestral Puebloans transport heavy building materials to Chaco Canyon, one of the Southwests most important archaeological sites? "As they became more comfortable with their training, we began alternating training days between carrying light loads for greater distances and heavier loads for shorter distances.". Peter Whiteley, Chair, Dept. The number, Kram discovered, could be traced back to a study published in the 1980s. However, we do not guarantee individual replies due to the high volume of messages. - Feb 24, 2023 9:00 pm UTC. Tells that between 850 and 1150 AD, the Chacoan people constructed massive ceremonial buildings in a complex celestial pattern throughout a vast desert region, and uses aerial and time lapse footage and computer modeling to show how the Chacoan culture designed, oriented and located these buildings . That photograph influenced many of the proposed mechanisms for transporting the logs. Most large complexes had four or five stories and averaged over 200 rooms, with the largest boasting as many as 700 rooms. DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2023.103876, Provided by (Credit: Patrick Campbell/CU Boulder) By Daniel Strain, Nicholas Goda Feb. 22, 2023 "The mountains are the most sacred places for the descendant Din and Pueblo peoples. Ad Choices. Chaco Canyon sits near the border between New Mexico and Colorado. Its massive stone and timber buildings were constructed starting in 800 A.D. with materials taken from as far away as the Zuni Mountains to the south and the Chuska Mountains to the west. The roads around Chaco Canyon would have been wide enough to accommodate a line of people walking next to each other in a row - an ideal setup for Kram's multi-person tumpline theory. The most uncomfortable part, Wilson noted, was the strap of the tumpline rubbing into his head. Since time immemorial and across the world archaic cultures symbolically, mythically, and ritually accompanied the configuration and weighting of the habitat as well as the placement within. The activities in the Guide are primarily for grade-levels 5-12, although they also may be useful to college students. It proved worthwhile, though, because their efforts helped prove that the multiple-tumpline method was viable. The teams findings open up a new understanding of the day-to-day lives of the people who shaped the Southwest more than a thousand years ago, said study co-author Robert Weiner. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no The Mystery of Chaco Canyon Since the discovery of the prehistoric ruins of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, their purpose has baffled archaeologists. Cosmographic concepts of the world edifice can be regarded as holistic, multi-layered models of evolving human ecosystems, which, by using symbolic language, helped man making the world homely and transcending the profane. That's five miles round trip.. More information: The Mystery of Chaco Canyon - Ritterbush - 2001 - American Anthropologist - Wiley Online Library Skip to Article Content Skip to Article Information Instead, they were hoping to solve an archaeological mystery that has perplexed researchers for decades: How did ancient peoples transport more than 200,000 heavy construction timbers over 60 miles to a famous site in the Southwest called Chaco Canyon? They estimated that a 16-foot-long pine log weighed closer to 85 kilograms, or just over 185 pounds. Joan Mathien, Archaeologist, National Park Service'I rate this video a MUST-SEE for anyone interested in southwestern prehistory.' It seemed unrealistically high to him. Visit the Chaco Web Exhibit. "Some people baked sourdough bread during COVID, Instead, we carried sand and heavy logs around using our heads," said Kram, who is a passionate runner in his free time. As a person who studies biomechanics and physiology of the human body, I was like, that's crazy, Kram said. So the logs must have been carried by people, most likely along the wide roadways that linked this world. This region was historically occupied by Ancestral Puebloan people (better known as Anasazi) and is now part of the Chaco Culture National Historical Park. They built "Great Houses," which were as much as four stories tall and contained hundreds of rooms. These elaborate roads and kivas aren't visible to the naked eye or even through aerial photography. Located 72 miles south of Farmington, Chaco Canyon contains the largest collection of ruins in Northwestern New Mexico. Chaco Canyon is a famous archaeological area in the American Southwest. Kiva: Journal of Southwestern Anthropology and History, Cosmology, Calendars, and Horizon-Based Astronomy in Ancient Mesoamerica, Astronomy and Cultural Diversity. He read a statistic suggesting that the mass of a typical roof beam, or viga, in a Chacoan Great House likely averaged around 275 kilograms (more than 600 pounds). There is active debate among archaeologists regarding the relative importance of political, ritual, and economic factors in the Chacoan regional system. To make sure they were being safe, Kram and Wilson started with light loads and worked their way up, said Joseph Carzoli, a study co-author and certified strength and conditioning coach. Pueblo leaders speak of the significance of Chaco to the Pueblo world today.The film challenges the notion that Chaco Canyon was primarily a trade and redistribution center. Then the researchers hit on the idea of tumplines, which are depicted in ceramic effigiesrecovered from close to Chaco Canyon. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 1/1/20) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated 1/1/20) and Ars Technica Addendum (effective 8/21/2018). Tumplines are hardly a new innovation. Chaco Canyon sits near the border between New Mexico and Colorado. Shining light on the astronomical brilliance of the austere civilization of Chaco Canyon Narrated by Robert Redford. He and Wilson werent trying to start a new exercise fad. Others have suggested that the timbers were rolled rather than carried to construction sites, perhaps bundled within smaller wood pieces for protection or carried on the shoulders. Tumplines allow one to carry heavier weights over larger distances without getting fatigued, said Wilson, now a medical student at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. Weiner said the teams results show that supplying Chaco Canyon with goods may not have been as back-breaking an undertaking as archaeologists once assumed. This small calendar allowed for those living at Chaco Canyon to determine the beginning . The ancient Anasazi built Chaco Canyon National Historical Park, but now the area is stalked by shape-shifting creatures and visited by time travelers who left behind a mysterious artifact. "I multiplied by 16 feet and realized, 'That can't add up to 275 kilograms.'". part may be reproduced without the written permission. Stephen Lekson, Professor Emeritus, University of Colorado Boulder, "The Architecture of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico", Rina Swentzell, Architect, Santa Clara Pueblo, News study outlines air pollution from Tijuana sewage, Art Show: 'The Possibility of Something Happening', Current rainy season could be a drought buster, forecaster says, Settlement reached in Tijuana sewage lawsuit, Brittney Griner urges the return of U.S. detainees abroad at NAACP Image Awards, Washington state attorney general says FDA rules on abortion drug are unreasonable, An Arizona driver is in custody after crashing into bicycling group, killing 2, How Cardiff's new farmers market may help keep small farms in business, San Diego officials work to stop elephant poaching. The Mystery Of Chaco Canyon examines the deep enigmas presented by the massive prehistoric remains found in Chaco Canyon in northwestern New Mexico, revealing that between 850 and 1150 AD, the Chacoan people designed and constructed massive ceremonial buildings oriented in a complex celestial pattern throughout this vast desert region. He and Wilson decided to read everything they could about the properties of dried wood. But first, we need you to sign in to PBS using one of the services below. "Once we corrected the mass of the timbers," Wilson said, "that changed almost everything about how many people were required to carry those timbers, how much time it would take to cover 60 miles.". The type of artifacts in the collection include the full range of Chacoan material culture -- prehistoric vessels, stone and bone tools, matting and sandals, ground stone tools for making corn flour, projectile points, hammers and mauls, hoes and digging sticks, corn cobs and turkey bones, and ornaments of shell, Turquoise, jet, and bone. In a remote canyon in northwestern New Mexico sits one of America's greatest historical treasures and one of the Southwest's greatest mysteries. It beckons night sky tourists with its spectacular treasures. Millions of years of history reveal . Little Theater, New Mexico School for the Deaf / 1060 . Although this solar marker is considerably older than the one on Fajada Butte, here in succession both the early morning shadow-line and Sun Dagger itself appear to emanate from the hand of an anthropomorphic figure, first bisecting a spiral and then, a few minutes later, an S-shaped image. Most of the putative lunar standstill and June solstice sunrise alignments comprise a subset of this SSE facing group. Being Native American myself (Cherokee) I felt odd about the spot being studied, trespassed upon if you will. Archeologists estimate that the main architectual landmark, the great Kiva of Chetro Keti, was . They help porters to support weight using the bones of their neck and spine rather than their muscles. The film reveals that between 850 and 1150 AD, the Chacoan people designed and constructed massive ceremonial buildings in a complex celestial pattern . "It was just debilitating," Kram said. Landscape, directions, sun and moon, and movement of shadow and light were the materials used by the Chacoan architects and builders to express their knowledge of an order in the universe. Murphy said it's not uncommon to see lights moving among the ruins or to hear sounds coming from parts of the canyon.. Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link. When/Where: Thursday, January 24, 2019 / 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. / James A. Did you know the U.S. has a pre-historic Puebloan place of mystery that has . The duo and their colleagues described their experiment Feb. 22 in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. Wilson and Kram rest their log on supports called "tokmas." WIRED Media Group Rather it argues that it was a center of astronomy and cosmology and that a primary purpose for the construction of the elaborate Chacoan buildings and certain roads was to express astronomical interests and to be integral parts of a celestial patterning.While the Chacoans left no written text to help us to understand their culture, their thoughts are preserved in the language of their architecture, roads and light markings. He and Wilson decided to read everything they could about the properties of dried wood. The astronomical evidence presented supports the idea that people with at least three distinct cosmological intents collaborated at Chaco; it also supports Van Dykes hypothesis that Late Bonito phase construction at Chaco represented an attempt by a weakened ritual elite to reinvigorate their legitimacy and power. A 1925 publication featured a photograph depicting eight young men from Zuni Pueblo carrying a log: four on each side holding thin cross-poles at hip height, with the log laid on top. Chaco is also an enduring enigma for researchers. Weiner said the team's results show that supplying Chaco Canyon with goods may not have been as back-breaking an undertaking as archaeologists once assumed. Why did this society, ancestors of. The film challenges the notion that Chaco Canyon was primarily a trade and redistribution center. During the same time period, SSE orientation was dominant in the Totah region to the north at sites including Aztec and Chimney Rock. Landscape, directions, sun and moon, and movement of shadow and light were the materials used by the Chacoan architects and builders to express their knowledge of an order in the universe.This is the long-awaited sequel to Anna Sofaers classic film THE SUN DAGGER, which changed forever our perception of Americas earliest Indian peoples. There is one account of the timbers for Pueblo Bonita being hauled on little wagons made of a small tree, with a cross-section at either end serving as a rudimentary wheel. Thousands of people, the ancestors of today's Din, or Navajo, and Pueblo peoples, may have lived there from around A.D. 850 to 1200. The ancient Native American ruins of a Great House in Chaco Culture National Historical Park She chanced to record petroglyphs on Fajada Butte at what is now called the Sun Dagger or Three Slab site, now perhaps the most famous site in Chaco Canyon, located at a southeastern facing cliff near the top of Fajada Butte. The Mystery of Chaco Canyon 2000 0 hr 56 mins Documentary NR Watchlist Robert Redford narrates this report exploring magnificent 1000-year-old Native American ruins in Chaco Canyon, N.M. At. Read our affiliate link policy. Human porters would have needed to carry 16-foot-long wooden beamsto Chaco Canyon by footfollowing a network of ancient roads to sites like the Chuska Mountains to the west. Click here to sign in with A new explanation of the mystery is emerging. In the center of America's Four Corners Region, Chaco Canyon is an arid, desolate place, sprinkled with the occasional, lonely juniper tree, cactus, or sage bush. Abstract. He and Wilson decided to read everything they could about the properties of dried wood. sand point country club membership fee, ninth largest city in germany crossword clue,

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