The "Chaco Phenomenon"
...arly Indians to survive. Archaeologists found tool kits for hunting and discovered metates, which the women used to grind up food. A metate was a hard rock and when the women would put the food into it they used a small lone-handed mano to grind up the food. They continued to hunt and their main source of game was deer. They placed their campsites on higher grounds for a better water supply and used the water to cook food over hot rocks. From 4,000 to 3,000 B.C. there was another climate change, making it wetter and cooler with big animals and a large population growth. The early Indians’ children began to be a great asset. The more child labor they had the more free men they had. The food of these early Indian’s was much more reliable and by 3,000 B.C. the population had boomed. Thirty-thousand people now resided in New Mexico with 4-8 people per square miles. By 2,000 B.C., there was one person per square mile and food and movement were restricted. A time of transition then occurred from 2,000 to 500 B.C. The climate got wetter and squash and corn were introduced. The early Indians introduced a small cob-corn known as chapalote. During 1,500 B.C. corn was cultivated and the early Indians had very little food energy. They still hunted but didn’t live in permanent houses. When 500 B.C. came around they started harvest beans in small gardens. The climate and diets of the people were good and the population was growing. All of these elements were in place to switch to agriculture instead of hunting and gathering. A second time on transition occurred from 500 B.C. to 400 A.D. The weather changes to dry and hot and the food sources were dwindling. The early Indians start to rely on agriculture. I think they adopted this way of agriculture because they thought of it as a more efficient way of providing food for their families. The food could become reliable and this way the population of Anasazi would be able to thrive for a longer period of time. This was a more structured way of creating a civilization. This way they would be able to make their campsites more permanent. At first, the Anasazi created pit dwellings. The top of the dwelling was covered in brush and they had created a small storage unit outside of the home. By 1 A.D. the precipitation returned and this helped the agriculture. The early basket makers arrived from 1-400 A.D. They created better pit dwellings with a ladder and a fire pit inside. The Anasazi would live in groups of 3-5 in these new, more complex dwellings. The sizes of these were about 400 square feet and 1 to 1 ˝ feet deep. These early basket makers created a 2-handed mano, large stone axes, and the bow & arrow. The bow and arrow was used for hunting and defense. Burials seemed to carry significance also. They were scarce with small funeral offerings and covered with mounds of stone. They also built brush shelters called ramadas where they did their work. Most of the time was spent outside. Another transition had occurred during 400 A.D. The late basket makers created pottery over time and replaced the baskets with them. This way the Anasazi were able to put the pots right over the fire with no worries. The area a little south of the four corners region was where the Anasazi were located. They raised and domesticated turkey’s and used their feathers for clothing. During this period of time the houses of the Anasazi became more advanced. From 500-600 A.D. there were 10/12 dwellings per village. The families had their separate houses with mother, father, and kids with their own house and aunt, uncle, and kids with their own house. By this time, the earliest forms of kivas were introduced. It was like a community hall where you would talk, dance, worship, or plan. The burial places were closer to the homes and burial was a part of the continual cycle of life. They early basket makers traveled very long distances for trade, almost 300 miles. Life was not very easy for them. They were very hard workers and transformed hunting and gathering into farming, trading, and some luxury. The Pueblo periods started in 600 A.D. They created the pit house and people started to move above ground. Eventually, these were abandoned and between 800-1000 A.D. archaeologists find 10,000 new farmsteads. This is when they begin to develop great houses and occupy more of the four corners area. Great houses were built along the north side of Chaco Canyon along steep cliffs. The first three major towns were constructed during this time. Penasco Blanco, Pueblo Bonito, and Una Vida were all created and probably situated to catch water and defend themselves. The purposes of these great houses are unknown. I think they were most likely used for religious purposes. Chaco Canyon, as long as the agricultural products were surviving, was a good place to build the great houses and kivas. The canyon provided a good place to settle away from any other major population in the area. It supported their water needs at the time, which is a key to survival. The kivas were used to house families while the great houses were probably more storage oriented because of no light penetrating some of the walls. The “Chaco Phenomenon” came into play after 800 A.D. Penasco Blanco also known as the white rock point had 150 ground floors, 9 kivas and 1 great kiva. Casa Chiquita known as little house had 50 rooms, 3 stories, and 3 kivas. These are just a few of the cities created within Chaco Canyon. Some others include: Kin Kletso (tower kiva), Pueblo del Arroyo (tri-wall structure), Pueblo Bonito (largest), Chetro Ketl (2nd largest), Hungo Pavi, Una Vida, Wijiji (last built), and Pueblo Alto. All of these were built within Chaco Canyon. Many others cities were built outside of Chaco Canyon. These were known as the outliers. The great houses built outside of the canyon were built at the same time the ones inside were. These were known as the outliers. Pueblo Pincado was an outlier that was 18 miles from Wijiji. This contained 4 stories, 60 ground floors, 7 kivas, and ˝ great kiva. Pueblo Pincado was built around a farming community. There were approximately 100 outliers that were further south and west of the canyon. The Anasazi created beautiful roads. They made about 500 miles of roads that included the Great North Road, South Road, and etc. Seven roads departed from Pueblo Alto and all were long, straight, dark lines. The Great North Road went from Pueblo Alto to Cook Canyon and then to Aztec. This road went through miles of badlands and there were no communities along these roads. The South Roads were about 50 miles in length like the Great North Road. The roads were 12-15 feet wide or 20-30 feet wide. All were almost perfectly strai...