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. of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History. In consequence and accompanying hominid evolution, which caused a partially freeing up from strong drives, organizing the world into a meaningful consistent and dynamic framework of interacting subsystems was necessary to integrate and orientate the human lifeworld within changing natural ecospheres. Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer. We chose a forest road up here in the foothills and outside of Nederland and we walked up and down this darn road. The Mystery of Chaco Canyon. LiDAR and 3D modeling Reveal Untold Stories of Chaco Canyon The Mystery of Chaco Canyon (1999) - YouTube Rodger Kram, associate professor emeritus of integrative physiology, and James Wilson, then an undergraduate studying biochemistry, spent the summer of 2020 training for an impressive test of endurance: Together, they carried a ponderosa pine log weighing more than 130 pounds for 15 miles up and down a forest road in Boulder County, Coloradoand they did it using only their heads in a technique inspired, in part, by sherpas in Nepal. The two made three round trips over the course of the day. Speaker: Anna Sofaer and her colleagues Robert Weiner and Richard Friedman. Chaco is central to the origins of several Navajo clans and ceremonies. 1,000 Years Ago, Ancient Puebloans Built a Mysteriously Vast City. We 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. THE MYSTERY OF CHACO CANYON helps students to appreciate the scientific and cultural achievements of a significant civilization in pre-Columbian North America. Chaco Culture - UNESCO World Heritage Centre It's still not a piece of cake to haul a 200 pound log 60 miles, Kram said. They used sticks called tokmas, which Nepalese sherpas also employ, to take breaks, resting the log without lowering it all the way to the ground. The EDUCATIONAL version has an accompanying Teachers Study Guide. Chaco Canyon, NM | Lolo's Extreme Cross Country RV Trips The number, Kram discovered, could be traced back to a study published in the 1980s. The documentary is very well done, but its the PLACE thats the subject here. The Solstice Project and Anna Sofaer give us a new view of Chaco Canyon and ancient North America correcting long-standing prejudices: the colonial insistence of savages on a continent that was, in fact, teeming with cities and civilizations Sometimes it takes a jolt or shock to open our eyes to reality, and the Solstice Project has been high amperage. Stephen Lekson, Professor Emeritus, University of Colorado Boulder, editor of "The Architecture of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico", "I am grateful to Anna Sofaer for involving me in her decades-long passion to explain this extraordinary and magical place." Credit: Patrick Campbell/CU Boulder, "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. Your feedback is important to us. Nonetheless, there is general acceptance among archaeologists of the idea that visual astronomy had a role in Chacoan culture, if for no other reason than to provide a calendrical system. Two hours later a rock chimney allows a narrow beam of sunlight to pass through, forming a Sun Dagger that illuminates the petroglyphs beneath it in a dynamic manner, similar to the solar marker located upon Fajada Butte in Chaco Canyon. The Mystery of Chaco Canyon - [PDF Document] 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. Krams big insight was that multiple tumplines could have been attached, side by side, to a single log, allowing several people to share the load. Survey results were assessed in the context of positional astronomy, Pueblo ethnography, and the archaeological record including published construction dates for the sites. UC research proves ancient Chaco Canyon deforestation - UC News Ever since she discovered the Sun Dagger, Anna Sofaer and her Solstice Project team of researchers have been exploring the enigmas posed by the massive prehistoric ruins in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. Surprisingly, these buildings that required such large investment of labor and planning reveal little evidence of residential use. Read our affiliate link policy. Tumplines are hardly a new innovation. The sample of Chacoan Great Houses assessed for astronomical associations was unchanged from the mid 1990s to 2007. What is known is that beginning around the mid-800s, Chaco people began building here, creating multi-story stone buildings on a grand scale. Colorado scientists form a better picture after uncovering the earliest known female infant burial site in Europe, U.S. Officials To Put Off Oil Leases Near Sacred Tribal Land. When I watched this I had mixed feelings. 1.The purpose of the construction of the Fajada Butte calendar. (Credit: Patrick Campbell/CU Boulder) By Daniel Strain, Nicholas Goda Feb. 22, 2023 Complete List Of Included Worksheets. The film reveals that between 850 and 1150 AD, the Chacoan people designed and constructed massive ceremonial buildings in a complex celestial pattern . The Mystery of Chaco Canyon. Chaco Canyon, the Architectural Heart of the Anasazi - ThoughtCo This document is subject to copyright. Visit the Chaco Web Exhibit. They hit a hiking pace with the log of just under 3 mphnot much slower than their normal walking speed. Scientists may have solved a Chaco Canyon mystery by hauling logs with THE MYSTERY OF CHACO CANYON examines the deep enigmas presented by the massive prehistoric remains found in Chaco Canyon in northwestern New Mexico. The average logs that were carried to build these great houses at Chaco were about 16 feet long, so I multiplied it by 16, he said. New Mexico's Chaco Canyon is home to some of the most impressive pre-Columbian architecture in the Western Hemisphere. "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. 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. How scientists hauling logs on their heads may have solved a Chaco James Wilson and Rodger Kram carry a log with tumplines with the Boulder Foothills in the background. It is the summation of 20 years of research. The duo and their colleaguesdescribed their experimentFeb. 22 in theJournal of Archaeological Science: Reports. For decades, people have wondered how ancient ancestral Puebloans transported heavy building materials to Chaco Canyon, one of the most important archaeological sites in the Southwest. Lecture: Chacoan Astronomy, Cosmography, Roads, and Ritual Power: Insights into the Chaco World Using New Technologies. In a new study, several researchers at CUBoulder reenacted a small part of a trek that people in what is today the SouthwestUnited States may have made more than 1,000 years ago. Gazing at the horizon: heavenly phenomena and cultural preferences within northwest Scotland? Then the researchers hit on the idea of tumplines, which are depicted in ceramic effigiesrecovered from close to Chaco Canyon. The Mystery of Chaco Canyon Contemporary Pueblo Indians, descendants of the Chacoans, speak in the film of the spiritual significance of Chaco in their world today. Within the published archaeoastronomy work attention to Pueblo ethnography, archaeological evidence including temporal data, statistical significance, and the consideration of multiple hypotheses has varied widely. That's where we go to heal, to pray,' said Weiner, who will receive his doctorate in anthropology from CU Boulder later this spring. Since its release in 2000, our award-winning film, that our award-winning film, The Mystery of Chaco Canyon is now, the DVD of our full-length documentary on, US Release Date: 1999; Copyright Date: 1999, Silver Plaque, The Chicago International Television Competition, Bronze Plaque, Columbus International Film & Video Festival, Honorable Mention, The Archaeology Channel International Film & Video Festival, American Museum of Natural History, New York, National Museum of National History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC. The mountains are the most sacred places for the descendant Din and Pueblo peoples. Dr. Gerald S. Hawkins, Commissioner, History of Astronomy, International Astronomical Union'A captivating look at one of the most impressive archaeological sites in North AmericaAnna Sofaer reveals the solar and lunar complexity of Chacoan buildings with impressive visual economy and clarity. The Mystery of CHACO CANYON - YouTube The biggest mystery in North America is Chaco Canyon . The latest theory is that the Chacoans may have used simple devices called tumplines, still favored by sherpas in Nepal, according to a new paper published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. See page 43 of attached scanned book. Archaeologist Bill Lipe thinks religion was a . This small calendar allowed for those living at Chaco Canyon to determine the beginning . The sun beam lines up with different spirals or edges on the equinoxes and solstices. Airs Wednesday, July 3, 2019 at 11 p.m. on KPBS TV. The Mystery of CHACO CANYON - YouTube of Anthropology, Sarah Lawrence College'It does an outstanding job of weaving Pueblo traditions of migration and human agency into scientific accounts of the past at Chaco Canyon, affording both forms of knowledge the respect they deservehelps place Pueblo people in their contemporary context, as well as explain the pastI highly recommend it.' CNMN Collection These elaborate roads and kivas aren't visible to the naked eye or even through aerial photography. Pueblo descendants say that Chaco was a special gathering place where many peoples and clans converged to share their ceremonies, traditions, and knowledge. The film reveals that between 850 and 1150 AD, the Chacoan people designed and constructed massive ceremonial buildings in a complex celestial pattern throughout a vast desert region. After three months of training with tumplines for six or seven days a week, Kram and Wilson were ready to try a real log. Left Coat Press, Walnut Creek CA. Kram hypothesized that they pulled it off with tumplines straps that allow freight to be suspended from the top of the head, making it physiologically easier to lug heavy loads. Returning to the historical treasure of Chaco Canyon | ASU News Published work includes a variety of proposals including horizon calendars, solar calendrical constructs in architecture, cardinal North-South and/or East-West (NS/EW) alignments of architecture and roads, building alignments to lunar standstills or June solstice sunrise, wall alignments to equinox sunrise or sunset, and the positioning of structures at observation points for horizon calendrical stations. The film has also streamed at 130 colleges and universities where 5,000 viewings have taken place in classrooms, student centers, dorm rooms and apartments for a total time viewed of 1,800 hours. 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 . The Mystery of Chaco Canyon | haydenwalling Directed by Anna Sofaer. To test that hypothesis, co-authors Rodger Kram and James Wilson spent the summer of 2020 training until they could haul a heavy log some 15 miles using tumplines. "It's just a dumb way to carry a heavy object.". Dec 3, 2018. It's likely the best way to do it.. The new Great Houses built during the Late Bonito phase at Chaco after A.D. 1100 are all either involved in inter-site cardinal NS alignments, or positioned at or in proximity to observing locations that can function as solstice calendrical stations. They built Great Houses, which were as much as four stories tall and contained hundreds of rooms. Jen is a web producer at KPBS, responsible for program promotion, online membership-related activities, and is the editor of the KPBS community calendar. Murphy said it's not uncommon to see lights moving among the ruins or to hear sounds coming from parts of the canyon.. And I had thoughts, gut feelings, about the place itself. America's Stonehenge?America's Stonehenge?America's Stonehenge? I have found that a majority of the studied Chacoan structures to conform to one or more of four architectural traditions that have astronomical associations. As these guys showed, you dont have to be super trained to carry a log, he said. the mystery of chaco canyon transcript. Archaeological Collection - Chaco Culture - National Park Service The teaching materials in the Guide are designed to be used with the film THE MYSTERY OF CHACO CANYON. Get weekly and/or daily updates delivered to your inbox. This is the long-awaited sequel to Anna Sofaer's classic film THE SUN DAGGER, which changed forever our perception of America's earliest Indian peoples.THE MYSTERY OF CHACO CANYON examines the deep enigmas presented by the massive prehistoric remains found in Chaco Canyon in northwestern New Mexico. They built "Great Houses," which were as much as four stories tall and contained hundreds of rooms. James A. Wilson et al, Were timbers transported to Chaco using tumplines? The largest structure built in the US until the early 1890's is Pueblo Bonito . On todays show, we hear from two Colorado scientists who recently discovered one of the oldest female infant burial sites in a cave in Europe. 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.. "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. Ancient Chaco. 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. In a 2022 study, they and their colleagues estimated that a pine log measuring about 16 feet long probably weighed closer to 85 kilograms (a little over 185 pounds). That's where we go to heal, to pray,'" said Weiner, who will receive his doctorate in anthropology from CU Boulder later this spring. Ad Choices. Join this. I've heard people say, 'That's our church. Use one of the services below to sign in to PBS: You've just tried to add this video to My List. In a 2022 study, they and their colleagues estimated that a pine log measuring about 16 feet long probably weighed closer to 85 kilograms (a little over 185 pounds). Archaeological evidence suggests that ancient peoples in the Southwest employed tumplines woven from yucca plants to transport everyday items like food and water. Symbolically, the centerline of each of the three nearby Hooper Ranch Pueblo kivas aligns with this ancient Sun Dagger shrine. 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 information you enter will appear in your e-mail message and is not retained by Phys.org in any form. Today, the legacy of the extraordinary Chaco culture is threatened by both natural and human developments. 167-175. "The mountains are the most sacred places for the descendant Din and Pueblo peoples. 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. They first tried carrying a log on their shoulders. DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2023.103876, Provided by "We feel that it is dubious to infer Chaco era timber transportation methods from a staged 20th century image," they wrote. Ancient Desert Mystery Did Thousands Vanish Without A Trace Because Of An Ominous Prophecy And Revenge? They used sticks called "tokmas," which Nepalese sherpas also employ, to take breaks, resting the log without lowering it all the way to the ground. The field work, conducted under National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management permits, included compass survey, theodolite survey, and photography at a total of 28 sites. The team's 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. 56 minutes, color. I've heard people say: That's our church. Kiva: Journal of Southwestern Anthropology and History, Cosmology, Calendars, and Horizon-Based Astronomy in Ancient Mesoamerica, Astronomy and Cultural Diversity. 56 minutes, color. It's now a Guinness World Record, Hundreds of students march on the Colorado Capitol to demand action on gun violence, Nevada tribe claims desecration as digging begins at site of planned lithium mine, What was life like 10,000 years ago? The Mysterious Books Of Prophecies Of The Knights Templar Where Are They Hidden? 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.