--- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], "Klaus Stock" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hm, wait. "Little evidence of city life" and "was clearly at the heart of an > extensive trading network" appear contradictory to me. Well, at least when I > consider other historical examples of how trading opportunity and/or > activity lead to the appearance and/or growth of settlments and/or cities.
There certainly is a lot about Chaco Canyon that we don't fully understand. What we do know: 1) Many of the buildings at Chaco Canyon do not show signs of habitation - for example, heart remains, smoke stains on the walls and ceilings, trash middens, and artifacts of household goods. 2) To a rough approximation, in the Ancestral Puebloan world, "all roads lead to Chaco." The Ancestral Puebloan road system almost seems to radiate out of Chaco Canyon to other settlements. Now remember, these roads weren't totally practical - they maintained nearly straight lines over whatever obstacles were in the way. There is also archeological evidence of goods at Chaco that were traded from as far away as Mexico, the Pacific, and the Great Plains. My favorite interpretation of this evidence is that Chaco Canyon was a religious/spiritual center, that was home to perhaps an annual or biannual major festival, accompanied by a large trading market. Other interpretations of the evidence are certainly possible, however - and the National Park Service emphasizes that we certainly don't have all the evidence needed to make a completely convincing interpretation of just what Chaco Canyon was like. JDG _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
