Recommended listening: Carlos Nakai's Canyon Trilogy
Story
In the heart of Chaco Canyon, something great was beginning. Pueblo Bonito, the largest house ever built there, was already home to a large population, but it had another function - one that would eventually supersede its residential purpose. For some reason, Pueblo Bonito was becoming a site of great ritual importance, and as the gaps between Chaco elites and the regular people widened, one woman's family line was set apart from the rest. We don't know her name, or the name of the daughter who succeeded her. We don't even know what language she spoke, since her modern Pueblo descendants speak several unrelated tongues. But we do know that she and her daughter were buried in the most high-status tomb in the entire canyon, interred with their ancestors and their descendants in the hallowed centre of Old Bonito.
From the ninth to the twelfth century, Chaco Canyon was home to a powerful culture. A great network of roads was built connecting Chaco to local pilgrimage sites, and the canyon's wealthy residents imported exotic goods like turquoise, seashells and even live parrots. They also brought large amounts of timber into the canyon to fuel their unprecedented levels of construction. While people still debate the exact use of great houses like Pueblo Bonito, the latest theories suggest that while Chaco exported no material goods, it exported ritual prestige. Much as a medieval cleric might visit Rome to enhance his reputation back home and make powerful contacts that reinforced his own status in his community, so too leaders flocked from all over the Southwest to take part in Chaco's rituals and return home with their own ritual power legitimized. The region's climate was unforgiving, so ritual experts paired knowledge of versatile farming techniques with a direct line of communication to the gods to ensure that the precious little rainfall could be put to good use to feed their people.
A recent study demonstrated that all of the burials in Old Bonito, the core of what would later become the largest building north of Mexico, shared one thing: mitochondrial DNA. That means that all of the burials, men and women spread across a period of 330 years, were related in the maternal line. The mother and daughter pictured here were members of what researchers call "an elite matriline". They were surrounded by markers of their wealth and ritual leadership - precious turquoise jewellery, necklaces made out of imported seashells, and sacred pipes. They both lived around 1000 AD and must have held great power in the community to merit such auspicious burials. To this day, many Pueblo societies are matrilineal. I drew the mother here showing her daughter the ponderosa pine that occupied a place of great importance in the courtyard of Pueblo Bonito. The tree's significance is unknown to outside researchers, but what matters is that she was teaching her daughter about the ritual landscape that she would develop an intimate relationship with as she got older.
From the ninth to the twelfth century, Chaco Canyon was home to a powerful culture. A great network of roads was built connecting Chaco to local pilgrimage sites, and the canyon's wealthy residents imported exotic goods like turquoise, seashells and even live parrots. They also brought large amounts of timber into the canyon to fuel their unprecedented levels of construction. While people still debate the exact use of great houses like Pueblo Bonito, the latest theories suggest that while Chaco exported no material goods, it exported ritual prestige. Much as a medieval cleric might visit Rome to enhance his reputation back home and make powerful contacts that reinforced his own status in his community, so too leaders flocked from all over the Southwest to take part in Chaco's rituals and return home with their own ritual power legitimized. The region's climate was unforgiving, so ritual experts paired knowledge of versatile farming techniques with a direct line of communication to the gods to ensure that the precious little rainfall could be put to good use to feed their people.
A recent study demonstrated that all of the burials in Old Bonito, the core of what would later become the largest building north of Mexico, shared one thing: mitochondrial DNA. That means that all of the burials, men and women spread across a period of 330 years, were related in the maternal line. The mother and daughter pictured here were members of what researchers call "an elite matriline". They were surrounded by markers of their wealth and ritual leadership - precious turquoise jewellery, necklaces made out of imported seashells, and sacred pipes. They both lived around 1000 AD and must have held great power in the community to merit such auspicious burials. To this day, many Pueblo societies are matrilineal. I drew the mother here showing her daughter the ponderosa pine that occupied a place of great importance in the courtyard of Pueblo Bonito. The tree's significance is unknown to outside researchers, but what matters is that she was teaching her daughter about the ritual landscape that she would develop an intimate relationship with as she got older.
Artist's Comments
It was so much fun working on the next picture in my Women of 1000 AD series. Chaco Canyon has fascinated me ever since I first learned about it over a year ago. This drawing was definitely a labour of love. It took some research to figure out what Old Bonito looked like before the construction boom of the 11th century, but I was aided by Brian Fagan's Chaco Canyon as well as many helpful websites. The jewellery in the picture is based on real examples excavated in the Old Bonito burial, and the apron is based on a Zuni textile. The scan made the canyon wall in the background a darker orange than in the original, but I like how both versions make the canyon look like a great wall of flame. ~ May 15, 2018
Note: More information is available about this illustration on the Bloopers page!
Note: More information is available about this illustration on the Bloopers page!
Resources
Want to learn more about life at the height of Chaco Canyon's heyday and in the American Southwest in general? Here are some recommended resources.
Pueblo Indian History for Kids
A great introduction to the history and modern culture of the Pueblo tribes who descend from the residents of Chaco Canyon. Good for readers of all ages who want to get their bearings before digging into the more detailed archaeological research about the Ancestral Pueblo. You can find a version aimed at older children and adults here.
Chaco Culture National Park
Official National Park Service website of the Chaco Culture National Park, the third-most visited UNESCO World Heritage site in the Western Hemisphere.
Chaco Canyon by Brian Fagan
Archaeologist Brian Fagan does a great job synthesising archaeological research at the site, though some of his characterisations of previous archaeologists are romanticised when considered against their often exploitative relationship with the local communities. The book features vignettes that really bring Chaco Canyon's ancient inhabitants to life.
"Archaeogenomic evidence reveals prehistoric matrilineal dynasty" by Kennett, Plog, George et al
The academic article analysing the mitochondrial DNA of the individuals buried in Room 33 in Old Bonito. Pretty technical but offers incredible insights into the science behind the women.
Pueblo Indian Languages
Learn more about the six Pueblo languages - Hopi, Keres, Tewa, Tiwa, Towa/Jemez and Zuñi - and their associated tribes. You can also find Pueblo legends and stories on this website.
Pueblo Indian History for Kids
A great introduction to the history and modern culture of the Pueblo tribes who descend from the residents of Chaco Canyon. Good for readers of all ages who want to get their bearings before digging into the more detailed archaeological research about the Ancestral Pueblo. You can find a version aimed at older children and adults here.
Chaco Culture National Park
Official National Park Service website of the Chaco Culture National Park, the third-most visited UNESCO World Heritage site in the Western Hemisphere.
Chaco Canyon by Brian Fagan
Archaeologist Brian Fagan does a great job synthesising archaeological research at the site, though some of his characterisations of previous archaeologists are romanticised when considered against their often exploitative relationship with the local communities. The book features vignettes that really bring Chaco Canyon's ancient inhabitants to life.
"Archaeogenomic evidence reveals prehistoric matrilineal dynasty" by Kennett, Plog, George et al
The academic article analysing the mitochondrial DNA of the individuals buried in Room 33 in Old Bonito. Pretty technical but offers incredible insights into the science behind the women.
Pueblo Indian Languages
Learn more about the six Pueblo languages - Hopi, Keres, Tewa, Tiwa, Towa/Jemez and Zuñi - and their associated tribes. You can also find Pueblo legends and stories on this website.