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. And the published oral traditions and ethnography of the Pueblo and Dineo peoples descended from the Chachoans don't shed much light on the issue, either. And they decided to test whether the journey was possible themselves. 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. This program presents evidence that the Chacoan people expressed a complex solar and lunar cosmology in their magnificent architecture.The Mystery of Chaco Canyon, airing Monday, October 31, 2011 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV/HD (DT21.1/cable 11 and 1011), examines the deep mysteries presented by the massive prehistoric architectural remains found in Chaco Canyon in northwest New Mexico. Ancient Mona Lisa Mosaic Of Kadirli Discovered, 2500-Year-Old Objects Made From Goat Bones Discovered In Turkeys City Of Aigai, Fragment Of Unique Egyptian Sphinx Unearthed In North Israel, Ancient Symbol Seed Of Life Contains Hidden Secrets Of The Seven Days Of Creation, Siege Of Alesia: Last Decisive Battle That Ended Gallic Independence In France And Belgium, Ostrich Eggs Dated More Than 4,000 Years Discovered In Negev Desert Of Southern Israel, Artifacts Shed Light On 2,100-Year-Old Jewish Town In Judea Dated Back To Hasmonean-Era. Study Traces DNA Of Inca Emperors To Their Modern-Day Descendants, 2,000-Year Old Engraved Kurdistan Tablet Referring To A Hellenistic Ruler Demetrius Analyzed, Does A 2,000-Year-Old Tomb Belong To Marquis of Haihun? 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. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no 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. (Credit: NPS). Engineered roads stretch across dozens of miles in straight lines to significant landforms, but with little evidence of travel or trade. Chaco Canyon sits near the border between New Mexico and Colorado. I multiplied by 16 feet and realized, That cant add up to 275 kilograms.. James Wilson and Rodger Kram carry a log with tumplines with the Boulder Foothills in the background. That photograph influenced many of the proposed mechanisms for transporting the logs. The one hour documentary, narrated by Robert Redford . The teaching materials in the Guide are designed to be used with the film THE MYSTERY OF CHACO CANYON. "It's just a dumb way to carry a heavy object.". Explore how the Chacoan people expressed a complex solar and lunar cosmology in their arch, The Mystery of Chaco Canyon is a local public television program presented by. Pueblo Indians, descendants of the Chacoan people, regard Chaco as a place where their ancestors lived in a sacred past. "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. Then the researchers hit on the idea of tumplines, which are depicted in ceramic effigies recovered from close to Chaco Canyon. Get The Mystery of Chaco Canyon from the Microsoft Store These achievements emerged a thousand years ago in the exceptionally demanding environment of New Mexicos San Juan Basin. Directed by Anna Sofaer. They estimated that a 16-foot-long pine log weighed closer to 85 kilograms, or just over 185 pounds. The duo and their colleagues described their experiment Feb. 22 in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. The most uncomfortable part, Wilson noted, was the strap of the tumpline rubbing into his head. Kram got interested in Chaco Canyon several years ago. The Mystery of Chaco Canyon Unveiling the Ancient Astronomy The site remains one of the most important . DNA Offers Clues to Mysterious Crypt in Ancient Pueblo - History In a remote canyon in northwestern New Mexico sits one of America's greatest historical treasures and one of the Southwest's greatest mysteries. By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Privacy Policy A Study of Southwestern Archaeology | The University of Utah Press The team's findings show that the key to this testament to human labor may have been simple devices called tumplines. Ancient Chaco Canyon population likely relied on imported food, Molecular atlas of spider silk production could help bring unparalleled material to market, Tracing the history of grape domestication using genome sequencing, Students ate less meat in the three years after hearing talk on its negative environmental impacts, Giving plants animal antibodies to help them ward off diseases, Determining the tempo of evolution across species, Science X Daily and the Weekly Email Newsletter are free features that allow you to receive your favorite sci-tech news updates in your email inbox. Archaeologists have long been puzzled as to how the ancestral Puebloans managed to carry those heavy building materials that far - as much 60 miles away. Archaeology February 22, 2023 How scientists hauling logs on their heads may have solved a Chaco Canyon mystery by Daniel Strain, University of Colorado at Boulder James Wilson, left, and. Chaco Canyon - Pueblo Bonito So there is lots of mystery surrounding Chaco Canyon. The duo wanted to find out if such a journey would be possible. As the title states - they used their heads but not just by thinking about it. They first tried carrying a log on their shoulders. "As these guys showed, you don't have to be super trained to carry a log," he said. Being Native American myself (Cherokee) I felt odd about the spot being studied, trespassed upon if you will. Kram said the next step is to do more experimental work - this time, on location at Chaco Canyon, where they can demonstrate the tumpline method works as they trace the ancient hauling routes of the ancestral Puebloans. Explore how the Chacoan people expressed a complex solar and lunar cosmology in their archMoreMore, Chaco Canyon, located in northwest New Mexico, is perhaps the only site in the world constructed in an elaborate pattern that mirrors the yearly cycle of the sun and the 19-year cycle of the moon. CU Boulder researchers have found that airborne coronavirus remains infectious for twice as long in drier airin part because saliva serves as a protective barrier around the virus, especially at low humidity levels. But how this society got its construction supplies has been a long-standing mystery. Ancient Observatories: Chaco Canyon - Exploratorium The Mystery of Chaco Canyon TV Movie 1999 56 m IMDb RATING 7.3 /10 212 YOUR RATING Rate Documentary America's Stonehenge? New aerial cinematography and lidar--an aerial laser-scanning technology--are revealing a vast network of linear . The Mystery of Chaco Canyon and The Sun Dagger are available for HOME use and for EDUCATIONAL use. The ancient Native American ruins of a Great House in Chaco Culture National Historical Park Jen has worked at KPBS since 2000. The documentary is very well done, but its the PLACE thats the subject here. In Handbook of Landscape Archaeology, edited by Bruno David and Julian Thomas, pp. Chaco Canyon Day Tour - Heritage Inspirations LLC There are no preserved timber scrape marks near the site, and the people of Chaco Canyon didn't have draft animals or even wheels, according to Kram and his co-authors. "I multiplied by 16 feet and realized, 'That can't add up to 275 kilograms.'". Understanding that it was sacred to a People was what mattered. 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. 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. He and Wilson decided to read everything they could about the properties of dried wood. 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. Astronomical analysis of 10th to 12th century A.D. cultural evidence at Chaco Canyon New Mexico began in the 1970s. Colorado Sun. Kram rewrote history when he published a paper showing the Chaco logs were actually much lighter, weighing closer to 200 pounds. America's Stonehenge?America's Stonehenge?America's Stonehenge? The great number of circular ritual structures, called kivas, tell of large-scale ceremonies, possibly drawing thousands of pilgrims from across the region of the Four Corners. The Late Bonito calendrical Great Houses may have been intended as pilgrimage destinations where people could witness a dramatic solstice sunrise or sunset. We can remove the first video in the list to add this one. In the process, we get a whole new picture of the intelligence at work behind Chacoan society and its architectureThe Mystery of Chaco Canyon interweaves a narrative that is both attentive to indigenous thought and values, and robustly grounded in the rigors of scientific method. Kiva: Journal of Southwestern Anthropology and History, Cosmology, Calendars, and Horizon-Based Astronomy in Ancient Mesoamerica, Astronomy and Cultural Diversity. The study found that about 1 in 6 adult deaths in the U.S. are related to excess weight or obesity. People relied on an ordered and organized spatiotemporal natural world domesticated in culture, into which human life could be embedded and from which life received a deeper spirit and purpose. Examines the enigmas presented by the prehistoric remains found in Chaco Canyon in New Mexico. "These timbers brought pieces of the sacred mountains to Chaco Canyon.". Kram got interested in Chaco Canyon several years ago. Join the Ars Orbital Transmission mailing list to get weekly updates delivered to your inbox. Keep up with all the latest news, arts and culture, and TV highlights from KPBS. Hundreds of mysterious, ancient structures haunt this canyon and the entire region, meticulously aligned along the paths of the Sun, Moon, and constellation Orion. Scientists may have solved a Chaco Canyon mystery by hauling logs with Stolen Ancient Artifacts of Chaco Canyon Anasazzi - YouTube Learn more about our captivating exploration of ancient astronomy in the American Southwest, directed by the Solstice Project founder Anna Sofaer and narrated by Robert Redford. The mystery of Chaco Canyon | Colorado Mountain College 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. Adjust the colors to reduce glare and give your eyes a break. You can download the paper by clicking the button above. 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. "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.". Chaco is central to the origins of several Navajo clans and ceremonies. See production, box office & company info, Self - Laguna Pueblo Council member - this is not the same Paul Pino in your database, The Extraordinary Tale of William Buckley: The great untold story of Australia's Robinson Crusoe, Australia's Lost Gold: The Legend of Lasseter. He and Wilson, who was then an undergraduate in biochemistry at the University of Colorado, Boulder, read up on the properties of dried wood and published their conclusions last year. Lekson suggests that much of what we believe about the ancient Southwest should be radically revised. The SSE orientation tradition continued during the peak of Bonito Phase construction activity (A.D. 1020-1100). 1999. Thank you for taking time to provide your feedback to the editors. It proved worthwhile, though, because their efforts helped prove that the multiple-tumpline method was viable. The teams findings suggest that the key to this testament to human labor may have been simple devices called tumplines. 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). Register to request a quote. THE MYSTERY OF CHACO CANYON examines the deep enigmas presented by the massive prehistoric remains found in Chaco Canyon in northwestern New Mexico. 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. The solitary tree was once thought to represent the living "center of the world" for the people of Pueblo Bonito, the largest of Chaco Canyon's "great houses," which was occupied between A.D. 850 . For general feedback, use the public comments section below (please adhere to guidelines). See page 43 of attached scanned book. Summaries America's Stonehenge? They first tried carrying a log on their shoulders. Search For His Seal Continues, Proof That Neanderthals Ate Crabs 90,000 Years Ago Is Another Nail In The Coffin For Primitive Cave Dweller Stereotypes. So how did the ancestral Puebloans manage it? Dr. Brad Eden, UNLV, MC Journal'Make(s) a compelling case for this ancient people's astronomical prowess. 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. 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. The Mystery of Chaco Canyon (TV Movie 1999) - IMDb Archaeological evidence suggests thatancient peoplesin the Southwest employed tumplines woven from yucca plants to transport everyday items like food and water. 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. I am grateful to Anna Sofaer for involving me in her decades-long passion to explain this extraordinary and magical place.Robert Redford, The videobecomes part of the ongoing dialogue between archeologists, anthropologists, and native peoples(Its) a multi-level phenomenon, like Chaco, which embraces complexity, beauty and mystery.Rina Swentzell, Architect, Santa Clara Pueblo, 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.