Chaco Canyon Essay

Chaco Canyon, in the American Southwest, has been a treasure trove of archaeological evidence that gives insight as well as questions to answer in respect of the extent of the contact with Mesoamerica. The classic period of Chaco, AD 900, sees a rise in ceremonial objects ( Judge,4). Originally attributed to the “height” of Chaco’s dominance , AD 1040-1100, 33 scarlet macaw remains have been excavated, (Powell,1), while the more than 400 total remains have been unearthed in the region, (Watson,1). References have been seen in the artifacts including depictions on ceramics from the era, (Noble, Plate 12). New studies have been focusing on the macaws of Chaco and they push their appearance back further into the history of Pueblo tradition. The study of the macaws, found in Pueblo Bonito, with the use of newer technologic advances, such as a high-precision

Though early speculation of breeding further north the artificial evidence is lacking, it is here that small nesting boxes are evidenced in the record Casa Grandes (Minnis, 271). Common beliefs originally sees Casa Grandes having a tight hold on the distribution of the macaws and their feathers. In a 1993 study by Paul Minnis et al, there may be a source of macaw feathers and breeding in outlaying south central Chihuahua that is not under the dominance of the Paquime (Minnis,274). Whether the feathers found in the American Southwest are found to be from direct trade with the peoples down in the southern most area of Mesoamerica, and their large complexes, or through trade within the Chihuahua in northern Mexico, the use of these feathers in ceremonial artifacts and depiction in craft/ pottery works, shows the value of this unusual resource supplied from