A few literary adventures in the southwest

I recently had the pleasure of traveling in the southwest. I wanted to share some of the books my journey touched on.

We spent 4 days in Chaco Canyon. It is a magical place. Very few Americans know about the fascinating history of the Anasazi and other southwest Indians. Recent archaeological research points to a huge empire, not unlike the Incas and Aztecs in geographic scope, centered in Chaco Canyon, NM. Many people are aware of the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde. As amazing as they are, they are dwarfed by Chaco, especially Pueblo Bonito, shown in an architect’s reconstructed image above. Massive buildings, 800 rooms, scattered across and above the canyon.

I wrote a bit about the region and it’s history on my personal blog. Crazy stuff. Signal fires communicating between mountain tops 50 miles apart. Ancient roads running hundreds of miles in a straight line. Ritual cannibalism.

http://www.viking2917.com/its-right-under-your-nose/

If you want to read more about Chaco and this “lost” empire, there’s no finer place to start than Stephen Lekson’s book The Chaco Meridian. Lekson is the complete opposite of the dry academic — his books and papers are replete with Monty Python jokes, horrible puns and the like, and he’s quite controversial in his field, and politely merciless to his detractors. You’ll enjoy it.

The Chaco Meridian

In this return to his lively, provocative reconceptualization of the meaning of Chaco Canyon and its monumental 11th-century structures, Stephen H. Lekson expands—over time and distance—our understanding of the political and economic integration of the American Southwest.Lekson’s argument that Chaco did not stand alone, but rather was the first of three capitals in a vast networked region incorporating most of the Pueblo world has gained credence over the past 15 years. Here, he marshals new evidence and new interpretations to further the case for ritual astronomical alignment of monumental structures and cities, great ceremonial roads, and the shift of the regional capital first from Chaco Canyon to the Aztec Ruins site and then to Paquimé, all located on the same longitudinal meridian. Along the line from Aztec to Paquimé, Lekson synthesizes 1000 years of Southwestern prehistory—explaining phenomena as diverse as the Great North Road, macaw feathers, Pueblo mythology, the recycling of iconic symbols over time, founder burials, and the rise of kachina ceremonies—to yield a fascinating argument that will interest anyone concerned with the prehistory and history of the American Southwest.

https://www.thehawaiiproject.com/book/The-Chaco-Meridian-One-Thousand-Years-of-Political-and-Religious-Power-in-the-Ancient-Southwest--by--Stephen-H.-Lekson--176285

And for exploring the territory and getting a sense of the land and how it influences the history of the Anasazi, Craig Child’s House of Rain is magic.

House of Rain

In this landmark work on the Anasazi tribes of the Southwest, naturalist Craig Childs dives head on into the mysteries of this vanished people. The various tribes that made up the Anasazi people converged on Chaco Canyon (New Mexico) during the 11th century to create a civilization hailed as “the Las Vegas of its day,“ a flourishing cultural center that attracted pilgrims from far and wide, and a vital crossroads of the prehistoric world. By the 13th century, however, Chaco’s vibrant community had disappeared without a trace. Was it drought? Pestilence? War? Forced migration, mass murder or suicide? Conflicting theories have abounded for years, capturing the North American imagination for eons.Join Craig Childs as he draws on the latest scholarly research, as well as a lifetime of exploration in the forbidden landscapes of the American Southwest, to shed new light on this compelling mystery. He takes us from Chaco Canyon to the highlands of Mesa Verde, to the Mongollon Rim; to a contemporary Zuni community where tribal elders maintain silence about the fate of their Lost Others; and to the largely unexplored foothills of the Sierra Madre in Mexico, where abundant remnants of Anasazi culture lie yet to be uncovered.

https://www.thehawaiiproject.com/book/House-of-Rain-Tracking-a-Vanished-Civilization-Across-the-American-Southwest--by--Craig-Childs--141622

Tomorrow, we hit Santa Fe. George R.R. Martin territory!

(for a great list of books about the ancient southwest, check out this list on The Hawaii Project.)