Treść książki

Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
16
contributetoadeeperunderstandingofthechangesinPueblosocietythatoccurredinthe
thirteenthcenturyA.D.andthecircumstancesthatmotivatedmigrationfromtheregion.
InChapterIV
,informationispresentedregardingdefensivearchitecture,siteloca-
tion,andevidenceofconflictandmigrationofPueblopeopleduringdifferenttimeperi-
ods.Includedareexamplesfromethnohistoricchroniclesandnotesmadebytherst
EuropeansintheAmericanSouthwest,mainlySpanishconquistadors,missionaries,and
travelerspenetratingtheareabeginninginthersthalfofthesixteenthcentury.Ialso
utilizedahugeethnographicdatabaseofnineteenthandearlytwentiethcenturyPueblo
societiesaswellasextensiveinformationderivedfromoraltraditionsofAmerican
IndiansintheSouthwest,especiallycontemporaryPueblogroups.
ChapterVisthemainchapterofthebookthatfocusesontheanalysisofancient
PuebloansitesinthecentralMesaVerderegion.Iexaminethesesitesonbothmacro-
andmicro-regionalscalestohighlightcharacteristicsoftheirlocationsandarchitectural
featuresthatmightbeinterpretedasdefensive:
Examinationatthemacro-regionalscaleincludesastudyof15selectedlargesites
mostarecategorizedascommunitycentersinthecentralMesaVerderegion,which
includesalsoareaofMesaVerdeNationalPark.
Studyatthemicro-regionalscaleincludesexaminationofatotalofabout40small
sites,mostlycliffdwellingsthatareinthegeneralvicinityofoneofthelargesites,Castle
RockPueblo.Thisclusterofsettlementsandstructurescouldhavefunctionedasacom-
munity(Ortman2008;Varien1999;Varienetal.2000:52–56).
Eachsiteisdescribedandanalyzedalongseveralparameters:location;access;dis-
tancetoandavailabilityofdomesticwater;distancetonearbysites;line-of-sightcon-
tact;andpresenceofapparentlydefensivearchitecturalfeatures,e.g.,village-enclosing/
retainingwalls,towers,loopholes,undergroundtunnels,structureaccess(groundlevel
vs.upperstory),andanyotherfeaturethatcouldhavebeendesignedfortheprotection
ordefenseoftheinhabitants.
Thenalchapter,ChapterVI,consistsofasummaryandtheconclusionsdrawnfrom
thisresearch,drawinganalogiesfromsourcesofinformationinchaptersIIIandIV
.The
lastchapteralsoincludesadiscussionoffactorsthatprobablycontributedtothenal
migrationsanddepopulationoftheMesaVerderegionduringtheA.D.1270s/1280s,and
itfocusesonincreasingconflictintheregionasreflectedinthearchitecture,settlement
location,andvillagelayoutduringthenalfewdecadesofthePuebloanoccupationof
thearea.
The15largesitesorcommunitycentersanalyzedinthisbookwerechosenfromthe
morethan50communitycentersthatexistedinthecentralMesaVerderegioninthe
thirteenthcenturybecauseofthequalityandabundanceofpublishedinformation,in-
cludingexcavationandsurveyreports,availablefortheseparticularsites.Somesitesat
MesaVerdeNationalParkwereexaminedarchaeologicallyattheturnofthetwentieth
century,andtheresultingarchaeologicalreportsandamateurdescriptionsarethepri-
marysourcesofinformationconcerningthesesiteseventoday.Examplesincludereports
ofarchaeologicalexcavationsbyGustafNordenskiöldandJesseW.Fewkes.Onlyafew
ofthelargecliffdwellingsintheareaoftheparkhavebeenstudiedrecently;suchre-
searchconsistsprimarilyofthedocumentationofarchitectureandofstabilizationwork
conductedbyLarryV
.NordbyandKathleenFiero,forexample(seechaptersIIandV).