Day Twenty-One in Chaco

Tara Beresh

November 2, 2016

There are many approaches to observing and interpreting the archaeological past. Techniques such as excavation, ground penetrating radar, and survey are all common methods for contributing new data to the record. Another method for obtaining information about prehistoric cultural activity and the environmental factors that predicated them, is the study of geoarchaeology.  Geoarchaeology uses geomorphology, or the study of landform origins and changes over time to interpret the sediments and soils at archaeological sites. In a nutshell, geoarchaeology incorporates geology and the earth sciences to tell us more about what the natural setting was like for past cultures. Knowing this information can help us to determine what the climate might have been like, what the water resources might have been and how environments have changed over time, affecting the subsistence strategies and inhabitants of that area.

Today I was assigned the task of accompanying two fellow crew members and a teaching assistant into the Chaco Wash to analyze the sediment layers in a segment of an alluvial fan. The arroyo wall was approximately 5 meters high and 2.25 meters wide. The feature we were most particularly interested in was a layer of flattened stones from the Bonito Phase (AD 1000-1100) that had a sherd in them located two meters below the surface. Our objective was to determine the context of this layer by facing (using a trowel to scrape and flatten) the vertical surface of the wash, exposing different layers from past water flow patterns and sediment deposits such as clay, silt, and sand. Some archaeologists have studied this horizontal layer of flattened stones and believe it to be the remnants of a path across the channel. Archaeologists can tell from the amounts of iron and other mineral buildup where water has previously flowed or collected for long periods of time. If there are stone structures present in an arroyo wall it might suggest that there was a water management system put in place by prehistoric communities. Curtaining is a term that refers to the dappled appearance on the surface of a sandy arroyo wall that has been visibly altered by rain and wind, much like a piece of paper that has been wet and dried.

Creating a sediment profile involves mapping the layers of varied sediments on graph paper and identifying the sediment types. We take measurements of the width and length of each sediment layer using various measuring devices and ladders to reach the highest layers in the wall. In addition, we use a Munsell Soil Color Chart to record the color shade of each sediment layer and then determine the textures of these sediments by mixing about a tablespoon of each sediment type with water and attempt to create a ribbon of soil between a thumb and forefinger. Depending on the grittiness and cohesiveness, a category is assigned to the soil type and recorded for future reference.

Working outside in a wash filled with cottonwood trees in bright hues of yellow and orange is one of the greatest advantages of working in the field of archaeology; however, doing archaeology also demands a heavy dose of teamwork and focus to accrue accurate data in hot climates, often covered in crumbling dirt and sweat. Living and working day in and day out with a crew of 10-15 people in a small space, both in the field and at camp can be a challenge, but the dynamic of support and compassion that can develop among colleagues in a long term, shared environment is immensely rewarding. You quickly find yourself learning from people you might have never imagined having anything in common with. I strongly believe that field school is an excellent way to expand one’s perspectives about people and human relationships, test endurance levels, and become prepared for demanding schedules and sometimes strenuous physical endeavors.

Day Twenty-two in Chaco Canyon

Heidi Pierce

November 3, 2016

            As we wrap up our excavation here at the Wetherill site, it is exciting to be able to step back and get a look at the bigger picture.  Each of us has been focused on our own small excavation unit, like studying individual pieces of a puzzle.  We have been careful to notice and record changes in the sediment color and texture, changes in the kinds of artifacts that we are finding, and any signs that what we see has been moved or disturbed from its original location.  We take detailed notes every day about our units, because excavation is destructive.  Any place where we dig will never be the same!  After five weeks of digging at the Wetherill site, this week we have backfilled most of our excavation units.  That means that all of the dirt that we have carefully dug out has been put back into those holes, so it is very important to record information that will be useful to answer our questions, as well as questions that other people might have in the future.  At the site today, several students used aerial photographs, historic documents, our current excavation units, and the previously excavated sections of wall to begin putting the Wetherill puzzle together.  Now we are able to see more clearly where their buildings were, and how they were related to other buildings in Chaco Canyon.

            Learning to do the work that archaeologists do was a huge part of this field school experience.  Setting up excavation units, maintaining straight walls and floors, recording information, identifying artifacts, using and drawing maps, taking good photographs, and knowing how to use the tools and equipment in the field are all very important skills for a professional archaeologist.  We use all of these methods to answer questions about the people who lived in the past.  When archaeologists dig, many people ask, “What did you find?”, but a better question might be “What did you find out?”

            Next week, when this whole field school experience is over and my friends and family ask me what I learned, I don’t know where I will start.  I certainly learned a lot about the daily work that archaeologists do.  There are so many different ways to study the people of the past, and many archaeologists develop a specialty.  Some archaeologists become experts in the ceramics that people made and used.  Some study the tools of the past.  There are also experts in geology, animal bones, and plants and seeds.  All of these people are able to learn about people in the past by looking at the archaeological record from their own unique research perspectives.  But one of the great things about field school is that so many different people with different specialties and interests get the chance to work together on the same project.  By bringing all of us together, we are able to learn from each other and bounce ideas off of each other in order to do better research.  I am so thankful to have had the chance to collaborate with this group of professionals and other students.  We all learned to capitalize on each other’s strengths, and to help each other learn the sometimes-challenging skills that are still new to all of us.  Five weeks ago, we hardly knew each other, but we have grown together into an awesome team.  There were days when the sun seemed too hot, the work too hard, and the days too long; but thankfully, we were always in this together.  Living and working so close to other people can be hard, but this group of people managed to find some fun in the work every single day.  Even though archaeology can be pretty tough on your back and knees, most days it was my cheeks that were sore from laughing.  I am so thankful for the opportunity to be a part of this incredible experience! 

Day Nineteen in Chaco Canyon

Kurly Tlapoyawa
10/31/2016

Wow. Time certainly flies out here in Chaco. As we wind down our excavation at the Wetherill Trading Post, I can’t help but think about how nervous and excited I was to begin this journey. Now, with only a few more days to go, I know that I will miss this place. I will be happy to be back home with my family, but I want to return here soon with them and show them how marvelous this place is. I can truly say that this has been a transformative experience.

Today is Halloween, so we all left the site as a group to hand out candy to the tourists, volunteers, and employees at the visitor’s center. We all wore silly hats instead of full costumes, but the spirit was the same. Right now we are all sitting together eating dinner, telling stories, and laughing. It will be strange to be back at UNM, surrounded by so many people and sitting in a classroom. I will miss the solitude of Chaco and the star filled nights.

   We are closing up our units and collecting the last of our data. It feels satisfying to look at our excavation site and see all of the work we have done. I dug down around 60 centimeters and found many cool prehistoric sherds. I wonder what else I would have found if the field school were not drawing to a close. This may sound funny, but as long and strenuous as some of these days have been, I can’t wait to get out into the field again. Archaeology has become a major part of my life, and I hope it expands into a full-blown career. Time will tell.

                

This will be the last post I write for our blog, so I just wanted to thank everyone here at Chaco for making this such an amazing experience. I want to thank my family for dealing with me being gone for so long so that I could experience this. I want to thank my classmates for being such cool people to hang out with on a daily basis. I want to thank Dr. Wills and Dr. Crown for providing me with such an amazing opportunity. And ultimately, I want to thank the ancestors who built this amazing place we call Chaco. Your spirit is felt every single day – alive and untamed.

Day Seventeen in Chaco Canyon

Eric Faull

October 27, 2016

First of all I want to give a shout out to the Carlos Rey Elementary School History Club for letting me visit them and present what we are doing in the UNM Chaco Canyon Field School.  That being said, this morning was crisp and refreshingly cool.  The sunrise was very beautiful as well. 

Sunrise from our campground

Sunrise over Fajada Butte in Chaco Canyon.

 

Pueblo Del Arroyo which is right next to Pueblo Bonito where we are working

Campground just before sunrise

Night Sky in Chaco Canyon

 Chaco Canyon is a designated International Dark Sky Park, one of very few in the whole world.  Because there is no light pollution, (city lights, house lights, car lights, and other things that interfere with your ability to see the stars at night) you can see a lot of stars that you normally can’t see elsewhere. 

Fajada Butte with the full hunter's moon glow on it

Full hunters moon rise behind the ridge that surrounds our campsite.

Field School group at Chetro Ketl Great Kiva.  Dr. Wills in the orange vest.

The morning and evening’s spectacular views are just an added bonus to what we are experiencing at the field school.  Not only are we learning how to do archaeology, which in itself I feel is a privilege, but we are also learning the history of the Canyon from one of the most prominent Chacoan archaeologists alive, Dr. Wills.  We take the time to visit all of the great houses, the really big buildings that have multiple stories and great kivas associated with them.  A lot of them have hundreds of rooms as well, although a lot of the later great houses have just a few rooms.  Today, we visited Chetro Ketl to watch the reclamation crew do repairs to it.  Unfortunately, they showed up late so we couldn’t stay to watch them. Dr. Wills gave us a tour of the site before we returned to work.  The crew split into three groups: some excavating at the Wetherill Trading Post, some doing Site Assessment, and some working on the geomorphology of the Chaco Wash. 

Day Sixteen in Chaco Canyon

Daniel Gillis

10-26-2016                                   

            Hi everyone! Last night we attended a lecture on Chaco rock art at the visitor’s center here in Chaco Canyon. The lecturer was Jane Kolber, a longtime volunteer here at the park, and she discussed and showed slides of many of the petroglyphs here at Chaco Canyon. The most common element in the rock art here at Chaco Canyon is the spiral and it is thought that it may represent the beginning of life or the cycle of life. Hands are also very popular in the rock art here along with human and animal figures- there are even a few macaws (birds from southern Mexico and Central America).

            Today after our mid-morning cookie break we headed out on the trail behind Pueblo Bonito to try to locate some rock art. Luckily there is a trail dedicated to petroglyphs that runs along the north cliffs of the canyon. We were able to locate a number of rock art panels carved into the rocks. Most of these panels contained quite a few different images. There was everything from geometric designs, representations of people and animals, and some of mythical creatures as well.

            People created rock art here in a number of different ways. The most common method of creating the art is through pecking which is striking the surface of the wall repeatedly with a rock to peck away a figure. There are also examples of excising which is cutting grooves into the surface with a very sharp stone, and abrading which is rubbing the surface with a flat stone to wear away an image.

            The rock art can be found almost everywhere in Chaco Canyon. Art was produced high up on cliff faces; which were and still are hard to access, art can also be found at eye level on some rock walls, and inside of some pre-historic buildings. Unfortunately, we only had a short time to experience the rock art here at Chaco Canyon today but we will be keeping a look out for more art as we visit different sites her at Chaco Canyon.

            The rest of our day today was spent excavating the trading post site near Pueblo Bonito, doing archaeological site assessment surveys for the National Park Service, and examining the geology of the Chaco Wash near our excavation site. We are in the middle of our fourth week out here and things are going really great. We are learning more about Chaco Canyon and the people who once lived here and we are finding a lot of really interesting artifacts both from the days of the trading post and from the Chaco culture of a thousand years ago.

            If you ever get a chance to visit Chaco Canyon you will not be disappointed. There are miles of hiking trails, lots of camping spots, and plenty of ancient ruins to explore. Hope you can make it sometime!

Day Fifteen in Chaco Canyon

Lancelot Tei
October 25, 2016

As an undergraduate student from the islands of American Samoa, working in Chaco Canyon has been quite a unique and interesting experience. Being able to work in an area where Ancestral Puebloans made use of the available resources such as sandstone for housing, clay deposits to make ceramics, rocks to make chipped and ground stone tools, and sometimes fauna for food and tools, provides a different view of the past. Being from a small island out in the South Pacific, I am used to seeing a lot of water, whereas here in the Southwest water is scarce especially here in Chaco Canyon. Living here would require immense adjustments to the weather and the wildlife in Chaco Canyon. The UNM 2016 Field School has given me the opportunity to practice archeological methods of excavating and processing our findings, all while learning a completely different culture from that of my own.

Waking up this morning was quite different from the past few weeks here in Chaco, overnight we received a fair amount of rainfall. The rainfall caused a slight delay to our day-to-day basis; it was wet and work on the site would get quite messy. Instead of heading out to the site, we went to the lab to finish sorting and categorizing some of the artifacts from our individual units. We then loaded the trucks and made our way to the Wetherill Trading Post site where we were briefed on a very interesting task which is to find similar features between Old Alto and Tsin Kletzin. As an archeologist these are some of the things we encounter and being able to adjust to different situations and being able to analyze and compare sites or features makes the job interesting and challenging.

The whole experience so far has been good and I am very blessed to be here working under the supervision of Dr. Wills and graduate students Joe Birkmann and Jacque Kocer, who have all been informative and helpful. Working with a diverse group of individuals with different areas of expertise brings different interpretations and techniques to achieving certain goals. Being an archaeologist requires a lot of patience and determination where much of the finds may yield promising or disappointing results. I have learned that some disappointments open up new avenues of interpretations which is a great thing about archeology where a single question can be approached from various angles.

My goal as an archeologist is aimed towards the South Pacific where I hope to understand more about the trade network within the South Pacific and how American Samoa (Tutuila) plays an integral role within this network, preserving much of the pre-historic and historic materials of the Samoas. As of now, I am working towards earning my Bachelors degree and enjoying the overall experience of working/training in Chaco Canyon. This is truly an amazing experience that I hope a lot of eager individuals can take part in.

Lance's Field School Nachos

Day Fourteen in Chaco Canyon

Marissa Thomas
10/24/2016

Working out here in Chaco Canyon provides a variety of unique experiences.  The University of New Mexico Chaco Canyon field school allows us to visit several sites including Pueblo Bonito, Pueblo Alto, New Alto, Hungo Pavi, Kin Klizhin and various others. Since we are students learning and working toward becoming professionals in the archaeological field, we get to excavate at the Wetherill Trading Post that is near Pueblo Bonito and have our own 1x1 meter units that we have responsibility for excavating.  We do everything in the unit including digging with shovels and trowels, collecting and bagging artifacts, taking measurements, mapping, and filling out excavation forms for each 20cm level we excavate.  We find many interesting things in our units from ceramics (prehistoric and historic), glass, metal, fauna (animal remains), beads, seeds, and much more. 

We also learn to do site assessments, where we hike up to a particular site and evaluate the condition of the site for the National Park Service.  This is important because it helps the Park Service track erosion, damage or destruction from animals or visitors. This provides a very unique experience; most people will never see these sites because they’re not open to the public.  By doing this we have been introduced to Archaic hearths, Navajo hogans, and Basketmaker or Chacoan sites to name a few.  We also get to see a lot of wildlife like elk, mule deer, coyote, owls and rabbits as well as seeing a once in a lifetime view of the Canyon from a unique vantage point. 

Last week, I was able to go into the Chaco Wash, which is a huge arroyo in Chaco Canyon.  I was introduced to the methods for looking at changes in sediment caused by alluvial and Aeolian processes that constantly reshape the land.  We looked at sediments dated from 2100-1000 B.P. from the Chacoan unit.  While we were down there we also explored and looked for animal bones for Dr. Wills’ isotope study of modern animals in Chaco. Being down there felt like we were in a different world, because we could see a lot of cottonwood trees, tall grass and shrubbery that give a different view of what Chaco Canyon has to offer.  This shows that whether you’re looking from up high or down low in Chaco Canyon, there’s always something beautiful and interesting to see, and because of this archaeological field school experience I’m lucky to say that I’ve been able to see many amazing sites both archaeological and scenic.  I’m very excited that I still have a few more weeks out here to learn and explore the hidden beauty that Chaco Canyon has to offer.

Day Twelve in Chaco

Nick Hernandez

October 20, 2016

 Chaco Canyon field school is a tireless adventure with many rewards. The rewards we receive are the beauty of exploration and picturesque landscapes that seem more fitted for art museums paintings. Our days start before the sun comes up, which leaves a couple moments to stop and appreciate the amazing sunrises of the southwest that catch the sky on fire within the hustle of preparing breakfast and lunch for 15 individuals who all need to get ready for the day. When everyone in the city is barely waking up to their alarm clock we are set up and in place at the Wetherill site, discovering a little bit of history.

Archaeological work draws people from all backgrounds and of all age groups. All with a thirst for knowledge and a deeper understanding of the prehispanic people who once populated this area without the amenities we take for granted. What was the breakfast of the Chacoan people? What were the sleeping arrangements? What was it like without toiletries? In a landscape where everything is abrasive it’s hard to imagine a well-groomed and pleasant smelling gathering of people in one of these rooms that would sleep an entire family.

A common misconception about these early inhabitants is the idea of primitiveness. When we think primitive we almost automatically assume they weren’t as smart as modern man. Chacoans may have never known the Pythagorean Theorem (if that’s how we measure smart) or how to operate an IPhone, (even some of us still can’t figure that out), but the knowledge of living off the land far exceeds our own. It would take weeks or months to teach a Chacoan basic math skills or how to drive a car; however, it would take years of practice to learn how to survive in such a harsh environment, such as knowing what to eat and when to eat it, what to plant and where to plant it, and when to harvest. We show up in luxury, without walking for miles in an endless desert, we show up with meals planned, food stocked, water for showers, and Quilted Charmin. Our understanding has limitations because of the conveniences we have today. For instance, I’ve been practicing flint knapping for a while and can barely mimic the most rudimentary cutting tools and have yet to make anything that would even be identifiable as a Chacoan style tool. 

We can observe and analyze what was left behind. We can try to understand the mind set of these people and their lives but until we are thrust into that situation without our technology or grocery stores, running water through our homes, electricity, and those all-important toiletries, will we truly learn how these prehistoric people survived and thrived! We see air conditioning and heaters as companions for existence. Chacoans knew how to make fires without gas or electricity and make tools out of their resources at hand, to hunt and how to harvest. The U.N.M. Chaco Field School has given us this opportunity to learn and discover just how these people lived.

Day Eleven in Chaco

Marnina Patrick

10/19/2016

Today we arrived at the Wetherill Homestead with lovely weather conditions and unloaded all our gear. One student went with Jennie Sturm, a UNM Graduate Student, to gather data using ground penetrating radar.  Two of us went with our Teaching Assistant down into the Chaco Wash to do geomorphology work. We faced (used a tool to clean up and create a flat surface) a section of the northern wall where a hearth had been spotted. In a short time, we uncovered evidence of burnt organic material and after Professor Wills was informed of our find, we were directed to take samples for radiocarbon dating.

 

















Our main project for the day was to map the alluvial stratigraphy of the northern wall in the wash. Alluvial means relating to the flood plain and there is also fluvial which is relating to the channel waters. The southern wall has clear stratigraphy but the northern wall has a coating of clay from the run-off from above which is called a drape. We measured out a three-meter-tall and one-meter-wide spot on the wall and got to work facing it with our trowels. The higher area was worked with a facing tool and eventually a ladder was required to reach the top of it.  

Once our wall was faced and the stratigraphy was clear, we worked on meticulously describing each of the eight defined layers or strata. The categories of description are: texture, inclusions, bedforms, artifacts, changes in sediment, soil color, and sorting. For example, sediment is collected and water added to see how it behaves when wet to evaluate the sand to clay ratio in the sample. Inclusions may be either mineral or bioturbation so we look for evidence of iron or if roots are present in the layer.  As for the bedform, we look to see if there is lamination, which is how the sediment in that layer is laid down and we note if it is horizontal or on an angle. The soil color is determined by comparison to a standardized color chart in a Munsell book. To do this we place sediment under the corresponding color page and it has a window so you can compare the soil to the different color options. Lastly, we look to see how homogenous the sediment is and that is determined by how well sorted the different particles are.

What we were able to read in this stratigraphy was that there were definitely channel waters, and not just floodplan waters, at work here. The channel waters leave visible layers of sediment in typically not straight horizontal layers. Some were angled and some had curves or swales apparent. Also, due to the continuous presence of water there is evidence of iron with its tell-tale rust colored leeching into the surrounding sediment.

We also walked through the bottom of the wash, observing numerous examples of how water shapes our Earth.  Such as how a narrower channel forces the water to move faster with a higher velocity, which enables heavier sediments to be moved and deposited. Clay is easier to get moving but harder to drop and sand is harder to get going but easier to drop. We saw that around bends there were gravel deposits and the sand had definitive ripple shapes so heavier sediment was being moved by the faster moving water around the bend.

It was truly a beautiful day in the wash as there was not much wind and the Fall colors of the cottonwoods are striking. 

We returned to the work site as our fellow crew members were finishing up in their units. We loaded up the trucks and headed back to camp with all of us eager for showers and dinner. Lastly, a film crew from UNM was out documenting the unique projects we are working on, so stay tuned for possibly seeing more footage of us in action.

Day Nine in Chaco Canyon

Kurly Tlapoyawa 

October 16, 2016

Today was a long day. Or at least it felt that way. I didn't get much sleep last night because for some reason I kept waking up every two hours or so and checking my phone to see what time it was. Now I feel exhausted, but I suspect a nice long shower will perk me back up until dinnertime.

Today we continued to work on our test units. Sitting in the sun on our knees, hunched over, and slowly scraping layer upon layer of earth away with our trowels. I love it. I read a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip once where Calvin was pretending to be an archaeologist. He sat in the dirt, meticulously excavating a patch of his backyard with a gardening trowel and his dad’s shaving brush. After a while he looks up and says something like “archaeologists have the most mind-numbing job on the planet.” As much as I love Calvin and Hobbes, I would have to disagree.

Sure, not everyone would find archaeology as enjoyable as I do. But I find the act of digging with my trowel to be highly meditative. I love the feeling of slowly pulling back each layer of earth as if it were the page of a book, wondering what forgotten secrets may hide just underneath. It is as if I am reading the site like a history book. And when I uncover an artifact, I feel a sense of satisfaction knowing that I am the first person to hold this object in many years. Today I found a handful of prehistoric pottery sherds, and I can’t help but wonder what the story behind each one may be.

Were they owned by the same people? Was the finely painted sherd I found part of a gift, given to a loved one? Or were these trade items that travelled hundreds of miles before arriving in my little test unit? This curiosity about our past is what drives an archaeologist to do what we do. So yes, the wind can be a nuisance. And nobody likes having sand blown into their face all day while they bake in the sun. But the work itself is what makes it all worth it. So, sorry Calvin. Maybe you just aren’t cut out for the field.

Day Seven in Chaco Canyon

Daniel Gillis   

October 11, 2016                                                                                                                              

                                                                                                

            We started today’s field school session with a trip to the cliff faces behind and to the west of Pueblo Bonito. Our Professor, Dr. Wills, has a special permit to collect modern animal bones for a study of their diets using a technique called Stable Isotope Analysis.  We helped search for carcasses of animals that died in the area near the excavations.  By looking at the isotope ratios of certain elements in modern animal’s bones and comparing them to bones of animals found at ancient archaeological sites scientists can determine a lot about how the landscape and climate has changed in Chaco Canyon.  
 
We saw some petroglyphs carved in the face of the rock cliff. After searching the rocks for about a half an hour we spread out in a straight line across a flat area of land between the Wetherill Cemetery and our excavation area. We walked across the ground in straight lines about 5 meters apart. These lines are used to search an area and are called transects. Upon returning to our work area we put the animal bones that we had gathered into bags marked with the GPS co-ordinates of where we had found them and today’s date. These bone will be given to the scientists conducting the study.

            Today’s excavations of the Trading Post consisted of starting in on digging our test units. Test units are small areas usually one meter by one meter in area, but some were one meter by two meters. Archaeologists use these test units to get an idea of what is under the surface in a few small areas of interest rather than digging up the entire area being studied. The location of the test units is measured on our grid and the elevation of the unit is also recorded. We began digging in our units today and excavated units of 20 centimeters in depth. We tested the soil’s texture and color within each 20 cm unit. After reaching the 20 cm mark we again measured the elevation of the test unit.

            To conduct these excavations we used hand trowels (these are not garden trowels, but completely flat) to scrape soil loose from the floor of the unit. We then scooped the soil up with dustpans into buckets, which we carried to ¼ inch screens to run the soil through. The screens stop small pieces of artifacts from being accidentally discarded. In my unit today I found 3 pottery sherds, two were of corrugated grayware and one was of undecorated whiteware. These pottery sherds were also bagged with the location at level at which they were found for later study in our lab back at the University of New Mexico.

            At about two o’clock this afternoon Dr. Wills took us on a brief tour of some of the larger intact rooms on the west side of Pueblo Bonito. The rooms we saw had really high ceilings, about 10-12 feet high, and were still intact with their original masonry and wood ceilings. A park ranger accompanied us on the tour and pointed out some of the features of the rooms.

            We are all having a great time out here!

Day Six in Chaco

Tara Beresh

October 10, 2016

Being immersed in a field project, wherever you are, entails delving into a chapter of the past that is often shrouded in mystery. Every moment of picking, digging, shoveling, sifting, brushing, and analyzing incites the anticipation of potentially unveiling new information about a place, a time, or the people who lived long ago. Who inhabited this place? What were they doing? How did they live their lives? We dig carefully to answer questions, to gain clues that will lend to the archaeological record, and in turn, teach the modern world something new about a time and place and its people.

The field crew spent our first week in Chaco Canyon trying to learn more about the Wetherill family through uncovering portions of their homestead, that, over time have been torn down, bulldozed, possibly repurposed or changed. Did the Wetherills incorporate prehistoric materials into their homestead? Did they knowing or unknowingly build on top of prehistoric sites or features? All that we have to reference are old photographs and dated documents. We can surmise from blurry black and white photos that the foundation might have been constructed with time-relevant materials, or that the walls might extend so many meters, relevant to still-standing architecture. But the truth is, we don’t really know what is true about a site that is unexposed until these questions are answered through excavation. Who was the man that resided here, and what can we learn from what is left of his homestead?

We know from historic record that Richard Wetherill was born in 1858, as one of five brothers who were born in Pennsylvania and eventually ended up cattle ranching in southwestern Colorado. In 1887 he became interested in archaeology after stumbling upon the cliff-dwellings of Mesa Verde. He began excavating in Chaco in 1896 and then moved to Chaco Canyon with his wife, Marietta, to ranch and run a trading post near Pueblo Bonito, one of the largest sites in Chaco Canyon.

Excavating the property where this trading post and Wetherill’s homestead once stood, the UNM archaeological field school crew has already uncovered artifacts and construction materials such as buttons, beads, tar paper, plaster, various types of historic colored glass, nails, and shell casings alongside ceramic and stone remnants of the prehispanic Chacoan culture. From photos, we anticipated there to be a wall where, after plotting a line and digging, there was not. This verifies that either a) our calculations as to the positioning of the wall were incorrect, or b) bulldozing by the Park Service has destroyed the structures as they once stood in the late 19^th century.

Today each students was assigned a 1x1 meter unit to define potential architectural remnants from the Wetherill homestead as well as investigate the positioning of a possible privy and uncover what might exist beneath areas of high disturbance possibly indicating prior structures or artifacts. Using trowels, brushes and shovels, each crew member will dig level layers of matrix from their respective unit and then sift that soil through ¼ inch screens to reveal artifacts that will be analyzed and recorded in the field lab. Excavation will help to confirm or disprove our what is believed about the homestead’s history, construction, and placement in relation to the Chacoan Great House of Pueblo Bonito.

Day Four in Chaco

Jason Conner

10/7/2016

           I grew up going to Chaco Canyon. Over the years, I have visited countless times, slept under the moon for countless nights. Chaco is the place that I saw my first scorpion, sparking an interest in insectology. It was here that I first started playing my favorite childhood game: “Dirt Clod.” I would play this game with pieces of sandstone, which is sand that has been layered on top of itself so tightly it becomes a rock. My friends and I would throw sandstone rocks into the air and watch them smash into the ground, returning to their sandy origins. The knowledge gained from this game led me to my love of rocks, a study called geology.

            I have explored the ruins of Chaco since I was a child, and the remains of these prehistoric buildings have always been a source of awe. Staring at the impossibly straight lines, the dilapidated, crumbling bones of an ancient society, has always ignited my imagination. I like to go amongst the ruins and think “What would life had been like for the people that lived here, hundreds of years ago?” It is humbling to think of a people that lived in this desert, gathering water that rushed from the canyon walls during monsoon season, growing a crop of sustenance in a place that seems entirely alien and inhospitable to life. What would it have been like for a child here, playing amongst the prickly vegetation, amongst rattlesnakes, jackrabbits, and mountain lions? What was the role of the Chacoan man in a society where graffiti was painted fifty feet high against a bare cliff? How about for a woman, spending hours among other women, grinding down plant matter to make it more palatable and delicious?

            My love for geology, history, and insectology all come to the forefront in our excavation of the Wetherill Trading Post, just outside of the largest ruin in Chaco. A large number of the ruins have already been explored, and then filled back in with dirt. This may seem odd, to find something and then cover it with dirt again, but it is actually one of the best ways to keep these important sites from degrading further. That being said, Richard Wetherill was here in the last decade of the 19th century collecting pots, woods, and other artifacts. His house and surrounding buildings, just outside of Pueblo Bonito, included a trading post, a horse corral, and served many other purposes, including as housing for National Park Service staff later in the 1900s. Wetherill repurposed some of the wood from Pueblo Bonito into some of his workings while here, and was the first Westerner to sort and organize the different kinds of jewelry, stone artifacts, and pottery made by these Ancestral Puebloans. Unfortunately, the modern day Parks Service has little record of Wetherills’ buildings, the layout of these buildings, or what was in them when they were bulldozed and covered with dirt in the 1950s. By uncovering these secrets, we will gain a very important vantage into a pivotal period of the parks past that goes largely forgotten.

Day Three in Chaco

Kurly Tlapoyawa
10/05/16

One of the coolest things about growing up was that my Grandmother read comic books. She started reading them in order to get better at speaking English, and her tiny house was littered with stacks of them. In fact, nearly every table in the house had a small pile of comic books, waiting to be picked up and read. My favorite comics growing up were Archie and Spider-Man, and my two favorite characters were Peter Parker (Spidey himself) and Dilton Doiley (Archie’s super smart friend). They were my favorite characters because they often relied on their intellects and love of science to outsmart their adversaries. I knew I wanted to be a scientist, ever since I was a kid.

Archaeology is a science that relies on human interpretation as much as it does on technology and methods of testing and measuring our findings. We not only make technical analyses of our discoveries, but we must rely on our own knowledge and experiences to help us make our interpretations. And this, my friends, can only come from life experiences. For example, today we hiked up the Northern Rim of Chaco Canyon to a location known as Pueblo Alto. It was beautiful and tiring. If I had to work on a project about Pueblo Alto, I would have a distinct advantage by having made this journey, as opposed to having only read about Pueblo Alto in books.

This is what makes archaeology so exciting. We don’t just sit in libraries or labs, analyzing data and conducting research. Our work is informed by real-world experiences that enable us to make interpretations based on more than just raw data. And if our interpretations are shown to be wrong, we accept the newer, better information and move forward with this new information. This is my favorite part of archaeology in particular, and science in general.

Once we returned to the site, we measured and plotted the location of some walls we discovered, using a machine known as a total station. This device uses a laser to get accurate measurements. This data, when combined with the real-world experience of excavating the walls and collecting artifacts, will help us understand a great deal about the site. We found some amazing things today, and saw some incredible scenery. Unfortunately, we missed our cookie break. Yes, archaeologists love cookies.

After we got back to camp, we rested a bit before heading into the lab. In lab we sorted our artifacts, and entered our data into a computer before putting everything away in bags. Now, we get to eat dinner and relax a bit. Luckily, the wind has died down. The past two nights were extremely windy and cold. You know that movie “The Thing?” A group of scientists are trapped in freezing weather and have to fight off an alien. I keep hoping the same thing will happen here. Or at least that we get our cookie break tomorrow.

Day Two in Chaco

Eric Faull

10/4/2016

A Day and a Life at UNM’s Chaco Canyon Field School

Today is day two on the site.  Now that we’ve covered what we’re doing out here and what archaeologists do, I’m going to write about the everyday life of a Field School Archaeologist.  We are still trying to get used to the daily schedule.  We roll out of bed between 5:30 and 5:45 in the morning.  Then we walk like zombies to the kitchen area to eat breakfast and make our lunches. At 6:45 we pack the trucks with all of the equipment that we will be using out at the site so that we can leave for the site by 7 o’clock sharp.  This morning it was 29 degrees when we got to the site.

When we got there, we cleared the brush off that had grown up on the site.  We then split into 3 different groups so that we could get as much work done as is possible.  I actually shoveled dirt from the location that I was working in onto another student accidentally, and that was just with 2 of us working at that location.  Can you imagine trying to stuff 12 students, 3 graduate assistants, and the professor all in the same location?  It would be chaos.  People would be stepping on each other and destroying each other’s work!

We worked until 10 o’clock then we took a mandatory cookie break.  WE DO NOT MISS THE COOKIE BREAK!  After the break we went back to work.  I was assigned to uncover a tarp that the previous field school put over their excavation in order to protect the location from the weather, the sun, tourists, and wildlife.  After they covered the location with a tarp they buried it under a lot of dirt.  I had to find the edge of the tarp and then, with a trowel, dig along the edge of the tarp until I had the complete edge uncovered.  I learned that the dirt that I cleared from the edge of the tarp needed to be placed at least a foot from the edge of the trench that I was digging.  When I got up for the cookie break, I accidentally kicked dirt back into the trench that I had just dug because I had stacked it right on the edge of the trench.  We then shoveled all of the dirt from off of the top of the tarp.  Underneath the tarp we found a stone wall and a flagstone floor.

After I was done with that location, I was moved to a spot of what looked like a wall that erosion had uncovered.  We wanted to see what it was and where it was going.  I only had about 30 minutes before lunch to start on this new location.  I had managed to uncover a few flagstones which made the location appear to be a stone wall.  It looked like it was perfectly lined up with a stone wall that was previously excavated so we think it might link up.

We broke for lunch and went back to camp so that we could build a portable garage after lunch.  We would usually stay out in the field until till about 3 o’clock but that garage needed to be built.  We are planning on putting portable heaters in it.  What we plan on using it for is to have a warm place to write up our field journals, eat breakfast and dinner and wind down and relax before we go to bed.  After we got the garage built, we went back out to the site so that we could look at an old aerial photograph of the Old Wetherill Homestead.  What we were trying to do is determine what we were uncovering in the different locations that we were working in.  After we guessed at what we were working on, we spread out and did an unconventional survey of the site.  I found a place that had an old brick, an assorted amount of rusty metal, a broken piece of glass and a broken piece of old pottery all laying on the ground in one location.  Where else can you walk around and find old stuff just lying on the ground than the desert?

We then went back to camp around 3 o’clock and wrote our first filed journal entry.  It was very stressful.  We had to write what we did, and why we did it in detail.  We had to make sure that it was clear what we were saying and legible.  The purpose of the field journal is to let future archaeologists know what we did and why we did it and where exactly we did it so they could use our research to help them do their own research.  If they won’t be able to read it or understand what we were saying, our work would not help them at all.  That is a very big responsibility. 

We then ate dinner, played basketball against the National Park Service Rangers, and then went to a lecture/lab at 7:30.  After that, we hung out in order to wind down and then I went to bed early so that I could drag myself out of bed on a cold, cold morning to start all over again.  This is awesome!

Day One in Chaco Canyon

Heidi Pierce

Oct. 3, 2016

Day One:

            If someone looked in your trash can today, what might they learn about your life?  Would they be able to figure out what you ate for breakfast?  Could they tell if you have a cat or dog at home?  How do you think that your trash might be different from someone who lives in another country?  Archaeologists ask these kinds of questions when they work in the field, because we want to know more about the people who lived in the past.  By digging in and around the abandoned buildings of Chaco Canyon, archaeologists have learned about the people who lived here over one thousand years ago. 

But these ancient people were not the only ones who lived in this area.  Other families have called this place home both before and after the famous buildings were constructed.  One family, the Wetherills, lived here and built a trading post in the late 1800’s.  This month, I am part of a group of students from the University of New Mexico who have the chance to learn about the Wetherill family by digging in the area where they lived. 

Today, we woke up in our camp and spent the morning setting up our field kitchen and making sure that our tents are secure.  Then, this afternoon we were able to go out to the location where we will be digging and get started!  Because we are picking up the work where other archaeologists left off, the first thing we had to do was find the markers that were left behind.  Archaeologists work in square units so that we can record information about exactly where things are located.  We hammer a large nail or stake into the ground to mark the corners of these large squares.   
 
Today, we found those stakes and tied a piece of bright tape to them with the location information, so that we can always know where are working.  While one group of students did that, other students were clearing away the plants that have grown over the area in the past few years.  Once the plants were cleared away, we could see the edges of tarps that covered the earlier excavation, but there was still a lot of dirt on top of them!   

Working together, we carefully removed the dirt from the tarps and shoveled it into wheelbarrows to move to piles out of the way.  After a few hours of hard work, we were able to pull the tarps away to reveal the exposed foundations of buildings that were used by the Wetherill family.  It was very exciting to be able to see the wall, buried in the ground.  I know that we are all looking forward to going back to work tomorrow, and to find out more about the building and the people who lived and worked there.   

http://anthropology.unm.edu/programs_UNMatchaco.htm