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!