Stephen H. Lekson

The Chaco Meridian (eBook, ePUB)

One Thousand Years of Political and Religious Power in the Ancient Southwest

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

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.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Bloomsbury eBooks US
• Seitenzahl: 284
• Erscheinungstermin: 19. März 2015
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781442246461
• Artikelnr.: 42615996

Autorenporträt

Stephen H. Lekson is professor of anthropology and Curator of Archaeology, Museum of Natural History, at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Inhaltsangabe

List of Figures
Foreword in Three Movements
Ruth M. Van Dyke, Phillip Tuwaletstiwa, and Severin Fowles
Acknowledgments, Apologies
Preface to the Second Edition
1. Pourparlers
The Argument in Brief
Plan of the Book
It's Complicated . . .
2. Mondo Chaco
The Emerald City?
The (Social) Dynamics of Chaco Prehistory
The Regional System
Out on the Edges
Redistribution Revisited
Chaco Hegemony
Prestige Deflated
Pax Chaco: Peace with an Edge and a Bite
Lords of the Great House
Chaco and Mimbres
Life after Mimbres
3. Meridian Nexus
Down the Yellow Brick Road
Uniquity and Mobius Logic
Three Southwestern Cities
Regional Integration
A Millennium on the Meridian
4. A Beautiful Fact Killed by an Ugly Theory
Means: "They Do Things Differently There"
Means (Continued): "Can't Get There from Here"
Motive (1): "Roads through Time"
Motive (2): Direction and Distance
Opportunity: "How Can You Be in Two Places at Once . . . ?"
Closing Arguments: "High Crimes and Misdemeanors"
5. Conclusions?
The Four-Point Problem, without References
But Wait . . . There's More!
So What?
New Methods Needed: Apply Within
Chaco Meridian
Appendix A: Chaco as Altepetl
Appendix B: Dating Casas Grandes
Appendix C: Alto, Far View, and Chimney Rock
References
Index
About the Author