Lidar Reveals Sacred Roads Near Chaco Canyon
CHACO CANYON, NEW MEXICO—Lidar technology has identified a 1,000-year-old sacred road system near Chaco Canyon, Live Science reports. The discovery was made at the Gasco site around 50 miles south of Chaco, where ancestral Pueblo peoples built impressive structures and ceremonial centers between the ninth and twelfth century. Researchers already knew of the existence of one ancient road in the Gasco area, but this path proved to be much longer, stretching for over 4 miles and not just a few hundred feet, as previously thought. The new study also revealed a second parallel road located about 115 feet south of the first one. Both thoroughfares align with the sunrise on the winter solstice over Mount Taylor, which was, and still is today, a sacred mountain to indigenous peoples in the region. Chacoan roads were monumental constructions typically cut directly into the sandstone bedrock and normally reached a width of 30 feet, much wider than they needed to be without the existence of wheeled vehicles or pack animals. This suggests they were used for ceremonial processions and rituals rather than just transportation. "One of the really exciting things about the work we've been doing with Chacoan roads is that they're forcing us to reconceptualize what a road might be, what a road might mean," said Dartmouth College archaeologist Robert Weiner. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Antiquity. For more on Chaco Canyon, go to "Letter from Chihuahua: Cliff Dwellers of the Sierra Madre."
Background:
Understanding this Frenzy of Intricate Chacoan Construction
The Hopi, Ute, Shoshone, Navajo, and the contemporary Puebloans all share some degree of ancestral history with this region. The Navajo and Ute refer to the inhabitants of the Great Houses as the Anasazi which means “ancient enemies” or “ancient ones.” Contemporary Puebloans do not appreciate this term, although some modern Navajo, Ute, and Hopi refuse to relinquish its use. Conscientious experts have attempted to circumvent this awkward tension by referring to these people, and this culture, by the name Chacoan.
Whoever these people were exactly, they completed a precise survey of the landscape upon their arrival and initiated a frenzy of intricate building projects. They dealt with the problems of the inhospitable land by establishing a cult which involved periodic pilgrimages and the delivery of offerings to these sacred sites.
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The raw materials used to create these Astro-temples were not readily available and so sandstone and timbers were transported from great distances. Massive timbers were necessary to line the rooftops of the kivas. These large timbers were harvested so far away that archaeologists remain unsure as to their origins. Small springs were utilized, but it seems the inhabitants were dependent on, and controlled, a network of offerings that flowed from the north and south. Meanwhile, archaeological evidence has only uncovered several hundred, strange burials. [more]
https://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-americas/chaco-canyon-0015561
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