In the northern part of the state of New Mexico in the United States, you’ll find the Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Within it, the archaeological site of Pueblo Bonito is the largest settlement among those remaining from the ancient Anasazi culture (also known as Pueblo Culture).
Lieutenant James H. Simpson of the United States Army discovered it in 1849 during a military expedition, guided, presumably, by a Mexican named Carravahal, who gave it the Spanish name “Pueblo Bonito”. Its original name is unknown. Although Simpson briefly described this and eight other major ruins in the area in his military report, archaeological investigations did not begin until 1896.
In that year, rancher Richard Wetherill and natural history student George H. Pepper from the American Museum of Natural History began excavations at Pueblo Bonito, concluding in 1900.
They uncovered 190 rooms, mapped and photographed all the main structures, and retrieved numerous artifacts, including eight wooden flutes of the Anasazi style, considered predecessors to the Native American flute, cylindrical vessels, effigy pots, and ceramic incense burners.
All of this was later donated to the American Museum of Natural History. Although Wetherill tried to claim ownership of the site, the federal government formally took possession in 1904.
Pueblo Bonito was built between 828 and 1126 AD by the Anasazi, possible ancestors of the present-day Pueblo Indians, Zunis, and Hopis. It covers an area of about 1.2 hectares and consists of approximately 800 rooms structured in terraces up to five stories high. Some walls supporting the weight of the taller buildings were 0.91 meters thick. It was the largest architectural complex in Chaco Canyon and the most important ceremonial center in Chacoan culture.
The settlement is divided into two sections by a perfectly aligned wall running north to south through the central plaza. A kiva, or major ceremonial structure, was located on each side of the wall, and more than thirty smaller kivas have been found.
Some researchers believe that Pueblo Bonito was not a village or city in the usual sense, despite its enormous size. While it could have accommodated a significant population, the environment probably wasn’t ideal to sustain it, and excavations have not revealed residential areas.
They suggest that Pueblo Bonito functioned as a ritual center, supported not only by the existence of kivas but also by the construction of the site and its relationship to other places in Chaco Canyon. Although there may have been many inhabitants, only 50 to 60 burials have been found.
Others believe it could have housed a population of about 70 people at its peak, with around 12 families living in 3 or 4 rooms each, as many only have access from the central courtyard, and many spaces may have been used as storage.
In any case, the site was only inhabited for about 300 years, and it was abandoned around 1150 AD. Scientists hypothesize that to obtain wood for construction and fuel, almost all the trees in the valley were cut down, leading to a significant drop in the water table and rendering the land barren. Unable to cultivate anything, they had to move elsewhere.
Numerous petroglyphs have been discovered on the rock wall just behind the settlement, depicting six-toed feet, geometric and astronomical shapes, dating from the late 10th century AD.
The builders of Pueblo Bonito seem to have been aware of the threat posed by the large fractured rock wall behind the site, known as Tse Biyaa Anii’ahi or “Threatening Rock” in Navajo, standing 30 meters high and weighing an estimated 30,000 tons. However, they chose to build below it, reinforcing the structures to mitigate the risk. Unfortunately, in January 1941, part of this rock wall collapsed, destroying part of the back wall and several rooms of the site.
The Anasazi civilization that built Pueblo Bonito disappeared before the arrival of Europeans in America. Anasazi is the name given to them by Navajos, meaning “ancient enemies”, as their self-designation is unknown.
Today, Pueblo Bonito is, in the words of anthropologist Brian Fagan, an archaeological icon, as famous as England’s Stonehenge, Mexico’s Teotihuacán, or Peru’s Machu Picchu.
This article was first published on our Spanish Edition on January 24, 2024. Puedes leer la versión en español en Pueblo Bonito, la enigmática ciudad de los Anasazi abandonada en el siglo XII
Sources
Pueblo Bonito (National Park Service) | Brian M. Fagan, Chaco Canyon: Archaeologists Explore the Lives of an Ancient Society | Judd NM. The Architectural Evolution of Pueblo Bonito. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1927 Jul;13(7):561-3. doi: 10.1073/pnas.13.7.561 | Jill E. Neitzel, ed., Pueblo Bonito: Center of the Chacoan World | Stephen H Lekson, ed., The Architecture of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico | Wikipedia
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