Five years ago I visited for the first time the “Puebloan Heartland,” defined in this book as the area between Mesa Verde to the north and Chaco Canyon to the south. I knew of Mesa Verde National Park and Chaco Canyon National Historical Park but was unaware that these famous Ancestral Puebloan places bounded other sites of archaeological significance. My wife suggested we visit Aztec National Monument, which puzzled me. What were the Aztecs doing way up here in northern New Mexico? Aztec turned out to be a remarkable site, and I knew I had a lot to learn.

This collection of essays by 11 experts on the “Heartland of the Middle San Juan,” most of whom are archaeologists, greatly advances my interest and understanding of this relatively less-known Ancestral Puebloan region. Early settlers, by the way, erroneously thought the great stone buildings in the area must have been built by the Aztecs, thus the name. I erroneously thought the Mesa Verdeans, Chacoans, and Kayentans must be separate cultural groups, but contributors to this book make a convincing case that there was considerable interaction and sharing among these prominent cultural groups over the centuries between 500 and 1280 CE (Common Era), and especially during the period between 1050 and 1300, the focus of these essays. This is a School for Advanced Research Popular Archaeology Book, the aim of which is to explain to laymen like me, what archaeology is telling us about, in this case, the Puebloan Heartland of the Middle San Juan.

Archaeology is like trying to put together a puzzle with only some of the pieces. It requires theory, analysis, interpretation, and a lot of hypothesizing, which we lay people might call informed speculation. In this book the authors explain how they have studied the architectural design and construction of great houses at Aztec and Salmon pueblos, two very large and complex structures. They have studied the “lifeways” of people in these pueblos, what archaeological evidence tells them about how people pursued the essentials of food water, shelter, and even social interaction. They explain what artifacts tell them about the ceremonial life of these people, and about the growth and decline of the communities. They are especially interested in indications of relationships with Chaco and Mesa Verde over the centuries. Archaeologists are always debating what the evidence is telling them, and the authors describe competing ideas as to how the Chacoans and Mesa Verdeans influenced the people of the Puebloan Heartland. There is no doubt that they did so as indicated in analysis of architecture and pottery, among other things, but when and to what degree is debated.

In a delightful essay the distinguished Southwest archaeologist Florence Lister tells the story of how Earl Morris came to excavate Aztec West, one of two mounds near the San Juan River that were clearly important archaeological sites. She tells the story of how Earl excavated what he called the “great kiva” at Aztec, and how he ultimately undertook to reconstruct it. Archaeologists later concluded that reconstructions like this were not a good idea, and removed several, but not the great kiva reconstruction.

Fortunately, the great kiva at Aztec was spared from destruction, partly because of the great expense it would have involved, but also because it was such an important addition not just to Aztec West, but to the Ancestral Pueblo record in general. In its unadorned condition and sparsely furnished with basic elements, it faithfully reflected the character of the Ancestral Pueblo people and gave future generations the opportunity to appreciate the importance of ceremony in the Ancestral Pueblo world.

As one of the future generation beneficiaries awed by the great kiva restoration, I agree with Lister on this.

In a fascinating essay titled “Chacoan Archaeoastronomy of the Middle San Juan Region,” Larry Baker explains how he and colleagues have discovered and documented astronomical alignments at Salmon Ruins, Aztec, and at Chimney Rock National Monument on the eastern edge of the heartland. Great houses there were built with celestial observations in mind. At the twin spires of Chimney Rock, Ancestral Puebloans built a great house from which they could observe the lunar standstill. They learned that the moon cycles from north to south and back again, “At the end of this swing, the moon appears to pause for about two years, rising at the same point on the horizon before beginning to move back toward the opposite end of the swing.”

We know today that this cycle takes 18.6 years. Baker explains that the alignments in the great houses were useful to identify points on the annual calendar in planning agriculture. But the lunar cycle was different. “The length of this lunar-standstill cycle certainly suggests that these lunar observations were less important for yearly agricultural activities and more connected to a longer-term ceremonial cycle.” Another piece of the puzzle located.

Other essays explain what is being learned about Ancestral Puebloan clothing excavated at the Aztec and Salmon great houses and about why, what, and how hunters from these communities, which were largely agricultural, hunted prey like rabbits and deer. An essay on pottery reveals Chacoan and Mesa Verdean influences. An essay summarizes “The Intertwined Histories of the Chaco, Middle San Juan, and Mesa Verde Regions.” An important concluding essay is contributed by Theresa Pasqual of Acoma Pueblo who works to protect cultural and archaeological resources of tribes in the Southwest. Hers is a very personal piece, explaining how she left her pueblo but was called back to do her work there.

There is strength in Pueblo thinking, a comforting continuity that comes from a constant return to the core values – love, respect, stewardship, honor – that have guided us since the time of emergence. It is easy to lose this perspective on the people who once lived when we only look at their places analytically. I needed twenty-five years to understand my place in the Puebloan continuum. By standing in the river, by experiencing these places in quietness, by remembering and praying, I can connect to my relatives, my ancestors, in the present moment….As stewards of these special places, we can protect and preserve them, ensuring that the river of our past continues to flow and that the stories and songs, the wisdom of those past, are ever present and alive.

Pasqual’s is an eloquent and powerful voice in this collection of analytical pieces, testimony that indigenous people’s perspectives are essential to understanding the puzzles archaeologists are working on.

Having read this book I will go back to the Heartland of the Middle San Juan with deep curiosity, excitement, and more understanding of what I am experiencing. Thanks to the work of the authors in this collection, the experience of this place will be much deeper and more rewarding.

Anyone planning a visit to Chaco or Mesa Verde should read this book and explore the “Puebloan Heartland” as well. Their reward will be a deeper understanding of the geography of the Ancestral Puebloan homeland.