Overview

Dozens of books have been written on Chaco Canyon, a 34, -acre National Historical Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site located in northwestern New Mexico. Scholars continue to debate the nature of the various Ancestral Puebloans that inhabited the area c. 85 – 25 CE, what it was used for, and what caused it to be abandoned. Renowned visual artist Judy Tuwaletstiwa visited Chaco in 984 while on a trip through the desert canyons of the Southwest. Over the next several years, she created artworks based on her deeply personal, experiential reactions to this ancient and mysterious archaeological site that remains sacred to contemporary Pueblo people. Throughout the book are Tuwaletstiwa’ s own words— lyrical, deeply philosophical, and poetic— that unify the material into a uniquely provocative and beautiful work of art. Diana Gaston’ s essay provides context on Tuwaletstiwa’ s process and inspiration while Philip Tuwaletstiwa provides the archaeological and anthropological background of the place and what is known about its original inhabitants. Of special interest are the astronomical alignments of the built environment and roadways that were designed with religious, mystical, and divine significance to his ancestors from the area.

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9780991479276

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Author Information

Diana Gaston is the Director of Tamarind Institute at The University of New Mexico. She has served as curator of public and private collections, including the University of New Mexico Art Museum, Albuquerque; the Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego; and Fidelity Investments Corporate Art Collection, based in Boston. She has contributed essays and critical reviews to numerous publications and monographs. Philip Tuwaletstiwa is a member of the Hopi Tribe. He holds degrees in Geodetic Science from Ohio State and Cornell Universities. For 22 years, he was an Officer in the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s Commissioned Corps. As Deputy Director of NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey, he initiated, for the Solstice Project, precise orientation surveys of the major Chaco buildings. He also created a Land Information System for the Hopi Tribe to assist in managing cultural and natural resources. Phillip and Judy are collaborating on a novel about the origins of Chaco Canyon. Titled The Laughing Spiders, it combines mythology, dreaming, history, archaeology, and archeoastronomy.

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