UNM 2013 Fall Field School - Day 12 in Chaco

By Lauren Butero

Today may have been the crew’s last day in the field, but our work isn’t over. We spent today completing the end of our on-site recording both in the field and in our field laboratory, backfilling the last of our units, recording the last reference points for features, and packing up camp for the season. However, back in Albuquerque our work will continue. The in-depth analysis will begin and the group will have maps to make, records to formalize and finalize, and lots of information to process. While we won’t be surrounded by the beauty of the Canyon every day, the importance of what is to come shouldn’t be understated. What happens between now and the end of our semester (and beyond, in the case of the graduate teaching assistants) is essential. Our ability to record and interpret what we have seen, photographed, collected and measured determines whether or not the parts of the past that we collected and excavated and the knowledge and potential within those parts of the sites are preserved. If we fail to be diligent with our notations, reports, logs, and in caring for the artifacts we removed, much of the knowledge contained in the site we worked on could be lost. Excavation is a destructive practice, meaning that once it has been completed the site can never be returned to exactly how it was before. Some information such as relationships between objects and layers of soils is permanently lost if that information is not recorded in a way that people will be able to access it in the future. Even for things that are left untouched by our scientific endeavors, Mother Nature and other humans can take a toll and wash and erode away information with the ebb and flow of time. Archeology is the attempt to conserve the knowledge that is trapped in between the layers of time. Beyond recording, archeology is also about analyzing and theorizing --- essentially figuring out what all of our observations and measurements MEAN on a larger scale which will be part of our continuing work. 

Beyond the importance of our records and observations and theories, the field school also produced a crew that began as students and finished as a new group of archeologists. While our units are now invisible to passerby, the knowledge and skills gained by the group cannot be hidden under a layer of eroded sandstone dust. The field makes the best classroom, where students learn by doing and by experiencing. It also has strengthened the crew, and not only our backs and callouses on our palms. It was an unforgettable opportunity that none of us will likely forget, nor the bond that it forged between the crew and the canyon and between one another, living and working together. I think more than one of our group discovered they were made of tougher stuff than they thought, especially after our record cold nights and shortened schedule. Others uncovered talents they weren’t aware of and we will all walk away with wonderful, once-in-a-lifetime memories and stories and knowledge that we will carry with us as we accomplish more. Beyond that, hopefully, experiences and friendships forged in ice are as strong as those forged by fire.

UNM 2013 Fall Field School - Day Eleven in Chaco

By Leon Natker

Today is our last full day on site in Chaco Canyon.  Last night was the coldest it has been so far.  The park service says it was somewhere around zero.  When you’re sleeping in a tent in a sleeping bag that is really cold.  We were all up early because of the cold to have breakfast and warm up in the kitchen.  We loaded up the trucks at 7:00 AM and headed out to the field.  The sky was clear all day so the sun came out and warmed us all up quickly.  It still only got up to 48 degrees.

There are many important things that have to be done on an archaeological site before you can leave the site. We can’t just dig holes and walk away.  All the units have to be backfilled. Backfilling is putting the dirt you dug out back in.  We do this so no one can vandalize the site and also so that archaeologists in the future can come back to the same spot and do further research.  In fact another field school from UNM might come back in the future to continue working where we did this year.  In addition to backfilling we have to make sure that every feature we found is correctly mapped.  This is very important on this site because there are both historical features and prehistoric features.  We have encountered both of them and need to keep a good record for all future research done on the site.  Jennie Sturm leads the way with the total station, mapping coordinates of every feature we found. Each unit also has to draw a plan view map, that’s like a bird’s eye view and then a profile of each of the walls showing all the different layers of soil we dug through. We also have to map coordinates for all the artifacts we found on the surface and then collect them. One of the great things about working in the field is how much of a family everyone becomes.  We all help each other to accomplish all of these jobs. In one day you might do four or five different jobs on a site.  For example today I started out collecting artifacts we had found on survey Monday, then I worked with Jennie to map features found all around the site. Then I helped Josh back fill the two units we had excavated. Then I went back to help Jennie map some other sites that had been found.  You see there is never a dull moment on an archaeological site. We really do become a family.  We take turns cooking dinner for each other, we help keep our living space clean and when it’s cold we all gather together in the kitchen, warm up and share stories. It’s a lot of fun and I know everyone will miss it when it’s over.

Pueblo Bonito and Pueblo Alto from South Mesa

Tonight we are getting a special treat. G.B. Cornucopia is the Park Service interpreter who specializes in the night sky.  He has invited all of us to the observatory for a special talk on the stars and to give us each chance to have a look through the telescope. We’re all very excited about this opportunity. You have to spend the night in Chaco Canyon at least once to really appreciate how beautiful the sky is. We have been out here since the last full moon, now the moon is almost gone so you can see the Milky Way clearly.  Almost every night someone sees a shooting star.  It’s another part of what makes Chaco Canyon so special. Whether or not you want to be an archaeologist, visiting Chaco Canyon is an experience everyone should have.  I’ve included a picture from our hike yesterday that shows Pueblo Bonito and New Alto from South Mesa.  It’s just another of the many wonderful things to see here.  I know all of us will miss being here, it is a really extraordinary place. We will all value this experience in a special way.  Not just because it has been a remarkable learning experience with great teachers but because it is one of the most unique places to visit anywhere on this planet. 

UNM 2013 Archaeological Field School - Day Ten in Chaco

By Pablo Flores

It was Day Ten  at Chaco Canyon and we all awoke to a beautiful scene as it had snowed the night before. All of Chaco Canyon was covered in a thin layer of white that reflected the sunlight as it rose. Although it made for a gorgeous morning in the canyon, it as was a cold one with the wind blowing in from the south. As we made our way to the site where once the Wetherill Homestead and Trading Post had been to continue our work, we were given the chance to explore and photograph the snow covered Pueblo Bonito - this was an opportunity I had been hoping to get the entire time we have been in Chaco Canyon. With the snow it heightened the already mysterious and awe inspiring Pueblo Bonito and created a picture-perfect moment that any photographer would want to have. The snow also prevented sound from vibrating off the canyon walls as it typically does making it seem unnaturally quiet except for the laughter and talk from the students as they wondered about Pueblo Bonito.

After visiting Pueblo Bonito we returned to each of our units and began the last bit of work required in order to be finished before this coming Thursday – our last day in Chaco Canyon. For some of us this meant completing profiling, which requires mapping the changes in soil composition of your unit walls, using a Munsell soil chart to identify the color of each defined layer of soil and determining soil texture using a Feel Flow Chart. Others continued excavating their units due to continued interest in what was being found or had not been found, and some performed various tasks on the site as instructed. The morning progressively got colder as wind increased and clouds thickened causing many – including myself – to wish for a cup of hot chocolate, however we made due with a hot cup of coffee with some cookies.

We were all surprised to discover that the afternoon plans were to take a hike out to the unexcavated Great-House called Tsin Kletsin, which is located on the top of South Mesa. The hike is about three miles long with the first part being entirely uphill. Along the way one can get a great view of Pueblo Bonito, Chetro Ketl and Casa Riconada (Downtown Chaco). Further up the trail Pueblo Alto and New Alto become visible on the top of the other side of the canyon with the La Plata Mountains in the backdrop. These are not the only great views to see as South Mesa provides a variety of spectacular views of the surrounding landscape in and around Chaco Canyon. Today was one of the best days I have had in Chaco Canyon, which is a challenge in itself since every day in Chaco Canyon is wonderful in that there is always something new to discover.       

UNM 2013 Fall Field School - Day Nine in Chaco

By Holly Bennett

Today marks the first full day of the last week in Chaco Canyon and our 2013 Fall Field School in total. It is a silly mix of the bitter and sweet. Last night we found ourselves discussing when we prefer the cold onset of darkness. Six in the morning when we rise or six in the evening when we sit down for dinner? There was no unanimous decision, but the truth is either way you look at it dark brings cold. Plus, daylight savings forced its agenda on us this week. And something I learned very clearly this morning is that the theatrics of sunshine never really brings warmth here in the Fall. So the bitter aspects are rising early in the cold. Now for the sweet. This experience day in and day out provides those moments you know you’ll never forgive yourself for not relishing. Luckily the crew in this field school is really good at stopping and remembering what we are doing every day. Chaco Canyon’s ever-changing beauty really helps to conjure up this appreciation. We are on our third week of working beside Pueblo Bonito. We get to survey some of the most beautiful landscape a naked eye will see. We look up at unbridled star light every night. It’s kind of funny, because Chaco Canyon seems to slap us upside the head with almost too beautiful beauty to insist on our great fortune.

Today, our crew was split into two categories. You were either down in your test pits or on survey with one of our teaching assistants. Those that were in test pits had staggered duties. Some of the test pit crews were directed to continue excavation based on what was appearing in their units. Although continued excavation was exclusively permitted there was a bigger goal in mind. Since we are very near the end of our time here, recording our findings is the most important task at hand. What we have found needs multiple forms of documentation and mapping is one of the largest ways to communicate our findings. Today, the test pits that have reached an endorsed end started mapping. This includes both plan view maps, which are like a bird’s eye view, and stratigraphic maps which are detailed wall maps. So many of us started on this very detailed venture.

The second group went on survey between the Wetherill Cemetery and Pueblo Bonito. They were searching for historic artifacts. They were looking for diagnostic artifacts and features. Diagnostic Artifacts are artifacts that can provide detailed information. Today they mainly came in the form of full bottles or cans. There was even an old wash tub found in the field! As for the features, they were comparing aerial photos from the forties to features that appeared in the field. They are seeking a comparison between remaining structures with these older photos. Overall, today kicked off a campaign to start tying up our field school work in Chaco Canyon. Turns out no matter how cold and how tired we all our, the end is starting to feel a lot more bitter than sweet. At least we have three more days to relish the last of our time here!

And here is a photograph of what greated the crew the next morning in Chaco: first snowfall!

Snow on Wetherill Homestead excavations, November 5, 2013.