The Organization of Turquoise Production and Consumption by the Prehistoric Chacoans

Abstract

For the prehistoric inhabitants of the American Southwest and Northern Mexico, turquoise was not an essential commodity for daily life. Yet, over 56,000 pieces of turquoise were recovered with two burials from Pueblo Bonito, the first site excavated in Chaco Canyon, and more turquoise is found in sites in Chaco Canyon when compared to other sites throughout the southwestern United States from ca. A.D. 900 through 1150. It may have been a long-distance trade item, exchanged for copper bells or macaws from further south, but its primary function was as a ritual item within the regional system. Because turquoise is found in sites established early in the Chaco sequence, this review will examine data from earlier periods to suggest which Bonito phase developments were innovations or continuations of previous practices. Some ritual uses of turquoise followed by contemporary Puebloan people probably have roots extending back into the Chaco era.

Pilgrimage as costly signal: Religiously motivated cooperation in Chaco and Nasca

“…During its height in the late 11th century, the canyon was even importing large quantities of pottery (Toll, 2006), perhaps because decades of deforestation and the absence of domesticated animals meant that no fuel was available for firing pots. Evidence of craft specialization that might have converted imported raw materials into finished goods for pilgrims to procure is also scanty, although some canyon locations were apparently sites of jewelry production, especially for imported turquoise (Mathien, 2001). Studies of Chaco Canyon material culture have found ample evidence of importation but have not determined what, if anything, ever left the canyon.…”

A new approach to determining the geological provenance of turquoise artifacts using hydrogen and copper stable isotopes

“…The techniques employed included X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, electron microprobe, neutron activation, and proton-induced X-ray emission spectroscopy (PIXE), but all involved analysis of trace or rare earth elements. None of these studies has satisfactorily differentiated among turquoise procurement sites (Mathien, 2001).…”

“…Most deposits occur in the American Southwest ( Fig. 1) and northern Mexico, with the larger deposits located in New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Nevada (Anthony et al, 1982;Harbottle and Weigand, 1992;Mathien, 2000Mathien, , 2001Northrop, 1975;Weigand, 1994).…”

“…Other minerals, such as jade, gold, and silver are identified as status markers or were used as ritual offerings (Mathien, 2001). Turquoise, found in many Mesoamerican archaeological sites, is one mineral that stands out as an exotic resource that played a significant part in rituals, in marking social position, and decoration.…”

Exploring Social Organization Through the Built Environment: Cosmological Foundations for Power at Paquimé, Chihuahua, Mexico

“…When archaeologists discuss non-state societies in the SW/NW, they typically characterize the household as either a nuclear or extended family, suggesting that the biological family was the basic social unit (Mathien 2001;Peregrine 2001, Rakita 2001.…”