Chaco Society and Polity: Papers from the 1999 Conference

Description

Editors: Cordell, Linda S.  (1943-2013); Judge, W. James; and Piper, June-el

Publisher: New Mexico Archaeological Council

Pub Date: 2001

Binding: Paperback

Condition: Fair.  Binding tight.  No marks, tears.  Upper front cover edge has an approx. 4″ crease.  Lower front cover corner has an approx. 8″ fold, from recto edge to bottom edge, extends to first page.  Edge and corner wear.

Notes: New Mexico Archaeological Council Special Publication 4.  “Most would probably agree that what makes Chaco stand out in the archaeological record of the Pueblos are the various material expressions, particularly monumental architecture, striking settlement dichotomies, prehistoric roadways, elite goods and burials, the immense scale of the Chacoan regional system, etc., which suggest new and complex kinds of organizations at work….All pueblos are organized on theocratic principles.  To the extent that Pueblos are governed at all, they are governed by hierarchies of priests–members of exclusive sodalities who exercise authority over the ritual and, in many communities, the mundane aspects of everyday life.  In all pueblos, distinctions are made between ritual elites and commoners–between the ceremonially rich and the ceremonially poor–and all Pueblo ideologies emphasize the sanctity of ritual knowledge and the legitimacy of the religious gerontocracy. ”  (Pages 82-83)