A Developing Theory

4/20/11
Lori Dewson

While I wait for the field study to begin, I’ll share my theory regarding the presence of Chacoan pottery on the ranch.
While the obvious explanation is that the pottery was traded from the Chaco people to the San Juan people, I have a different theory. I suggest that the pottery was brought by the Chaco people as they migrated north.

Red Mesa Black on White pottery was popular between AD 900 and AD 1050. That period saw a slow withdrawal of the Anasazi from Chaco Canyon. I think that the particular clan that migrated north to what is now the ranch brought their pottery with them. This seems unlikely considering pottery is heavy and cumbersome to travel with for a people who had no horses or other stock to pack their belongings.

However, I wonder if this migrating clan carried their pottery anyway. After all, depending upon their urgency (which there doesn’t appear to be any urgency in the evacuation of Chaco Canyon - thus they may not have seen the need to abandon their pottery too) the clan may have chosen to carry their ceramics if they didn’t believe they would stop in their travels long enough to make more. Perhaps they were uncertain of their ability to find the clay or sand necessary to construct new pottery wherever they were going.

As a result, I can’t help but wonder if the Chaco clan carried their existing pottery with them when they abandoned their home. Then, once they settled into the San Juan region and became familiar with the resources available to them there, their pottery-making style changed and was influenced by other clans within the area, thus changing their preference to the Mesa Verde style. Mesa Verde Black on White was popular from AD 1200 - AD 1300, a period that saw sudden habitations of defensible cliff dwellings shortly before the final abandonment.