Teaching U.S. History and Grammar Mark Dorr United States Department of State English Language Specialist Kazakhstan, 2016 www.MarkDorr.com Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. This applies to this work as well as videos or other materials included in this educational presentation.

What is this place. What is this music What is this place? What is this music? Are they like anything in Kazakhstan? http://documentaryheaven.com/the-mystery-of-chaco-canyon/

Handout “Chaco Canyon”

Chaco Canyon National Historical Park https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMAEOtlo_p0 Reference currently unavailable. If found, please contact the website administrator.

A thousand years ago in what is now the American Southwest, the people now called the Anasazi built dramatic stone and adobe dwellings, or pueblos. Chaco Canyon was the center of Anasazi civilization with its many large pueblos probably serving as administrative and ceremonial centers for a widespread population. was, is, built

Pueblo Bonito, one of the largest of the Chaco Canyon ancient towns, is a good example of how the Anasazi lived. Pueblo Bonito rose four to five stories high; an astounding achievement for the time. Rooms surrounded a central plaza, and throughout the settlement were a number of kivas: underground meeting places that served a ceremonial purpose. The total population of Pueblo Bonito was probably around 1,200 people at its height. Surrounding the pueblo were a number of smaller dwellings and structures. Numerous communities looked to Chaco Canyon for political and religious guidance. were, rose, was, looked, is

After the sixth century A. D After the sixth century A.D., the Anasazi of Chaco Canyon and other settlements abandoned hunting and gathering in favor of cultivating crops such as corn. To grow maize, they needed rain, but the area was dry and rain was sporadic. What rain did fall was hoarded and used sparingly and effectively. Evidence of dams, canals, and other water control features found by archaeologists shows the importance of water to the Anasazi. was, used, needed, shows, abandoned, found

Abandoning the pueblos From the twelfth to the thirteenth centuries, many of the pueblos in Chaco Canyon were abandoned. What caused people to leave the pueblos? One pueblo at Sand Canyon can provide clues. Archaeologists found evidence that when Sand Canyon was finally abandoned in the thirteenth century, the kivas were burned. Kivas were sacred ceremonial places; they would not have been systematically burned without cause. Many archaeologists believe the kivas were ceremonially burned as a way to "close" the kivas when people left. The Anasazi very likely did this because they never intended to return. Another important clue is that, at Sand Canyon, people left almost all their possessions rather than taking them. The Anasazi likely had a long and difficult journey ahead of them.

What would you like to explore? Why did the Anasazi build Chaco where they did? Why did the Anasazi leave? How did they interact with others near and far? What were the designs of the houses? What was daily life like back then? What tools/clothes/decorations/toys/entertainment did they use? What do you think might have happened to the people?

Zuni Flute https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwT4tbzDvA8 Additional references for Chaco from the National Parks Service (Celebrating 100 years of national parks) and Wikipedia https://www.nps.gov/chcu/learn/historyculture/index.htm, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaco_Culture_National_Historical_Park , https://www.nps.gov/chcu/index.htm