The Archaeological Conservancy's
2022 Virtual Lecture Series
Color and Directional Symbolism
at Pueblo Bonito, Chaco Canyon
Presented by | Dr. Hannah Mattson, Southwestern Archaeologist and Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of New Mexico
⏰Thurs, May 12 at 5 pm MDT on Zoom Webinars and Facebook Live
?WATCH THE RECORDED LECTURE:
More about the lecture:
Dedicatory offerings of small colorful objects are often found in pre-Hispanic architectural contexts in the Ancestral Pueblo region of the American Southwest. These deposits are particularly numerous in kivas at the site of Pueblo Bonito, Chaco Canyon, which served as the ceremonial hub of the Chacoan regional system between the 10th and 12th centuries CE. Based on the importance of directionality and color in traditional Pueblo worldviews, archaeologists have long-speculated that the contents of these radial offerings may likewise reference significant Chacoan cosmographic elements. In this talk, Dr. Mattson will discuss the results of a recent study where she explored this idea by examining the distribution of colors and materials in kiva pilaster repositories in relation to directional quadrants, prominent landscape features, and raw material sources.
Dr. Mattson leading a student field trip to Pueblo Bonito in Spring 2019.
About the presenter:
Hannah Mattson is a Southwestern archaeologist and an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of New Mexico. She specializes in the archaeology of Chaco Canyon and the larger Ancestral Pueblo region, personal adornment and social identity, and ceramic technology. She has authored numerous articles and book chapters on items of adornment from the northern Southwest and recently published a volume titled Personal Adornment and the Construction of Identity: A Global Archaeological Perspective (2021, Oxbow Books).
Learn more about the research behind Dr. Mattson’s new book:
Learn more about Hannah Mattson in this short video about her 2019 Women in STEM Award:
This lecture series is sponsored by The Archaeological Conservancy and is free to our Members and the General Public. Recorded lectures will also be available on YouTube or on this page after the event.
For questions about the event or how to register, please contact April Brown (tac.connect@gmail.com) or Sarah Webber (saraht.tac@gmail.com).
