Ancient Architecture of the Southwest

William N. Morgan

• Publisher: University of Texas Press
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN: 9780292757660
• eBook ISBN: 9780292757677
• Topic: Architecture
• Subtopic: History of Architecture

During more than a thousand years before Europeans arrived in 1540, the native peoples of what is now the southwestern United States and northern Mexico developed an architecture of rich diversity and beauty. Vestiges of thousands of these dwellings and villages still remain, in locations ranging from Colorado in the north to Chihuahua in the south and from Nevada in the west to eastern New Mexico—a geographical area of some 300,000 square miles. This study presents a comprehensive architectural survey of the region. Professionally rendered drawings comparatively analyze 132 sites by means of standardized 100-foot grids with uniform orientations. Reconstructed plans with shadows representing vertical heights suggest the original appearances of many structures that are now in ruins or no longer exist, while concise texts place them in context. Organized in five chronological sections that include 132 professionally rendered site drawings, the book examines architectural evolution from humble pit houses to sophisticated, multistory pueblos. The sections explore concurrent Mogollon, Hohokam, and Anasazi developments, as well as those in the Salado, Sinagua, Virgin River, Kayenta, and other areas, and compare their architecture to contemporary developments in parts of eastern North America and Mesoamerica. The book concludes with a discussion of changes in Native American architecture in response to European influences. Written for a general audience, the book holds appeal for all students of native Southwestern cultures, as well as for everyone interested in origins in architecture. In particular, it should encourage younger Native American architects to value their rich cultural heritage and to respond as creatively to the challenges of the future as their ancestors did to those of the past.

INDEX

A

Abó, Estancia Valley, New Mexico, 231

acequia madre (matriarch canal), 170

Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico, 236, 237

—ancestors of, 128, 140, 142

—relative to Oraibi, 195; to Gran Quivira, 230, 232; to Zuni, 238; to Shongopavi, 250; to Santo Domingo, 260; to Taos, 263

—site description of, 254–257

Adena culture

—architectural achievements of, 5

—See also Hopewell culture

adobe

—walls of, 10, 26, 36, 92, 100, 114, 116, 119, 170, 207

—surfaces of, 16

—mortar of, 30, 68, 191, 207

—hearth linings of, 34

—thermal properties of, 38

—solid fill of, 57

—roofs and floors of, 94

—pueblos of, 102, 150, 158, 159, 213, 215, 219, 220, 221, 223, 226, 229, 237

—structures of, 107, 156, 170, 172, 177, 179, 187, 230, 254

—houses of, 114

—altar of, 162, 250

—granary of, 173

—church of, 195

—straw-reinforced, 200

—windbreaks of, 228

—molded bricks of, 228, 235, 262

Aguatubi, San Bernardo de

—church of Awatovi, 200, 235

Alaska

—land bridge to Asia, xiii

—Athapascan area of, xvii

—pit house sites in, 3

Alkali Ridge, Utah, xvi, 5

—relative to Grass Mesa Village, 18; to Montezuma Valley, 79; to Main Ridge, 92; to Coombs, 94, 96

—site description of, 19–20

altar. See shrine

Alvarado, Hernando de (explorer)

—visits Acoma, 255

—observations on Taos, 262

Amerind Foundation, 170, 172

Anasazi (ancient enemies), xv, xvi, xvii, xviii, xix, 267

—early pithouses and kivas of, 3–20

—in Chaco Canyon, 4, 23, 24, 39–59

—in the Northern San Juan area, 4, 19, 25, 26, 81, 85, 87, 90

—Mogollon influences on, 11

—influences of, 23, 36, 99, 105, 114, 118, 120, 121, 165

—in the San Juan Basin, 24, 59–76

—in Canyon de Chelly, 76, 136

—in Mesa Verde, 78, 139, 140

—in the M...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Frontispiece
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Early Settlements to A.D. 900
• Regional Developments, 900 to 1140
• Unrest and Adjustment, 1140 to 1300
• Migration and Consolidation, 1300 to 1540
• Historic Pueblos, 1540 to Present
• Overview
• Glossary
• Pronunciation Guide
• Bibliography
• Index