Pueblo Bonito: Chaco Culture National Historic Park, New Mexico

Project GutenbergProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.5

Word count: 21K words
Chapters: 3

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Pueblo Bonito: Chaco Culture National Historic Park, New MexicoAuthor: ,Language: English, Class: F786: United States local history: New Southwest. Colorado River, Canyon, and Valley, Release Date: Mar 29, 2019

Editor's review

This Project Gutenberg text concerns the Pueblo Bonito site in Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico, and is public-domain material introducing the local history and archaeology of the American Southwest. Its value lies in a relatively concise English overview of the site's architectural layout, cultural background and preservation context, suitable as pre-trip background reading or an introduction to Southwest history. The text carries the narrative habits of its time of writing; readers should distinguish specific dating judgments from contemporary archaeological research and focus on its descriptions of the large masonry complexes, road system and community organization. It is limited in length, best read alongside maps and site plans to build spatial understanding; for travel reference, supplement with the park's current official information on access.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Travelers planning to visit Chaco Culture National Historical Park who want pre-trip background reading
General readers interested in the Native American history and archaeological sites of the American Southwest
Students needing public-domain English material as an introduction to local history
Readers who like to understand sites by combining maps with architectural description

Not a good fit for

Specialist researchers needing the latest excavation results and reviews of contemporary research
Practical tourists seeking detailed travel guides with transport and lodging information
Readers with limited English who want Chinese translation and notes

Reading tips

Open a site map or satellite image while reading to locate the architectural complexes and roads described.
Treat the text's dating and cultural judgments as historical material and check contemporary research for comparison.
Take brief notes under three themes—architecture, environment, preservation—for pre-trip review.
For travel, check the park's official channels after reading for open areas and tour arrangements.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Can this text serve as a complete guide to the Chaco site?

No. It is a public-domain introductory text with limited coverage and does not include current access information, tour routes or safety notices. It suits background reading; practical travel arrangements should follow the National Park Service's current information.

What are the main things to see at Pueblo Bonito?

The text focuses on the layout of the large masonry complexes, rooms and kivas (circular ceremonial structures), and the site's place in Chaco culture. As you read, note the relationship between building scale, orientation and community organization, and use plans to understand the spatial structure.

What background knowledge is needed for reading?

Familiarity with basic concepts of Southwest Native American culture, such as Pueblo society, kivas and the road system, helps but is not required. On a first reading, build the geographical and architectural picture, then return to the cultural interpretation.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Project Gutenberg Author

Project Gutenberg is not a single author but a nonprofit digital library founded by Michael Hart in 1971 and one of the world's earliest free ebook platforms. It relies on volunteers to digitize, proofread, and freely distribute public-domain works and is now operated by the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Its collection contains 2,692 works, mainly religious texts, epics, and story collections, including the King James Bible and the Douay-Rheims volumes, the epic Mahabharata, a literal translation of the Arabian Nights, and Danish editions of the Old and New Testaments. Public information is limited, and its nature is closer to a public-interest compiling and dissemination body; these texts are open to the public, easy to consult and circulate, and have had a profound influence on the spread of ebooks and the preservation of public-domain resources.