Latest / Aztec Ruins National Monument, New Mexico / 002 - Man in the San Juan Valley Early Hunters and Gatherers

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002 - Man in the San Juan Valley Early Hunters and Gatherers · Aztec Ruins National Monument, New Mexico

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  Speaker 1: Section one of Aztec Ruins National Monument, New Mexico. This
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  Speaker 1: is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the
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  Speaker 1: public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit
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  Speaker 1: LibriVox dot org. Aztec Ruins National Monument, New Mexico by
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  Speaker 1: John M. Corbett Man in the San Juan Valley early
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  Speaker 1: hunters and gatherers Man in the San Juan Valley. The
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  Speaker 1: San Juan River and its tributaries drained the region known
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  Speaker 1: as the Four Corners Country, the area surrounding the point
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  Speaker 1: where New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona meet in a
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  Speaker 1: common boundary at right angles. Rising high in the rocky
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  Speaker 1: mountains of Colorado, the San Juan flows southwestward to dip
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  Speaker 1: down into the northwestern corner of New Mexico. Then it
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  Speaker 1: courses northwestward into Utah, almost at the point of juncture
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  Speaker 1: of the four states, with many twists and curves, roaring
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  Speaker 1: through deep canyons and gulches. It proceeds generally westward to
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  Speaker 1: empty into the Mighty Colorado River in the southeastern part
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  Speaker 1: of Utah. The San Juan Basin is the major drainage
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  Speaker 1: basin of the Four Corners country. As such, its lower
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  Speaker 1: reaches formed a formidable barrier to travel by migrant primitive
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  Speaker 1: groups and to early white settlers as well. Its upper portions, however,
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  Speaker 1: especially its tributaries, were easier of access and supplied that
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  Speaker 1: most important element of all for life in the desert water,
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  Speaker 1: water for drinking, water for irrigation. The land between the
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  Speaker 1: tributaries is highly diversified, much as arid or semi arid,
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  Speaker 1: with small streams running intermittently or with scattered springs that
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  Speaker 1: may be dry during parts of the year. Other areas
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  Speaker 1: are mountainous, with swift flowing streams. In places there are
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  Speaker 1: maces or large table lands, which frequently are covered with
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  Speaker 1: forests of pine, juniper and pinon. It is a land
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  Speaker 1: of warm, often hot summers, and cool, sometimes very cold winters,
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  Speaker 1: a land of sharp contrasts, a land that seems perpetual,
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  Speaker 1: yet never appears exactly the same on any two successive days.
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  Speaker 1: Into this area many hundreds of years ago, possibly even thousands,
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  Speaker 1: came small bands of wandering hunters. Gradually, some of them
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  Speaker 1: learned how to adapt to the rigors of the land. Eventually,
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  Speaker 1: two centers arose, in which the local inhabitants successfully adjusted
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  Speaker 1: to their environment, one along the Choco Wash in northwestern
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  Speaker 1: New Mexico and the second in southwestern Colorado, in many
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  Speaker 1: places on the Laplata, Mancos and Machlmo drainages. Choco, the
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  Speaker 1: first of these cultural manifestations, takes its name from the
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  Speaker 1: best known and finest examples of such ruins in Choco
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  Speaker 1: Canyon National Monument. The other is best known at and
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  Speaker 1: named for, the area incorporated in Meyseeverde National Park on
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  Speaker 1: the northern side of the San Juan. Most of its
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  Speaker 1: tributaries are perennially flowing streams and rivers, with broad, fertile
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  Speaker 1: valleys and bountiful plant and animal resources near by. On
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  Speaker 1: one of these streams, the Animus, there existed a series
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  Speaker 1: of prehistoric towns and villages which exemplify the successful blending
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  Speaker 1: of cultural influences from both the major centers of Choco
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  Speaker 1: and Mesa Verde. This is the general story of the
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  Speaker 1: San Juan River area, of the people who lived there
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  Speaker 1: long ago, and in particular the story of the great
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  Speaker 1: Ruined Pueblo on the Anamous River near the present day
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  Speaker 1: town of Aztec, New Mexico. Early hunters and gatherers. Ten
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  Speaker 1: thousand years ago, a small band of weary footsore, hungry
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  Speaker 1: hunters cautiously approached a few bison which they had managed
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  Speaker 1: to stampede away from the main herd ten in number.
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  Speaker 1: The bison had finally paused to drink at a small
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  Speaker 1: spring in a rincon of the canyon wall and to
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  Speaker 1: graze upon the thick tall grass. For a day and
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  Speaker 1: a half, the hunters had carefully followed the large, hairy mammals,
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  Speaker 1: hoping the beasts would lose their sense of danger and
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  Speaker 1: allow themselves to be boxed into a place where the
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  Speaker 1: hunters could approach close enough to kill them. At last,
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  Speaker 1: the moment was at hand. Wearily, two hunters crawled along
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  Speaker 1: the slope of the canyon wall from opposite sides, seeking
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  Speaker 1: places from which they could throw large rocks upon the
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  Speaker 1: animals or hurl their spears with devastating force. Patiently, five
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  Speaker 1: more hunters waited below, concealed by the tall grass or
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  Speaker 1: behind convenient boulders. When the first two were in place,
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  Speaker 1: the leader gave the signal. Rocks came crashing down on
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  Speaker 1: the startled bison. Spears whistled through the air and thudded
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  Speaker 1: into soft flesh. One or two missed, but most found
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  Speaker 1: their targets. Shouts and cries filled the air. The bison,
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  Speaker 1: caught by surprise, whirled and milled around the water hole
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  Speaker 1: for a moment, then several broke for the open country.
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  Speaker 1: One was wounded, the spear in its flank, bobbing like
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  Speaker 1: a wave, tossed spindle on this animal. The hunters concentrated.
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  Speaker 1: Three more spears found their target, and the great beast
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  Speaker 1: went down, thrashing wildly. Two other animals lay maimed at
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  Speaker 1: the water hole. One young calf, hobbling painfully, tried to
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  Speaker 1: get away to the open country, but was quickly dispatched.
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  Speaker 1: The remaining six bison disappeared through the thickets and tall
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  Speaker 1: grass to the west. The animals, which were down but
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  Speaker 1: not dead, were swiftly killed with spear thrust through the eyes.
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  Speaker 1: Then the assembled hunters fell to the most important task
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  Speaker 1: of all. With quick strokes of their razor sharp stone knives,
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  Speaker 1: they carefully peeled away the hide from one of the carcasses.
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  Speaker 1: The soft inner parts, the heart, kidneys, and liver. They
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  Speaker 1: immediately cut into pieces and ate raw on the spot,
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  Speaker 1: for they had not tasted meat for many days. In fact,
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  Speaker 1: for the last several days on the hunt, they had
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  Speaker 1: subsisted entirely on the few edible plants and roots they
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  Speaker 1: could easily find while tracking the bison. Now, great chunks
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  Speaker 1: of meat were cut from the flanks and likewise consumed
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  Speaker 1: raw until each hunter could eat no more. Then the
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  Speaker 1: men gathered up their weapons, long wooden spears with carefully
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  Speaker 1: made chipped flint or obsidian points. Some of the points
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  Speaker 1: were so deeply buried in the bodies that they broke
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  Speaker 1: loose from the shafts when the men tried to pry
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  Speaker 1: them free. Other shafts had broken, leaving the points embedded
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  Speaker 1: when the bison thrashed about trying to escape the sudden devastation.
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  Speaker 1: This was of minor concern. New shafts could be made,
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  Speaker 1: new points fashioned. It was more important that once again
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  Speaker 1: there was meat enough to go around for the hunters,
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  Speaker 1: their mates, and their children. Now surfeited, the hunters dozed
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  Speaker 1: quietly in the shade out of the noonday sun, but
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  Speaker 1: not for long, for they must bring the rest of
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  Speaker 1: the man to participate in the feast. One hunter started
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  Speaker 1: back to the last camp, where the women and children waited,
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  Speaker 1: existing on the remnants of the last kill and whatever
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  Speaker 1: edible plants, roots, nuts, and berries they might be able
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  Speaker 1: to find nearby. The other hunters proceeded with the skinning
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  Speaker 1: of the animals. To build a fire, one man found
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  Speaker 1: a dry log in which he made a small hole
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  Speaker 1: with his stone knife. He sharpened another dry but tougher stick,
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  Speaker 1: Thrusting this into the hole. He twirled it rapidly between
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  Speaker 1: his hands until he built up sufficient friction to make
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  Speaker 1: a few small sparks in the log. These he deftly
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  Speaker 1: transferred to a little dry tinder, the flame of which
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  Speaker 1: he carefully nursed until twigs and branches could be added
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  Speaker 1: to make a real blaze. The fire would be welcome
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  Speaker 1: in the evening, for the days were getting shorter and
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  Speaker 1: the nights colder. When the women and children arrived, they
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  Speaker 1: they would make crude lean to or wind break structures
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  Speaker 1: to help break the cold night winds from the north.
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  Speaker 1: They would scrape, clean and dry the bison skins, so
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  Speaker 1: that as the band headed southward, they would have the
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  Speaker 1: warm skins to wrap themselves in at night. During the
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  Speaker 1: day while hunting or working around the camp, they needed
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  Speaker 1: little in the way of clothing, just simple loincloths, on damp,
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  Speaker 1: rainy days, and there seemed too many of these brush shelters.
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  Speaker 1: Fires and the warm skins of the animals they had
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  Speaker 1: killed were sufficient. By now the vultures were circling overhead,
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  Speaker 1: but it would be several days before these carrion birds
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  Speaker 1: could feast on what little might remain of the kill.
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  Speaker 1: The hunters and the rest of the band would stay
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  Speaker 1: at this spot until the meat was exhausted rancid as
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  Speaker 1: it might become. Then once again they would take up
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  Speaker 1: their spears and start after more game. This time they
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  Speaker 1: would head toward the south, for with the shortening days,
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  Speaker 1: winter was coming and the game was going south. But
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  Speaker 1: they would worry about the next hunt later. In the meantime,
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  Speaker 1: all was well. It was a time for relaxation and rejoicing.
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  Speaker 1: They had food for many days, they had water. Soon
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  Speaker 1: they would have shelter, and this was, without doubt, the
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  Speaker 1: best of all possible worlds in which to live. Of course,
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  Speaker 1: such a scene is imaginary, but it could have taken
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  Speaker 1: place about ten thousand years ago, almost anywhere among the
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  Speaker 1: valley and canyon bottoms of what is now known as
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  Speaker 1: the Four Corners Country of the Southwest. The Great Continental
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  Speaker 1: Ice sheets never got this far south, and ten thousand
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  Speaker 1: years ago they were already retreating northward from their farthest expansion.
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  Speaker 1: Yet smaller glaciers in some of the surrounding mountains were
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  Speaker 1: also shrinking, and the general climate of the area must
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  Speaker 1: have been far different than it is today. No doubt,
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  Speaker 1: it was colder and damper, with more rain, and many swamps, lagoons,
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  Speaker 1: and lakes abound in gay animals and birds of all varieties.
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  Speaker 1: With a colder climate, the scenery, too, did not resemble
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  Speaker 1: that of today. High grasslands, extensive hardwood forests, and full
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  Speaker 1: flowing streams and rivers characterized the region. The general land formations, however,
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  Speaker 1: the mountains, canyons, maces, and plateaus had been formed long
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  Speaker 1: millennia before, and as short a time as ten thousand
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  Speaker 1: years ago, they would have been very much as they
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  Speaker 1: are today. Geologists believe that after the last of the
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  Speaker 1: four great continental glaciations i e. The Wisconsin, there were
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  Speaker 1: three broad climatic periods over most of the western United States.
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  Speaker 1: These are called the anithermal, which was cool and moist,
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  Speaker 1: becoming gradually warmer, the alti thermal, which was exceptionally dry,
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  Speaker 1: and the metathermal a relatively cool moist period which is
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  Speaker 1: still in progress. Our imaginary tale about the Hunters, if
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  Speaker 1: it had taken place, would have occurred during the anethermal period.
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  Speaker 1: These variations in climate have been determined by studying old
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  Speaker 1: stream terraces. Streams cut deeper when there is more water,
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  Speaker 1: and they can carry a greater load of a brace
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  Speaker 1: of sands and gravels. Old beach levels around ancient lakes,
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  Speaker 1: such as are prominent today around the Great Salt Lake
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  Speaker 1: in Utah and ancient Annual Lake deposits of fine silts
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  Speaker 1: which form thin bands or varves. Studies of animal life,
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  Speaker 1: both vertebrate and invertebrate and plant life are important, for
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  Speaker 1: some life forms can exist only under certain limited climatic conditions.
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  Speaker 1: Bones and shells found in various deposits may help to
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  Speaker 1: indicate the type of climate existing when they were laid down.
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  Speaker 1: Plant fragments, pollen grains, and diatoms. Microscopic plants with silicious
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  Speaker 1: skeletons are clues in telling the story of prehistoric times.
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  Speaker 1: What the early Hunters may have looked like, no one
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  Speaker 1: really knows, for archaeologists so far have not found a
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  Speaker 1: single undisputed trace of their physical remains. Skeletal remains of
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  Speaker 1: what might be early man in this country have turned
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  Speaker 1: up in several places, but usually geologists, archaeologists, and others
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  Speaker 1: cannot agree as to just how ancient these remains might be.
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  Speaker 1: One of the most likely candidates for the distinction of
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  Speaker 1: earliest man yet found in America was discovered in nineteen
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  Speaker 1: fifty three near Midland, Texas. Actually, these remains, which consist
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  Speaker 1: of parts of a skull and fragments of other bones,
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  Speaker 1: were those of a female. They were found under geologic
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  Speaker 1: conditions that might indicate considerable age, and in indirect association
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  Speaker 1: with types of artifacts which are dated by other means
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  Speaker 1: as being of fulsome age or slightly more recent. Unfortunately,
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  Speaker 1: since radiocarbon dates on some of this material vary widely
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  Speaker 1: and the local geology is so complish, it is not
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  Speaker 1: positive that Midland Man is the oldest known American. Many anthropologists, however,
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  Speaker 1: believe that even the earliest inhabitants of this country were
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  Speaker 1: of Asiatic descent, and thus might well have resembled some
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  Speaker 1: of the modern American Indians. We do not even know
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  Speaker 1: if they used animal skins as clothing. With a rather cool,
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  Speaker 1: damp climate, it can be assumed that they had some
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  Speaker 1: sort of shelter and some types of body covering, even
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  Speaker 1: if nothing more than generous swabbings of bear grease. Today,
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  Speaker 1: near the tip of South America, a tribe of Indians,
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  Speaker 1: the Ona, exist in a very damp, cold climate, eating
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  Speaker 1: mostly fish and sea mammals. They live in crude brush
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  Speaker 1: shelters and wear little, if any clothing most of the time.
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  Speaker 1: In Africa, certain primitive pygmy tribes hunt game as large
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  Speaker 1: as giraffes with small bows and arrows. They wound their
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  Speaker 1: quarry first and then follow it, often for days, until
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  Speaker 1: they can bring to the weary animal at close range
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  Speaker 1: with their spears. Perhaps that is how the early hunters
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  Speaker 1: in America survived. We cannot be positive, but we do
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  Speaker 1: know that scattered around the Four Corners country are a
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  Speaker 1: few sites where spear points, scrapers, and other implements have
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  Speaker 1: been found under conditions indicating great antiquity. In other cases,
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  Speaker 1: throughout the Greater Southwest, points have been found embedded in
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  Speaker 1: the remains of slaughtered animals of now extinct species. Often
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  Speaker 1: these remains are found in ancient swamps and waterholes where
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  Speaker 1: it had been possible to trap or mire the animals
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  Speaker 1: and finally kill them. The mucky swampland has helped preserve
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  Speaker 1: the bones so that today the archaeologist can tell the
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  Speaker 1: story of how they were slaughtered. As the glaciers disappeared
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  Speaker 1: and the climate became warmer, the lakes, swamps and lagoons
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  Speaker 1: gradually dried up. The grasslands became desiccated, the hardwoods disappeared
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  Speaker 1: from the valley bottoms. Small regional differences in climate, sometimes
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  Speaker 1: due to altitude, left some places more desirable than others.
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  Speaker 1: Large mammals disappeared entirely, and the hunting and gathering people
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  Speaker 1: had to turn to smaller types of game, such as elk, deer, rabbit, bear,
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  Speaker 1: and rodents. No doubt, wild edible plants, berries, fruits, nuts,
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  Speaker 1: and even roots were gathered and eaten in the Four
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  Speaker 1: Corners country. However, evidence for occupation by man during the
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  Speaker 1: Alta thermal or second post Glacial period is almost entirely lacking.
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  Speaker 1: This was an exceptionally dry period, and few, if any
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  Speaker 1: people could live there. It wasn't until the climate became
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  Speaker 1: wetter and cooler again, more like it is today, that
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  Speaker 1: man once again inhabited the Four Corners area in any
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  Speaker 1: great numbers end of Section one,