Can Architecture Reveal Elements of Ethnicity? A Case Study Using Ancestral Puebloan Built Form Aimed at Identifying Intracultural Variation in the Greater Mesa Verde Region During the Pueblo III Period

Summary

Settlement locations and the resultant built form are an essential part in understanding the social and cultural ideals of prehistoric peoples. Vital information pertaining to intracultural diversity is lost when the ideals, beliefs, values, and identities of multiple communities within a culture are homogenized. Landscape analysis of the Sand Canyon Pueblo community, Cajon Mesa communities, and the Ten Acres Community has revealed distinct differences in site location and orientation; masonry style; and public architecture. This study focused on large Pueblo III period community centers in the Four Corners region to assess the presence of intracultural variation; a presence that may further be used to identify possible ethnic differences between said communities. Ethnicity is not the same as culture, but rather allows for an individual to identify with a collective group. This paper will present the results of the study, showing that architecture serves as a medium of communication; a piece of material culture imbued with the symbolic patterns of a given group that can be used to evaluate intracultural variation among the Ancestral Pueblo people.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15030