Navajos, Traders, & Tourists: Cultural Patterns in the Architecture of Trading Posts

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2019: General Sessions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Spatial organization and architectural form derive (at least in part) from a template that is unique to a given society or culture. This might include ideals of building form, materials, and layout, as well as the direction of movement and behavior into and through a space. Trading posts in Navajo country present an opportunity to explore this question. Initially built by Anglo traders to meet the needs of Navajo customers, posts were later adapted to accommodate a burgeoning tourist trade. A mixed heritage and shifts in function and emphasis should select for traits that reflect Navajo and Anglo building traditions and that changed over time as the tourist trade became more important. This study, drawing from a photographic survey of 30 posts, considers elements of architecture, interior space, and patterns of movement across that space.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 24479