A Zooarchaeological Reassessment of the Parrots of Chaco Canyon

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Birds in Archaeology: New Approaches to Understanding the Diverse Roles of Birds in the Past" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Since the earliest recovery of their remains in the 1890s, the parrots of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, have featured prominently in discussions of Chacoan trade, social complexity, ceremonial organization, and symbolism and ritual. Despite their prominence in interpretations of the canyon’s primary occupation (800–1150 CE), the complete set of parrot remains, now scattered in several institutions across the country, has not received thorough zooarchaeological study in over half of a century. Lyndon Hargrave’s seminal publication, *Mexican Macaws, remains the only available source for scholars seeking details of the skeletal remains of these birds. But 50 years later it contains several inaccuracies, outdated numbers, limited discussion of contextual details, and no interpretation of the social significance of these birds. In this paper, I present the results of a complete zooarchaeological reanalysis of all parrot skeletal remains from Chaco Canyon and provide an updated count of the number of individual birds. Through examination of field notes and archival documents, I reconstruct contextual details, revealing new insights into depositional practices. Further, I contextualize the treatment and deposition of parrots relative to other birds found in Chaco Canyon to provide additional evidence for the control of macaws as a valuable ceremonial resource.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• Birds in Archaeology: New Approaches to Understanding the Diverse Roles of Birds in the Past

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 33484