Ch.5: Regional System

URBAN GENESIS AT CHACO: Case Study of the Origin of Civilizations. Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6

5.2 First Case: Peñasco Blanco

The location of Peñasco Blanco is more easily explained in relation to the canyon as a whole than by its immediate surroundings. Peñasco Blanco marks the western end of the longitudinal axis of the canyon. From within the canyon, Peñasco Blanco sits on the visible horizon. From Peñasco Blanco, one can see the region beyond the canyon to the west, all the way to the Carrizzo Mountains, 130 km away. Peñasco Blanco therefore sits on the visual boundary between the enclosed infra-canyon space and the region to the west. From within the canyon. especially the central area, Peñasco Blanco commands the western horizon by its central location at the end of the vista. Furthermore, the great-house itself is oriented to the visual axis of the canyon. Its orientation is more east than south, which is unusual.

Peñasco Blanco is also sited opposite an isolated great kiva, Kin Nahasbas, which is located on a distinctive pyramidal mound at the eastern end of the canyon axis (figure 4.21). This great-house-great kiva relationship is similar to the relationship of Pueblo Bonito to Casa Rinconada within the central canyon area. Whether this relationship existed from the beginning is unclear, however, since the dates of initial construction of Kin Nahasbas and Casa Rinconada have not been determined.

From outside the canyon, Peñasco Blanco's position may have served several other purposes. Firstly, for visual relays to and from the region to the west; secondly, as the first built landmark for travelers arriving at the canyon from the Chuska Valley. Thirdly, Peñasco Blanco is the visual terminus of a road that extends to the northwest to a lake. There is some archaeological evidence that the lake may have been sacred to the Chacoans. Presuming that the Chacoan belief resembled Historic Pueblo beliefs, the lake would have been understood as a connection to the underworld, and a conduit by which spirits could enter and leave this world.

The selection of Peñasco Blanco's site is an early example of a new rationale for building location. The canyon axis determines its north-south position, and its visibility from within and outside the canyon determines its east-west position. The north spur of West Mesa is uniform in its roughness and slope; therefore, wherever the great-house was to be built, a substantial earth platform would have been necessary. Given that the Chacoans were willing to invest so much labor into the preparation of a building site, they were free to choose where the building was to be located and how it was to be oriented. Thus, the position and orientation of Peñasco Blanco were deliberate, highly intentional acts, and the result can only be explained by large-scale, regional considerations.