Dr. Erin Baxter will present “Seen and Unseen: An Historic Reinterpretation of the Great Kiva and Refuse Mounds at Aztec West.”
The reconstructed Great Kiva at Aztec West is sacrosanct to many different groups and a centerpeice of both the ancient past and modern park. Is its interpretation and reconstruction accurate? The towering refuse mounds that once sat to the southeast and southwest of the great house are largely gone. Their early excavators provided a brief interpretation and maps as to their function. Did they see the whole picture? This program will delve into these question and provide new data derived from archival files and speculate new interpretation of these two significant seen and unseen places at Aztec Ruins.
Dr. Baxter is currently the acting Curator of Anthropology for the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Her phD thesis focused on the role of Aztec Ruins Complex with respect to Chaco Canyon and the political organization of the US Southwest.
Presentation will be livestreamed on Chaco Culture Conservancy Facebook page and is also available on Zoom at this link. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88522361154…