Ancient Peoples of the American Southwest, by Stephen Plog
Jun 11, 2017 17:32:26 GMT -8
rebeccad, Campfires&Concierges, and 3 more like this
Post by BigLoad on Jun 11, 2017 17:32:26 GMT -8
I picked this up at the Twin Rocks Trading Post in Bluff UT, which always has an interesting book or two at the right time. It's a good introductory overview, with many good photos, drawings, diagrams and maps. It lacks the depth and insightful analysis of "A History of the Ancient Southwest" by Stephen H. Lekson, which I still think is the best I've read on this topic. It includes more details on material culture and less reasoning about the relevance of important characteristics of each culture and the differences between them.
Plog oddly does not explicitly conclude (as does Lekson) that Chaco was the center of an important regional system with definite political structure. On the other hand, he does make that claim about the Hohokam, whereas Lekson does not. Lekson thinks the Hohokam were on the brink of developing regional political structure before their collapse, but their extensive network of canals could still be explained by quasi-independent adjacent groups. Although there was definite hierarchy within those groups, there is little evidence of any group having significant influence or dominance over any others beyond that conveyed by advantageous position on the water network. Plog seems to overlook that Chaco's very existence doesn't seem possible without a broader hierarchy extending for at least several hundred miles. Plog's conclusions about the cerros de trincheras in Mexico is also a little different.
Plog has some good description of the evolution of Hopi and the Rio Grande Pueblos after the arrival of the Spanish, and some discussion about the devastating drop in population that ensued. However, he also makes a convincing argument that a significant regional depopulation had already occurred, which seems to be the consensus view. Along those lines, he expresses some doubt that the Tohono O'odham (Pima) are truly descendants of the the Hohokam, which is definitely unconventional. He considers it possible that the Tohono O'odham migrated into an area vacated by the Hohokam collapse, much as the Navajo and Apache migrated into areas left open by the contraction of the northern Pueblo world.
Overall, it was a worthwhile, though not outstanding read. The pictures include things not depicted in many places and the citations and bibliography are extensive.
Plog oddly does not explicitly conclude (as does Lekson) that Chaco was the center of an important regional system with definite political structure. On the other hand, he does make that claim about the Hohokam, whereas Lekson does not. Lekson thinks the Hohokam were on the brink of developing regional political structure before their collapse, but their extensive network of canals could still be explained by quasi-independent adjacent groups. Although there was definite hierarchy within those groups, there is little evidence of any group having significant influence or dominance over any others beyond that conveyed by advantageous position on the water network. Plog seems to overlook that Chaco's very existence doesn't seem possible without a broader hierarchy extending for at least several hundred miles. Plog's conclusions about the cerros de trincheras in Mexico is also a little different.
Plog has some good description of the evolution of Hopi and the Rio Grande Pueblos after the arrival of the Spanish, and some discussion about the devastating drop in population that ensued. However, he also makes a convincing argument that a significant regional depopulation had already occurred, which seems to be the consensus view. Along those lines, he expresses some doubt that the Tohono O'odham (Pima) are truly descendants of the the Hohokam, which is definitely unconventional. He considers it possible that the Tohono O'odham migrated into an area vacated by the Hohokam collapse, much as the Navajo and Apache migrated into areas left open by the contraction of the northern Pueblo world.
Overall, it was a worthwhile, though not outstanding read. The pictures include things not depicted in many places and the citations and bibliography are extensive.