“During the last decade, archaeologists have come to the realization that the complex society of the Chaco Canyon Anasazi designed their architecture according to their cosmology” (J. Malville).
The Chaco Canyon Anasazi had no visible means of support. How did they survive? These Anasazi developed a sophisticated, though previously unrecognized, knowledge of the earth, particularly in relation to extreme fluctuations in yearly rainfall and its effect upon agricultural yields. I propose, therefore, that much of the Chaco Canyon architecture was specifically designed and constructed in response to this knowledge. The Chacoans were able to identify a virtually unknown blue-green algae which was common in the soil throughout the region and produced soluble nitrates and as such, could be exploited to produce fertilizer on which the entire agricultural system was based. Astronomical architectural alignments were clearly important, but a dependable and ample food supply, through ingenious growing and storage methods, was the foundation of Chacoan civilization.
Mysterious Places - Chaco Canyon
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