l6 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I47 



diagnostic of Pueblo II civilization all the way across southwestern 

 Colorado and southeastern Utah, then it was brought to Chaco Canyon 

 by the immigrating Old Bonitians, a P. II people. There are those 

 who will disagree, but to me the black-on-white pottery of Old 

 Bonito has contributed to the Chaco-like resemblances reported from 

 beyond the San Juan River fully as much as have the three varieties of 

 Straight-line Hachure and other P. Ill pottery types of the Late 

 Bonitians. 



Since 1925 a numerous nomenclature has been advanced to identify 

 every visible difference in Southwestern pottery, including that from 

 Chaco Canyon. Personally, I find this multiplicity of terms more 

 confusing than helpful. Those used at Pueblo Bonito by Roberts and 

 Amsden still seem adequate but other students may prefer other 

 designations. Each minor variation or error in manufacture does not, 

 in my opinion, constitute a new variety. Differences in paste composi- 

 tion, surface finish, or density of pigment may be seen even on op- 

 posite sides of the same vessel, witness the 232 black-on-white 

 specimens illustrated in "The Material Culture of Pueblo Bonito" 

 (Judd, 1954). 



In 1921, 1922, and again in 1925 our season's plans were discussed 

 in the field with a chosen company of friends and colleagues skilled in 

 Southwestern geology, physiology, Indian agriculture, and related 

 subjects. Only the inadequacies of an archeological camp 95 miles 

 from a corner grocery limited the number of our guests. Neverthe- 

 less, from impromptu discussions about the evening campfire came 

 knowledge of Chaco Canyon's past history, its one-time forests, its 

 prehistoric arroyo, and other factors reflected in the following pages. 

 A welcome addition to our 1925 company was W. H. Jackson, then 

 82, whose 1877 survey first focused public attention upon Pueblo 

 Bonito and its barren surroundings. 



We examined Navaho fields to observe the methods practiced by 

 local Indian farmers. We analyzed soils, flood waters, and well 

 waters to ascertain their mineral content. Test Pit No. 3, 9 feet 

 2 inches deep, was situated midway between camp and the ruin (pi. 

 7, upper). Soil samples taken at 10-inch intervals in that pit showed 

 an excess of sodium salts (black alkali), top to bottom, that would 

 have rendered those soils impervious to water. Without water to wet 

 the soil there would be no crop ; without ample harvests a people 

 dependent upon farming for a livelihood, as the Bonitians were, 

 could not long survive as a compact, walled-in community. 



The ancient forests of Chaco Canyon and the dating of Pueblo 



H 



