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Drs. Ambruster and Jewell decode rock art in New Mexico, present discoveries
By Megan Armstrong '06

   Dr. Carol Ambruster and Dr. Elizabeth Jewell, both from the department of astronomy and astrophysics, spoke to colleagues and students on Feb. 16 about their recent success in decoding a small group of rock art panels in Chaco Canyon, a 6,800 foot region located in western New Mexico. They presented their research in the Bryn Mawr Room of Connelly Center.

   Ambruster and Jewell found evidence of archeoastronomy in Chaco Canyon, which suggests that Native American tribes who inhabited this region recognized that certain rocks interact with the sky at certain times of year, especially equinoxes and solstices. The tribes suspected to have inhabited this region, which include the Anasazis and Navajos, marked these rocks using paint, pecking, incising, scraping or graffiti.       

   “The sky over Chaco Canyon is often overwhelmingly gorgeous. We can look up at night and see all the stars without any light pollution, and then we go out before dawn and watch the solstice sun rise at the exact place marked by early Navajos, giving us an awesome sense of connection between present and past,” said Jewell.

   Ambruster and Jewell indicated they specifically confined their research to an area known as Shabikeschchee, located in the east end of Chaco. Here they studied various rock art sites that lie within 300 feet of one another. Ambruster and Jewell specifically focused on the westernmost series of rocks in Shabikeschchee, devoting much time to decoding “Rock B” that has a Shabikeschchee sun shield imprinted on its surface. On the winter solstice, when situated at the proper angle near this boulder, one can see that the angle of Rock B’s ridge is the same as the sun’s trajectory up and down the Northernmost Defining Cliff, which forms the horizon in this region of Chaco.

   Ambruster and Jewell decoded various other rocks in Chaco that suggest evidence of archeoastronomy. The researchers indicated that inhabitants of this region utilized rocks such as this cluster in Chaco to determine the time of year by studying the sky. Ancient peoples utilized methods such as a horizon calendar, which suggests that in the presence of a bumpy horizon, one can determine the time of year by locating the sun at a certain point along the bumpy surface. Ambruster and Jewell indicated that archeoastronomy methods such as this were vital to the survival of ancient peoples; for instance, agricultural peoples needed to plant seeds at the appropriate time of year to supply food for themselves for the winter, and monitoring the sun’s position via certain boulders and cliffs indicated the proper time to begin preparing and planting seeds.

   Ambruster and Jewell suggested that while evidence of archeoastronomy pervades areas like Chaco, researchers have no cultural context to help decipher the meaning of marked boulders and rocks. They suggested a few theories that researchers have adopted: shamanic theory suggests that rock art is the result of shamanic trances; picture-language theory suggests that markings reflect the efforts of ancient peoples to communicate with one another; and ritual theory suggests that rock art is related to the ritual practices of the people who produced it. For instance, Ambruster and Jewell suggested a mountain sheep etched in a rock found in Chaco was part of a hunting ritual that summoned the animal before the hunt.

   From their research, Ambruster and Jewell formulated conclusions regarding cultural change in dialogue with these ritual practices of ancient Native American tribes. Firstly, they found that the 18^th century Navajo tribes of Chaco celebrated solstices and equinoxes, while the 20^th century tribes did not. Also, the 18^th century Navajos created permanent ritual sites, such as boulders, in the landscape, while the 20^th century Navajos created and then destroyed ritual images, such as sandpaintings.

   Ambruster and Jewell indicated that their research poses questions that warrant further investigation; they hope to find whether their observations of archeoastronomy are widespread or local, and they also intend to investigate whether any additional sky-related ceremonial rock art lies in the immediate vicinity of their discoveries, which would suggest further implications for their discoveries.

  The researchers also touched on their current field work that involves surveying another area in Chaco, which spans about 1.2 miles, for all the cultural remains of the Navajo or Anasazi tribes.