Anasazi Ruin

By Jon Hovis

Anasazi Ruin follows the life of a young man as he grows up during the high point of life in Chaco Canyon in 1100 A.D. The story follows his life as he grows to follow in his father's footsteps and beyond as the life as he knows it is changing for the worse. Get an insight into pueblo life and culture as you read this intriguing book as it details the fall of the greatest empire to ever exist in this part of the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Casa de Snapdragon
• Release date: Mar 11, 2013
• ISBN: 9781937240219

Jon Hovis

Jon Hovis is a writer of Western fiction and an associate member of the Western Writers of America, an organization which promotes the literature and authors of the American West. Jon has written two self-published books, The Feather Gang, and The Preacher, both featuring his protagonist Deputy U.S. Marshal Jake Silver. The Feather Gang is written as a traditional western story while The Preacher includes many historical facts although still a work of fiction. His third book, Silverton Gold, is newly released through Casa de Snapdragon Publishing, and features a Pinkerton Detective tracking down stolen gold and outlaws in the high country of western Colorado while showcasing the rich history of the area and mining life of the 1890’s.Born and raised in Maryland, Jon grew up reading many genres of books including Westerns such as Louis L’Amour, and enjoying Western movies with stars such as John Wayne and Clint Eastwood. Moving to New Mexico as a young man, he now finds himself living in the west that he used to read about. Jon writes with a passion for the history and diversity of the Old West which is reflected in his books and personal life. Residing in the Southwest gives him inspiration for his stories with its diverse culture; from ancient Indian and pueblo societies, to the Spanish and Anglo influences, and a vast range of landscapes from the Rocky Mountains to the high deserts and wild river canyons.Jon continues to live in New Mexico with his wife and daughter where he has worked in the semi-conductor industry, delivered mail for the postal service, and as a car salesman. Also a musician, he has played trumpet since his school days and now plays weekly in church and also sings in the choir. His many passions include hiking all over the American Southwest, exploring remote canyons, mineshafts, ghost towns and Indian ruins, caving and canoeing, and old steam trains. He still tries to find time to read and watch movies.

Book preview

Table of Contents

Introduction

Preface

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Recipes

Blue Corn Tortillas

New Mexico Indian Cornbread

Easy Guacamole

Posole

About Jon Hovis

Recent Releases by Casa de Snapdragon

Anasazi Ruin

Jon Hovis

Casa de Snapdragon LLC

Albuquerque, NM 87112

Copyright © 2012 Jon Hovis. All rights reserved.

Cover design copyright © 2012 Jarad Armitage

Smashwords Edition

No portion of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of Jon Hovis, unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal copyright law. Address inquiries to Permissions, Casa de Snapdragon Publishing LLC, 12901 Bryce Avenue NE, Albuquerque, NM 87112.

This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Hovis, Jon.

Anasazi ruin / Jon Hovis.

pages cm

ISBN 978-1-937240-11-0 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Fathers and sons--Fiction. 2. Pueblo Indians--History--Fiction. 3. Prehistoric peoples--Fiction. 4. Chaco Canyon (N.M.)--Fiction. I. Title.

PS3608.O895A53 2013

813'.6--dc23

2013001278

Casa de Snapdragon LLC

12901 Bryce Avenue, NE

Albuquerque, NM 87112

http://www.casadesnapdragon.com

20130111

For Rachel, our beloved daughter.

Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, I have no delight in them; before the sun, the light, the moon, and the stars are darkened, and clouds return after the rain; in the day that the watchmen of the house tremble, and mighty men stoop, the grinding ones stand idle because they are few, and those who look through windows grow dim; and the doors on the street are shut as the sound of the grinding mill is low, and one will arise at the sound of the bird, and all the daughters of song will sing softly. Furthermore, men are afraid of a high place and of terrors on the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags himself along, and the caperberry is ineffective. For man goes to his eternal home while mourners go about in the street. Remember Him before the silver cord is broken and the golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed; then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.

Ecclesiastes 12:1-7

Introduction

Sometime in the mid-ninth century A.D., a group of American Indians, after years of searching and migrating across the entire continent, found the center of their universe in a place we now call Chaco Canyon in the state of New Mexico.

These people consisted of many different clans or family groups who collaborated into a single society and established the greatest empire to ever exist in North America. Their influence extended for hundreds of miles in every direction and archaeological evidence of shells and macaw feathers confirms that they traded as far south as the Yucatan Peninsula.

Later called the Anasazi, an English corruption of a word used by their Navajo enemies, these people built many great pueblos all along the canyon, consisting of hundreds of rooms and kivas, some of which were up to five stories high. Buildings were made of precisely fitted stones gathered from the surrounding area, and logs, harvested from mountains a hundred miles away, supported the floors and ceilings.

Pueblo Bonito, the largest of the pueblos in the canyon, had seven hundred rooms and thirty-two kivas. The buildings were built with walls that aligned perfectly with the cycles of the moon and sun as well as to other pueblo complexes across miles of open desert and out of sight of each other. Evidence suggests that Pueblo Bonito was not lived in full time, but was used as a meeting place, a center point for conducting business and ceremonies. The Anasazi also constructed reservoirs for holding water, irrigation channels for their fields, and roads that extended out from Chaco Canyon in every direction. These roads were some thirty feet wide and ran perfectly straight for up to fifty miles. Even when encountering a cliff or mesa, stairs were carved into the cliff in order to keep the road straight even though going around would have been easier; in some areas, earthen ramps were constructed to help clear a small cliff or mesa.

The Anasazi lived in Chaco Canyon for over four hundred years, continuing to construct more pueblos and kivas the entire time they lived there. Their existence was one of peace with their enemies and trading partners, and life was good. They accurately counted the days and cycles of the seasons, held ceremonies for each season of the year, and orally passed down to each generation their knowledge of who they were, where they came from, and the importance of what they did.

Then, around A.D. 1200, the Chacoan people suddenly up and left the canyon. Kivas were ceremonially burned, pots were smashed, and many rooms were sealed shut.

Several theories exist to explain this sudden departure, but no evidence exists to fully conclude these ideas. Years of drought prior to their departure would have had a serious threat on crop production, and raids from Navajo warriors, threatened not only their lives, but would have dwindled already diminished resources as well. However, with such a great and powerful empire at the pinnacle of their existence, I believe there must have been another reason.

Preface

The runner’s bare feet barely touched the hard ground as he raced along the road. He had been running for hours along the arrow straight road, but his breathing was normal and he didn’t have a trace of sweat. The cool night air of the desert certainly helped, but it was mostly his conditioning. A messenger for the greatest empire to ever exist, he had been running his entire life just as his father and grandfather before him had done.

Chopki ran with a feeling of pride and importance. As he headed towards the canyon, the center of the universe, he couldn’t help but feel euphoric. As a part of the inner circle, he was allowed to live in the center of the canyon, the exact center of their entire world. Only the priests and the chiefs and their helpers were allowed to live in the main pueblo. All others, workers and farmers, either lived in other pueblos up and down the canyon, or in the outlying communities.

It was from one of these outliers that he came with the news…important news. A location far to the north kept a special mark in a room which indicated the arrival of the full moon at the summer solstice as its light shone through a window. It was to be tomorrow night and the priests needed to know the exact evening to begin the ceremonies. Of course, they already know, he thought. There were several locations in the canyon which marked the progression of the sun and the moon. This was simply to verify the information as it was the most accurate; the priests would already be in the kiva making ready for the ceremony.

But Chopki ran faster for a far more important reason—he had heard that his wife was in labor. With my son! Well, he hoped it was a son. A boy to continue the tradition of the most important messenger in the canyon, and to be born on the summer solstice! What a truly special day this will be.

Thinking about these things as he ran, Chopki considered his life. He didn’t worry about finding his way; the road on which he ran was thirty feet wide, completely cleared of any rocks or debris, and ran perfectly straight for its entire length. This allowed him to think about how he had such a good life living in the main pueblo with the priests. All his food was brought to him—corn, squash, and beans, and sometimes some rabbit or venison. All the construction on the building was complete so he didn’t have to help with that anymore. Just the occasional errand for the chief was all that was required these days and usually about once a week he had to head out to deliver a message. He spent the rest of his time studying the stars in the evening, and learning the stories of his past.

With a nearly full moon to light his way, Chopki neared the canyon. The road came directly to the main pueblo on the cliff just above. Some steps carved into the soft rock and then a dirt ramp allowed him to continue to run straight down into the canyon.

Moonlight glistened off of the plastered walls of the huge pueblo. It was five stories high with hundreds of small rooms and three dozen kivas. Half of the rooms didn’t even serve a purpose, just there to make the entire structure look larger. It was meant to look impressive and it did, especially to visitors coming from the south as the plaster shone brightly from both the sun and the full moon.

Chopki ran down the ramp to the entrance to the pueblo. Two guards stood in the way, their faces covered with masks and a spear in each hand. No one was allowed into the pueblo once the ceremony had started—it would desecrate the entire area. Cornmeal had been poured out on the path to purify the land and the pueblo. If Chopki had tried to enter, he would be killed immediately. He smiled slightly to himself as he told the guards that he would wait until morning. It was a lie. As long as he got inside, he would be okay. The guards took their job too seriously. Anyone caught running around inside the grounds would be taken to the priest and they would let him live anyway. Chopki ran down the long back wall of the pueblo and then snuck up along the low west wall. Since he was a child, he had been sneaking in this way. There was a small window, just within reach of the ground, which led to an unused room. He jumped up and caught the lower edge of the window and pulled himself through. Inside the small room it was pitch dark, but he knew his way around. Chopki felt around down on the floor for a small opening and squeezed his way into the adjoining room. From there, another adjoining room led to a storage area and a ladder which led out to the courtyard. He was in!

The messenger headed over to the great kiva, the most important ceremonial room in the pueblo, and found the guard at the entrance. The kiva was fifty feet in diameter, mostly below ground, with a roof covered with logs and woven branches. The entrance was on top with a ladder to climb down inside. The kiva was used for all the ceremonies from winter and summer solstice, initiations, and harvest festivals. Tell the priest the full moon is tomorrow evening, he told the guard, and with that he ran over to his room to find his wife.

Cautiously, Chopki eased his head around the doorway of his room. Inside, lit by the dim light of a fading fire, his wife, Wuvi, lay on a mat made of yucca strands. She was moaning softly with the pains of labor. Her sister and aunt were by her side, holding her hand and occasionally wiping the sweat from her forehead. How is my wife? he called softly.

The aunt turned and glared at him. Get out of here!

Chopki withdrew his head and slid down to lean against the wall. Men were strictly forbidden when it came time for childbirth. Even afterwards, he would have to wait almost a month to see his child. But he still wanted to see how Wuvi was doing.

After a minute or two, his sister came out and knelt down next to him. She has been in labor a long time and is exhausted, but it will be soon. She rests easier now that she knows you are here. Come back in an hour and I’ll let you know how it goes.

Chopki slowly walked over to a smaller kiva, nearer his room. It belonged to the Antelope Clan to which he belonged. He thought it would be difficult to concentrate on the ceremony as his wife was struggling, but there was nothing else to do on this important evening. All the preparations were to be made tonight in preparation for the celebrations for the next day. The summer solstice was very special as they bade farewell to the spirits who helped them through the winter and established the new growth in the spring. The spirits now had to go back to the underworld to help there as it was now winter on the other side.

Easing down the ladder, Chopki entered the crowded kiva. Men from the surrounding area, all part of the Antelope Clan, were huddled inside quietly listening to the chief and the priest chant a prayer. Chopki found a spot on the floor and sat down.

The priest laid the prayer sticks in front of the altar which held corn meal from the last harvest, and a bean plant which had sprouted in the spring. Chopki looked around through the dim light and smoke to try and see who was present. Chiefs from the outlying pueblos were seated closest to the priest and behind them farmers who worked in the nearby fields. None of these men lived here full time; they only came in for the ceremonies. As a messenger, Chopki knew most of them and would enjoy talking later and sharing the news of his newborn child.

The head chief of the clan was droning on about their origins and how specifically the Antelope Clan came to be. Having heard all this a hundred times, Chopki’s thoughts continued to