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madwriterOn the heels of my decision to not follow Coronado through Arizona, I've come to have follow-up thoughts about another upcoming piece of Arizona: For the last few months I'd planned to make the final section of my prehistoric chapter set in the early 12th century at a place called Chaco Canyon. (Check out the link if you're not familiar with it; I find it, especially the Roman Colosseum-sized astronomical temple called Pueblo Bonito, amazing beyond words.) But something about this nagged at me in a not-good way all that time. Finally, after making my decision about Coronado, the Chaco Canyon problem struck me: My book is about Arizona, but Chaco is in what is now New Mexico.
I'd kind of overlooked this because Arizona and New Mexico did not, of course, exist nine hundred years ago, and the culture of Chaco stretched well into what is now northern Arizona. But still, state lines or not, Arizona is bound by specific geography, and Chaco wanders too far east of it. I've had brief wanderings in other places--the starting point of my last section is central Mexico--but the heart of each narrative is set in Arizona.
Then, today, Writer Brain offered me up a theory that was followed by a story idea.
The original plot outlined the decline of Chaco, which I draw from Hopi, Zuni, and other Arizona nations' oral traditions. And that was it. But then some archaeological dates I read about fell into place too, and combined with the oral traditions they make perfect sense. To wit:
Around A.D. 1130 there started a widespread drought that would last a half-century. Around 1140 the decline of Chaco began; according to the oral traditions, the lords/ kings of Chaco, who were from a different place and/or culture, had become tyrants, and lost the favor of the Creator and the spirits, bringing on the drought, and the people--who had a long tradition of being fiercely independent--responded by slowly, methodically moving out. Then, in other archaeological sources, I read that the great pueblos built into sides of canyons started around 1150. The perfectly logical conclusion was staring me in the face all along, even though it's not mentioned in the archaeology books I read (though, now that I think about it, it is in the native tales): When the Chaco culture dissolved, the people who had been part of it returned to points closer to their traditional homeland (the Four Corners area) and started building the pueblos with an architectural style emulating the Chaco temples.
So I can keep my original storyline about Chaco--just condensed, and continued. The story of its decline and the rise of the pueblos, told from the perspectives of three Anasazi brothers, will be the final section in my prehistory chapter.
In the meantime, I'm still just starting on the next-to-last section, which I added to today.
PROGRESS REPORT
New Words: 1000 on Chapter 1 ("Those Who Came Before") Section 3 ("The Canal Builders") of Arizona. The Hohokam renaissance takes its first step in a tragedy that destroys a little village along the Salt River.
Total Words: 32700.
Reason For Stopping: Getting ready for work.
Book Year: 742.
Mammalian Assistance: Vegas was at his post, though most of the time he was more interested in trying to play with me, pawing at my shoulder, than guarding the boxes. As I was finishing up for the day he also climbed into my lap--not to be affectionate, but to get to his arrowhead. Nate also came in briefly to sweep the room, but when I'd already finished for the day.
Exercise: Took Tucker around the neighborhood; walked down to campus.
Stimulants: None.
Today's Opening Passage: Out they went. The water was cold and tugged hard at them. There was even a breeze trying to push them downstream too. The boys kept their heads almost completely underwater and the other divers, including their uncle—their mother’s brother, who lived in the pit house beside them—hardly noticed their progress. Only halfway to the middle Kwewu started feeling a tightness in his arms, and when Judumi wasn’t looking he dared a glance back at the riverbank. The elder watching them was scowling, but not yelling a scolding at them or a warning to anyone else.
Darling Du Jour: Nothing non-spoilery.
Non-Research / Review Books In Progress: Michener.
I'd kind of overlooked this because Arizona and New Mexico did not, of course, exist nine hundred years ago, and the culture of Chaco stretched well into what is now northern Arizona. But still, state lines or not, Arizona is bound by specific geography, and Chaco wanders too far east of it. I've had brief wanderings in other places--the starting point of my last section is central Mexico--but the heart of each narrative is set in Arizona.
Then, today, Writer Brain offered me up a theory that was followed by a story idea.
The original plot outlined the decline of Chaco, which I draw from Hopi, Zuni, and other Arizona nations' oral traditions. And that was it. But then some archaeological dates I read about fell into place too, and combined with the oral traditions they make perfect sense. To wit:
Around A.D. 1130 there started a widespread drought that would last a half-century. Around 1140 the decline of Chaco began; according to the oral traditions, the lords/ kings of Chaco, who were from a different place and/or culture, had become tyrants, and lost the favor of the Creator and the spirits, bringing on the drought, and the people--who had a long tradition of being fiercely independent--responded by slowly, methodically moving out. Then, in other archaeological sources, I read that the great pueblos built into sides of canyons started around 1150. The perfectly logical conclusion was staring me in the face all along, even though it's not mentioned in the archaeology books I read (though, now that I think about it, it is in the native tales): When the Chaco culture dissolved, the people who had been part of it returned to points closer to their traditional homeland (the Four Corners area) and started building the pueblos with an architectural style emulating the Chaco temples.
So I can keep my original storyline about Chaco--just condensed, and continued. The story of its decline and the rise of the pueblos, told from the perspectives of three Anasazi brothers, will be the final section in my prehistory chapter.
In the meantime, I'm still just starting on the next-to-last section, which I added to today.
New Words: 1000 on Chapter 1 ("Those Who Came Before") Section 3 ("The Canal Builders") of Arizona. The Hohokam renaissance takes its first step in a tragedy that destroys a little village along the Salt River.
Total Words: 32700.
Reason For Stopping: Getting ready for work.
Book Year: 742.
Mammalian Assistance: Vegas was at his post, though most of the time he was more interested in trying to play with me, pawing at my shoulder, than guarding the boxes. As I was finishing up for the day he also climbed into my lap--not to be affectionate, but to get to his arrowhead. Nate also came in briefly to sweep the room, but when I'd already finished for the day.
Exercise: Took Tucker around the neighborhood; walked down to campus.
Stimulants: None.
Today's Opening Passage: Out they went. The water was cold and tugged hard at them. There was even a breeze trying to push them downstream too. The boys kept their heads almost completely underwater and the other divers, including their uncle—their mother’s brother, who lived in the pit house beside them—hardly noticed their progress. Only halfway to the middle Kwewu started feeling a tightness in his arms, and when Judumi wasn’t looking he dared a glance back at the riverbank. The elder watching them was scowling, but not yelling a scolding at them or a warning to anyone else.
Darling Du Jour: Nothing non-spoilery.
Non-Research / Review Books In Progress: Michener.
