VVAC Lecture Series

2020 Annual Membership Meeting 

NOTE THE EARLIER START TIME OF 6:00 PM

The annual meeting of the VVAC membership will start this evening with a business meeting of about 30 minutes that will include a report by the President, Executive Director and Treasurer, plus the election of members to the Board of Directors. Following the business meeting will be a presentation by our Director of Archaeology, Dr. Todd Bostwick.

Exploring the Chaco Phenomena: The Rise and Fall of the Chacoan Culture

Chaco Canyon in northwestern New Mexico has a short growing season, long and cold winters, and limited rainfall for an agricultural lifestyle, yet this desolate area was a major ceremonial center for ancestral Pueblo people. The presentation examines various ideas about the functions of their multi-story Great Houses and their enigmatic road network, sophisticated farming systems, astronomical markers, extensive trade networks, and the sacred landscape in which they lived. Questions about how the Chaco Culture originated and what caused its decline after more than three centuries are addressed.