Season 3 // Episode 5: The Trade of Color (Part II: Feathers)
/The trade of color and a modern-day pochteca.
For thousands of years, an extensive trade network has bonded the people of Mesoamerica and what is currently the Southwestern United States. Pochtecas - which is a Nahuatl word meaning Mesoamerican traders - were responsible for transporting goods and technologies across the landscape, including live birds and their colorful feathers.
In this episode of Season 3, we hear more about the metaphors associated with feathers from Lyle Balenquah Hopi archaeologist; we hear about a very unique artifact on display at Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum from Jonathan Till, Curator of Collections; and we hear from traditional Pueblo weaver Louie Garcia (Tiwa/Piro), about the logistics and history of raising Scarlet Macaws and trading their feathers across a desert landscape.
“Much like the seashell, parrot and Macaw feathers - again, where do those originate from? - they represent moisture coming from some great body of water out there, coming to replenish our land.”
Additional Resources
The Macaw feather sash on display at the Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum in Blanding, Utah.
Photos: Kayla Woodward
See Feathers on Display
DISPLAY CASE AT EDGE OF THE CEDARS STATE PARK MUSEUM (photo: kayla woodward)
Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum Blanding, Utah
Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum Cortez, Colorado
Mesa Verde National Park Visitor and Research Center
Mesa Verde Museum Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum
Edge of the cedars great house and the abajo mountains (photo: kayla woodward)
Edge of the Cedars State Park is located in Blanding, Utah on the site of a Chacoan Great House. The museum offers exhibits showcasing textiles, jewelry, pottery, and other representations of daily and ceremonial life for the Ancestral Pueblo people.
Follow the park on Facebook for updates.
Wupatki National Monument
NPS PHOTO