Season 3 // Episode 6: The Trade of Color (Part III: Turquoise)
/The spiritual connection to land, sky, and culture.
All across the region in the mid-1100s people began to move closer to water, to each other, and - as we see at Mesa Verde - some began to move into the cliffs. These movements to water are also reflected in the need to travel great distances, to make strong bonds with different cultures, and to bring home special items – feathers, shells, turquoise, with their bright, vibrant colors, their origins near oceans and rainforests, and their tinkling sounds of rain.
In this episode of Season 3, we hear more about the metaphors associated with turquoise from Lyle Balenquah Hopi archaeologist; we hear about the use of turquoise in places like Chaco Canyon from archaeologist Patricia Crown; and we hear about a very rare artifact sometimes found in the Southwest (one closely related to turquoise) from Jonathan Till, Curator of Collections at Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum.
“We’re corn farmers by tradition, and we’re dry farmers. So moisture is a huge part of our necessity. Turquoise is an item that has that metaphor of water - the sky - because of its blue green color.”
Additional Resources
See Turquoise on Display
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.
Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Pueblo bonito doorways // nps photo