Cacao Vessels - Chaco Canyon, NM
Institution: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
State: New Mexico
Object: Cup
Era: Ancestral Puebloan
In the 1920s, a cache of 111 vessels were discovered by Smithsonian archaeologist Neil Judd while excavating a square room in Pueblo Bonita, Chaco Canyon. The distinctive cylindrical jars, decorated with black-and-white geometric patterns, were unlike other cups found in the excavation. In fact, they were unique within the American Southwest.
In the 1980s, archeologists collaborated with the Hersey Institute to identify traces of chocolate from prehistoric artifacts. In 2003, archaeologist Patricia Crown noticed the vessels from Pueblo Bonita had small scratch marks on the outside (indicating they had been scrubbed repeatedly) and traces of plaster similar to a Mayan method of applying color via plaster-and-pigment to cacao vessels. When Crown tested the Pueblo Bonito artifacts, she found chemical markers for cacao beans.
Chaco Canyon was the urban ceremonial center of the Ancestral Puebloan culture, which occupied the Four Corners area from 15000 BC to 1300 AD. Chaco Canyon reached the height of its political, trade, and ceremonial importance during the 11th century.
As the Ancestral Puebloan culture grew in wealth, their drinking vessels became more varied and elaborate, with the most specialized and exclusive vessels belonging to the upper class. But these cylindrical vessels were not widely distributed or emulated. In fact, a recent re-excavation of the room where the majority of the jars were found indicates that the artifacts were placed on a shelf, sprinkled with turquoise and shell beads, and then exposed to a large fire. The doors of the room were sealed and the roof caved in, concealing the vessels until the 1920s.
