When high resolution satellite photographs became readily available to archaeologists in the late 20th century, they noticed lines in the terrain, radiating outward from Chaco Canyon. Using the photos, the archaeologists went on site to determine the source of the lines. Some of the lines were very visible cuts in the soil and stone. Others were not readily apparent at ground level, but apparently reflected light waves sufficiently different from surrounding terrain to be visible on satellite telemetry.
Native Americans built roads? Yes, in our previous articles on the advanced indigenous culture around Lake Okeechobee, FL we discussed the extensive system of roads, canals and causeways that connected the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of southern Florida. The native peoples of Southern Florida seem to have been influenced by the Maya civilization, and problem absorbed Maya commoner immigrants.
Archaeologists currently do not know of any western Native American cultures who built roads, other than Chaco Canyon. However, Chaco is almost 3000 miles of the Yucatan Peninsula. It is highly unlikely that Maya visitors influenced the Basketmaker Culture people in Chaco Canyon to build roads as part of their leap toward civilization. Mexican cultures improved old trails into roads, but these were typically curvilinear except when causeways crossed lakes and wetlands. In contrast, the Anasazi People labored to push roads straight through stone or earthen barriers.
There is controversy, though, among archaeologists as to whether the Anasazi roads are really roads. Some theorize that these were sacred ways used for ceremonial processions, but were only traveled intermittently by commoners. Other archaeologists theorize that since the straight lines usually interconnect known settlements, they obviously were heavily used roads. (See the map above.) Other archaeologists feel that the roadways had both ceremonial and practical functions.
Whatever the case, the Anasazi "roads" required extensive human labor. Why would the Anasazi invest so much human energy into these public works projects, when there was no tradition for building roads, and none of their neighbors ever built roads?
The answer to this question points southward, just like in an early article on the architecture of Chaco Canyon. Outside the Maya World, there was no strong Mesoamerican tradition of building straight, radial roads. However, in the Andean cultures, there was such a tradition. Road building may have begun in some areas of Peru over 2000 years ago. The cultures that occupied the Andean Region between 0 AD - 800 AD definitely built roads. The Incas continued this tradition and expanded the road network in all directions.
The Peruvian culture that built roads most similar to those of the Anasazi was the Nasca. The Nasca occupied the arid coastal plain and Andean foothills of Peru. They are best known for their abstract effigy figures and geometric forms etched into the desert terrain. However, the Nasca also built true roads that radiated outward from major towns and interconnected villages. The Nasca Culture collapsed about half a century before pottery and a new style of architecture appeared in Chaco Canyon. The Nasca also practice human sacrifice as did the elite of the Anasazi.
Archaeologists currently believe that Nasca roads performed both practical and ceremonial functions. Some Nasca roads interconnect towns, while others suddenly stop at the ruins of ancient shrines. The shrines contain offerings to various gods or goddesses, and sometimes, the skeletal remains of human sacrifices.
It should be emphasized that the possible link between the Nasca Culture and Anasazi is purely a postulation by the writer. Apparently, no archaeologist has carried out the forensic studies necessary to transform a postulation into an archaeological fact. However, the presence of third generation Nasca immigrants in Chaco Canyon would answer many of the puzzles that now confront archaeologists.
Absolute proof of a South American-Southwest cultural connection may be difficult. As refugees from the collapsed Wari "Empire" migrated northward along the Pacific Coast, they would have probably intermarried with local ethnic groups and absorbed cultural ideas from these groups. The migration itself could have altered their cultural practices. Thus, the peoples who might have reached Chaco Canyon would have carried a hybrid cultural tradition, not one that was a pure clone of the mother culture.
Source: The Examiner