Letter D

is for Dendrochronology.
When you walk through the great house, the first thing you'll notice are the thick sandstone masonry walls. But closer examination will reveal wooden structural elements everywhere you look. Aztec Ruins has more original wood than any other site in the Southwest.

Dendrochronology, or the study of tree rings, is a method of scientific dating based on the analysis of tree ring growth patterns as well as counting the rings. It was developed right here at Aztec Ruins in the early 1900s by Andrew E. Douglass. He realized that by overlapping ring patterns from live trees, dead trees, and ancient wood from the same region, he could create a long tree ring chronology. This was a great breakthrough, because it enabled archaeologists to date wooden beams from ancient structures of unknown age. From tree ring dating, we know that Aztec was constructed in the early 1100s, with building spikes in 1111 and 1118. We also know the site was occupied for approximately 200 years - while people lived here, they replaced broken beams with newly harvested logs, the most recent was dated to 1269 by dendrochronologists.

  • Source: www.facebook.com/AztecRuinsNM
    • Dendrochronology
    Core Drilling of Wood for Dendrochronology.


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