
Archaeogenomic evidence reveals prehistoric matrilineal dynasty in Chaco Canyon - Thevet
https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms14115
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rkowalick
If you can make the trip to Chaco Canyon, I highly recommend it. During the
day, you can spend time exploring (and I really felt like I was _exploring_)
the canyon and spend the nights looking at the nicest views of the night sky
you'll ever see.

PS Rental compact cars can get totally handle a 13 mile dirt road.

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dogruck
Agreed. Mesa Verde in Colorado is also fantastic.

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dogruck
One fact I find notable with these "massive" societies in the American South
West is how small they were. For example, the linked article describes a site
with hundreds of rooms. That implies thousands of people.

And, Chaco was the kingpin. Many other fascinating sites, such as Walnut
Canyon, had "tens of rooms."

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solidsnack9000
One thing I have lately wondered about, is whether humans were mostly
patrilocal before the dawn of recorded history, or mostly matrilocal, or
sometimes one and sometimes the other.

There are some matrilocal societies now extent which seem to date from the
dawn of recorded history, like the Muso.

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contingencies
Do you mean the Mosuo of Yunnan?
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosuo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosuo)

Another interesting prehistoric tradition still alive in Yunnan but which has
almost died out is cliff burial -
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanging_coffins](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanging_coffins)
\- recently I searched for and found the sole remaining area in which it is
practiced across continential Eurasia in a remote part of eastern Yunnan.

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aquarin
Apparently, prehistoric means between 800 and 1130 CE.

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thaumasiotes
For America? Sure. History is a period with written records.

