The San Juan County Historical Society and Aztec Museum and Pioneer Village are partnering to present “Message In the Viga: Historic Inscriptions at the Aztec West Great House” on Wednesday, Nov. 15, at 6 p.m., at the Farmington Civic Center, 200 W. Arrington.
Colorado historian and author Fred Blackburn, who has researched historical inscriptions throughout the Four Corners, will do the free presentation.
Blackburn will be joined by Victoria Atkins, the primary field cataloger, and Logan Dean who is continuing the inscription research online.
“Inscriptions within a historical context, sometimes thought of as graffiti, can offer invaluable insights into the history of archaeological investigations, as well as public visitation and regional settlement,” Monninger stated.
According to a news release from Joan Monninger, executive director of the Aztec Museum, Blackburn and his team have documented 1,800 inscriptions on the wooden roof beams, vigas and stone wall of the 12th century Aztec West Great House.
“In addition to establishing a contextual database with photographs, the end goal is to track down biographic details of the inscribers, many of whom based their homes in San Juan County. These inscriptions create a unique time capsule of 19th and 20th century San Juan County,” Monninger stated.
“Not only is this a fascinating project here at our own variation on El Morro in terms of these messages from the past, but Fred’s research is ongoing. He’s actively seeking input from the local community – especially around Aztec – who may have old family photos, documents and information that could be relevant to his biographical sketches,” she said.
Blackburn’s presentation will attempt to answer the big questions: Who was here? And when were Aztec Ruins inhabited?
“These inscriptions are like messages in a bottle left for later generations to discover,” Monninger said.
“Not only is this a fascinating project here at our own variation on El Morro in terms of these messages from the past, but Fred’s research is ongoing. He’s actively seeking input from the local community – especially around Aztec – s who may have old family photos, documents and information that could be relevant to his biographical sketches,” Monninger stated.
Celebrating its centennial this year, Aztec Ruins National Monument is made up of 400 masonry rooms and is an ancestral pueblo structure that dates back to the 11th to the 13th centuries.
White settlers mistakenly named the ruins after the Aztec Indians from central Mexico, believing they were the builders.
When early visitors gained entry into rooms, scattering debris several feet deep, they could stand and leave inscriptions with a quill pen and ink or lead pencil on the vigas or latillas that make up the ceilings.
As the ruins have since been excavated and restored, those inscriptions are difficult for today’s visitors to see. Blackburn’s team will discuss the challenges and cover the methods used to overcome these obstacles while completing the project.
According to Monninger, both the Aztec Museum and the San Juan County Historical Society helped with Blackburn’s research. “We’re thrilled to be a part of this endeavor and to be able to share it with the larger community,” she said.
She stated that both organizations seek to collect and preserve history. “It’s an ongoing, dynamic process,” she said. “We’re here to share these narratives and diverse perspectives.”
Finally, Monninger stated that the stories and scientific research by Blackburn’s team is providing an important legacy of information about that era of settlers and visitors to the ruins.
