Archaeology, History, and Travel Books by Kathryn Gabriel (Loving)
MARIETTA WETHERILL
LIFE WITH THE NAVAJO OF CHACO CANYON
BOWER HOUSE (Johnson Books Imprint), 2021, UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO PRESS, 1997, JOHNSON BOOKS, 1993
Now in it's third edition. ISBN: 978-1-55566-481-7
Buy it online at Bower House, Amazon, Barnes&Noble, or anywhere you buy your books.
Beginning in 1897 Marietta Wetherill set up house in a remote archaeological site near the Navajo reservation, while her husband, Richard, excavated the Anasazi ruins and created a trading post empire. Marietta and the Navajo women collaborated in midwifing, healing, and surviving the dry desert. Medicine men shared their rituals and taught her about the stark reality of aboriginal life. Out of confusion, rage, or conspiracy, a Navajo man murdered Richard in 1910, but Marietta's friendships endured. They beseeched her to tell their story and in 1954, a year before her death, she recorded her extraordinary experiences on more than 70 audio tapes. These tapes form the basis for this book.
". . . a remarkable story of a woman on the frontier." - Publisher's Weekly
". . . rambling memories . . . provide a vivid picture of day-to-day life in Chaco." - Rocky Mountain News
Preview Chapter One: Her Head is Round.
Original hardbound (red cover) and second edition.
ROADS TO CENTER PLACE
A CULTURAL ATLAS TO CHACO CANYON AND THE ANASAZI
JOHNSON BOOKS, 1991
A thousand years ago the Anasazi built an elaborate system of roadways within the canyon country of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado. Many of the roads, carefully engineered and constructed with extensive human labor during a long drought, connected to prehistoric sites in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. Nearly 200 miles of roads have been documented, but the function and significance of these roads have remained a mystery. Roads to Center Place draws upon scientific research, road metaphors embraced by Pueblo Indian traditions, and the astronomical alignments of Mesoamerican and Southwestern sites to create more than a guide to road corridors and archaeological features.
"In short, this is a fascinating study by an author who is clearly in love with her subject as well as deeply versed in its complexities." - Journal of Scientific Exploration
GAMBLER WAY
INDIAN GAMING IN MYTHOLOGY, HISTORY, AND ARCHAEOLOGY IN NORTH AMERICA
JOHNSON BOOKS, 1996
The third book in an informal series on Chaco Canyon, Gambler Way is the first book to examine the gambling myth phenomenon in depth on a continental scale. Every area from the Sub Arctic to the Southwest and parts of Mexico is covered. Games, with their sometimes lethal stakes, are described in detail along with their place in the sacred world-view of each people.
The story becomes particularly interesting, though complex, in the Southwest where the Navajo and Pueblo gambler myths are explored in the context of Anasazi, Hohokam, and Mesoamerican archaeology and the Spanish Conquest of the New World. Gambler Way explores the possibility that the gambler archetype is based on a real prehistoric conqueror entombed in the grand ruins of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, with hundreds of stone dice and gaming sticks.
The book draws parallels between New and Old World sacred gambling and culminates with a comparison between gambling metaphors in India's Mahabharata and the creation myths of the American Southwest. The mythological gambler is universally a divine figure.
Based on a survey of more than one hundred gambler and gaming myths and historical and archaeological records, Gambler Way is a significant contribution to the study of Native American culture.
"In Gambler Way Kathryn Gabriel relates her profound knowledge of gambling in the culture, myth, and religion of American tribes to the current rise of casino gambling on reservations across America. It's a valuable book for scholars and a fascinating one for the rest of us." Tony Hillerman, author of The Blessing Way, A Thief of Time, and Talking God.
"Amply researched and fluidly written, this is an exemplary and intriguing work of anthropology." Patricia Monaghan, Booklist, American Library Association.
"I found this book to be a fascinating, interdisciplinary investigation." Antonio Lopez, The New Mexican, Santa Fe.
COUNTRY TOWNS OF NEW MEXICO
A VACATION COMPANION
COUNTRY ROADS PRESS, 1996
The West is still untamed in rural New Mexico. The true enchantment of New Mexico's country towns is the cultural and historical interplay between Pueblo, Navajo, Apache, Mexican, and European influences, resulting in a unique architectural, artistic, and culinary blend. But these towns have ridden out the jackrabbit and burro cycles of prosperity. They have felt the brunt of the Spanish conquest, the Mexican War, American expansionism, land wars, and, yes, even the Civil War. The glorious and brutal past of New Mexico continues to sculpt the character of her towns today. In this guide, you'll encounter the colorful and historical custodians of these towns: the great granddaughter of the man who defended Billy the Kid, descendants of the Ramah Mormons who escaped Pancho Villa, a Navajo playwright, and a Zuñi muralist. The guide weaves historical research and resident interviews with walking tours while directing readers to restaurants, bed and breakfasts and inn, resorts, museums, and archaeological ruins.
100 BEST U.S. WEDDING DESTINATIONS
INSIDERS' GUIDE
THE GLOBE PEQUOT PRESS, 2006
Couples don't run away these days, they get away with twenty or thirty of their friends and family. An alternative to the traditional ceremony and reception, a destination wedding can be tailored to reflect a couple's unique sense of adventure and style. Professional photographer and travel writer Kathryn Gabriel Loving provides an insider's guide to the most picturesque settings and amenities in the United States.