The American West fascinates people from around the world, but there are many different kinds of iconic western stories. Author Dan Flores has spent a career writing about what he calls the Natural West, stories about nature, animals, and people that span thousands of years of time in the western half of America. Although we reflexively think of history in America as new, this first episode emphasizes the West's true age by focusing on the great Chacoan Empire of a thousand years ago and what happened among its refugees in the Southwest in the wake of Chaco’s collapse from environmental causes. Thank you to our sponsor Velvet Buck: https://www.instagram.com/velvetbuckwine ---------------- Check out the gear the MeatEater Crew uses in the field here: https://store.themeateater.com Follow us: Web: https://www.themeateater.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/meateater Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StevenRinellaMeatEater Chapters 00:00 The Legacy of the Gran Chacoan Empire 02:51 The Allure of the American West 06:13 Exploring the Natural West 09:03 Chaco: The Vatican of the American Desert 11:48 The Collapse of Chaco and Its Aftermath 15:05 The San Lazaro Ruins and Their Significance 28:40 The Legacy of the Galisteo Pueblos 36:03 Exploring the Many Wests 36:10 Discussion with Steve and Randall 37:14 Understanding the Natural West 42:03 The Evolution of Source Material 54:43 Archaeological Speculation and Historical Narratives