Great House Communities Across the Chacoan LandscapeJohn Kantner, Nancy M. Mahoney Beginning in the tenth century, Chaco Canyon emerged as an important center whose influence shaped subsequent cultural developments throughout the Four Corners area of the American Southwest. Archaeologists investigating the prehistory of Chaco Canyon have long been impressed by its massive architecture, evidence of widespread trading activities, and ancient roadways that extended across the region. Research on Chaco Canyon today is focused on what the remains indicate about the social, political, and ideological organization of the Chacoan people. Communities with great houses located some distance away are of particular interest, because determining how and why peripheral areas became associated with the central canyon provides insight into the evolution of the Chacoan tradition. This volume brings together twelve chapters by archaeologists who suggest that the relationship between Chaco Canyon and outlying communities was not only complex but highly variable. Their new research reveals that the most distant groups may have simply appropriated Chacoan symbolism for influencing local social and political relationships, whereas many of the nearest communities appear to have interacted closely with the central canyon--perhaps even living there on a seasonal basis. The multifaceted approach taken by these authors provides different and refreshing perspectives on Chaco. Their contributions offer new insight into what a Chacoan community is and shed light on the nature of interactions among prehistoric communities. |
Contents
vertical wall for house examples | 4 |
5 | 34 |
Relationships Within and Among | 43 |
GREAT HOUSE COMMUNITY | 50 |
of Chacoan Communities | 61 |
Foundation Trenches | 69 |
The Surrounding Community | 75 |
through 1998 | 81 |
period A D 11501300 | 93 |
3 | 103 |
Great House Communities in | 127 |
Other editions - View all
Great House Communities Across the Chacoan Landscape John Kantner,Nancy M. Mahoney Limited preview - 2000 |
Great House Communities across the Chacoan Landscape John Kantner,Nancy M. Mahoney Limited preview - 2000 |
Common terms and phrases
archaeological architectural assemblages Basketmaker berm Black-on-white Bluff great house Casamero Cedars ceramics Chaco Canyon Chaco system Chaco-style Chacoan communities Chacoan world Chacra Mesa chert Chimney Rock Chuska clusters coan Complex construction core-and-veneer Cottonwood Falls cultural Durand early Pueblo economic Edge evidence excavated Guadalupe community Guadalupe Ruin habitations house communities households identified interaction Kantner kivas Late Pueblo Lekson located Lowry Ruin masonry mean ceramic dates Mesa Verde midden miles momentary population mound munity nity northern San Juan occupation outlying communities outlying great houses Peach Springs post-Chaco pottery Pueblo Alto Pueblo Bonito Pueblo II period Pueblo Pintado puebloan Puzzle House Red Mesa Valley Red Ware residential Rio Puerco ritual road room blocks sa'ani sample San Juan Basin San Juan River sandstone scale seasonal sherds small houses social square kilometers survey tion trench unit pueblos Valley great houses Varien Vivian volume wall White Ware