About the Chaco Anasazi
The Chaco Anasazi emerged in the northern U.S. Southwest around approximately A.D. 900 from earlier Anasazi roots. They subsequently developed a fascinating culture that appears to have been focused on Chaco Canyon in northwestern New Mexico. Featuring lengthy roadways, impressive monumental architecture, astronomical observatories, and a far-ranging exchange system, the Chaco Anasazi continued to develop until approximately A.D. 1150, at which point their distinctive culture disappeared. Researchers interested in the Chaco Anasazi are attempting to answer questions ranging from the origins of this tradition to the reasons for its downfall.
One of the most important sources of information that is helping to answer questions about the Chaco Anasazi are the "outliers," which are also known as "great house communities." These communities exhibit a series of features that archaeologists believe associate them with the Chaco phenomenon, including monumental masonry great houses, subterranean great kivas, and a distinctive array of ceramics and exchange goods. Although undervalued in early research on the Anasazi, over the past two decades scholars have increasingly turned their attention to the great house communities.
Subsequently, more and more suspected great house communities are being identified every year, so many that keeping track of them and verifying their identification as Chaco Anasazi has been difficult.
Be forewarned that this database is not guaranteed to have the most up-to-date, reliable information on each Chaco Anasazi great house community. Rather, it serves as a starting point that should be supplemented with additional research. Descriptions of all of the variables are available, and should be consulted. Also, in order to make the origins of the information as explicit as possible, each entry in the database has an extensive notes section. If you see any errors, or if you have any problems accessing the database, please email me!
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