Title
Water uncertainty, ritual predictability and agricultural canals at Chaco Canyon, New Mexico
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-22-2018
Journal Title
Antiquity
Volume
92
Issue
364
Abstract
The Pueblo population of Chaco Canyon during the Bonito Phase (AD 800–1130) employed agricultural strategies and water-management systems to enhance food cultivation in this unpredictable environment. Scepticism concerning the timing and effectiveness of this system, however, remains common. Using optically stimulated luminescence dating of sediments and LiDAR imaging, the authors located Bonito Phase canal features at the far west end of the canyon. Additional ED-XRF and strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) analyses confirm the diversion of waters from multiple sources during Chaco’s occupation. The extent of this water-management system raises new questions about social organisation and the role of ritual in facilitating responses to environmental unpredictability.
Recommended Citation
Scarborough, Vernon L.; Fladd, Samantha G.; Dunning, Nicholas P.; Plog, Stephen; Owen, Lewis A.; Carr, Christopher; Tankersley, Kenneth B.; McCool, Jon-Paul; Watson, Adam S.; Haussner, Elizabeth A.; Crowley, Brooke; Bishop, Katelyn J.; Lentz, David L.; and Vivian, R. Gwinn, "Water uncertainty, ritual predictability and agricultural canals at Chaco Canyon, New Mexico" (2018). Geography and Meteorology Faculty Publications. 30.
https://scholar.valpo.edu/geomet_fac_pub/30
