Archaeological Surveys of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico

The Chaco Center became operational in 1971 as a joint venture of the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, and the University of New Mexico. Both organizations had been involved with the Chaco for many years prior to that time. Chaco Canyon National Monument was established in 1907 to protect and preserve its numerous, outstanding archeological resources for the benefit of the public. It has been administered by the National Park Service since 1916. The University of New Mexico held title to certain inholdings in the park until 1931 when ownership was conveyed to the Department of the Interior in return for privileges allowing the University to continue to conduct scientific research in Chaco Canyon. Investigations in the field have included three archeological surveys, two of which are addressed in this report. The third consisted of identifying a series of outliers, Chaco sites outside the main stem of the canyon which contributed to the formation of a greater Chaco system.

查科中心（Chaco Center）于1971年正式启用，由美国内政部（U.S. Department of the Interior）、国家公园管理局（National Park Service）及新墨西哥大学（University of New Mexico）三方联合创办。在此之前，两家相关机构已在查科地区深耕多年。查科峡谷国家纪念区（Chaco Canyon National Monument）于1907年设立，旨在保护并留存其数量众多、品质卓越的考古资源，以惠及公众。该纪念区自1916年起由国家公园管理局负责管理。新墨西哥大学曾持有该纪念区内部分内嵌地块的所有权，直至1931年，其将所有权转交美国内政部，以换取继续在查科峡谷开展科学研究的相关权限。本次实地调查包含三项考古勘测，其中两项已在本报告中予以说明。第三项勘测则旨在识别一系列外围遗址——即分布于峡谷主区域之外、助力构建大型查科文化体系的查科遗址。