Recent Research on Chaco Prehistory

This entire volume is devoted to research undertaken on the Chaco Phenomenon. Most of the papers herein were presented at two symposia sponsored by the National Park Service's Chaco Center at the Society for American Archaeology Annual Meetings in San Diego in May 1981. The symposia were titled "Past Environment and Subsistence at Chaco Canyon, New Mexico," chaired by William Gillespie, and "Chacoan Prehistory: The Implications of a Regional Perspective, chaired by myself. The purpose of the symposia was to present an interim status report on the research being carried out in the San Juan Basin by the Chaco Center. Theoretical and methodological issues were discussed, as well as the initial results of analyses completed at the time. Research by the Chaco Center has included an inventory survey of the entire National Monument (now known as Chaco Culture National Historical Park), the excavation or testing of some 30 sites in the Canyon area, and the initial survey/reconnaissance of three of the Chaco outliers. Further analysis has been performed on Chacoan collections housed in various museums throughout the country. .