The Process of Aggregation in the Post-Chacoan Era: A Case Study from the Lower Zuni Region

During the post-Chacoan period (A.D. I 175- 1225) the first aggregated sites in the Zuni Region of the American Southwest were built. This research examines a shift in regional settlement patterns and the reorganization of sociopolitical systems during this initial period of aggregation in the lower Zuni River region.

A chronology for the post-Chacoan settlements in the case study area is built using ceramic type data. The results suggest that the process of aggregation in the Zuni region can be divided into two phases. Phase I witnessed initial aggregation at one multiple roomblock site as well as occupation of dispersed roomblocks. Phase 2 witnessed continued aggregation at the Phase I multiple roomblock site, settlement of a second, smaller aggregated site, and abandonment of many of the dispersed roomblocks.

The sociopolitical organization of the large multiple roomblock site is explored by examining site-wide artifact distributions. This analysis indicates that no social hierarchy based on accumulation of wealth existed and no evidence for social differentiation between family groups was found.

This study provides considerations for futures studies of aggregation in the Southwest. First, it shows why contemporaneity between setllement components must be demonstrated before models of aggregatIon are proposed. Second, it provides evidence that ever dramatic population aggregation does not necessarily involve the development of social hierachy based on the distribution of material wealth. However, social power within a group may not be based on the accumulation of, or access to, certain material resources. With this in mind, archaeological correlates for such power will involve data
other than the intrasite distribution of material remains examined in this study.