The Canyon del Muerto Survey Project: Anasazi and Navajo Archeology in Northeastern Arizona

From 1974 to 1977, the National Park Service conducted an archeological sampling survey in and adjacent to Canyon del Muerto, part of Canyon de Chelly National Monument in northeastern Arizona. This report documents the results of this work and places it within the context of
previous research and knowledge of Southwest aboriginal occupations.
After presenting a background to the survey and reviewing the known
culture chronology and environmental setting, a description of the range
and types of sites located is given. From this extensive data base, descriptive and explanatory models for both the Anasazi and Navajo occupations of the area are offered. In addition to these general settlement
models, a number of more restricted analyses were undertaken involving
the use of Anasazi lithics and ceramics, prehistoric pollen from Antelope
House Ruin, and Anasazi and Navajo rock art. These studies aid in
supporting and fleshing out the picture of aboriginal occupation perceived
from the site types and their distributions.
Representing a first attempt to consider the archeology of the canyon
in relation to the adjacent plateau, this report serves as a guide
to a fuller understanding of human ecology in the Canyon de Chelly
region.