ARROYOS AND AGRICULTURE

Abstract

Archaeologists debate the scale, degree of integration, and level of socio-political complexity of the polity centered on Chaco Canyon. The economic organization of the Chacoan system is fundamental to these debates, yet relatively little research has been directed at investigating agricultural potential, a basic variable. To add to a small but growing body of relevant information, we evaluated the agricultural potential of the Pueblo Pintado Great House community using earth science techniques. Geomorphic observations, pedological (soil) studies, and archaeological data suggest that the inhabitants practiced multiple agricultural techniques and farmed several settings as a strategy for reducing risk. Farming on the floodplain of Chaco Wash probably was particularly productive. Continued research of this type, both in the canyon and at outlying communities, could further illuminate which models of the Chacoan system are most plausible.