Communication in the Chaco World: A Consideration of Time and Labor Mobilization

The construction of great houses during the Bonito Phase (ca. AD 850–1200) in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, required massive amounts of building material and efficient mobilization and coordination of large labor pools. We employ least cost path analysis (LCA) to explore the potential communication netw...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American antiquity 2022-07, Vol.87 (3), p.457-486
Main Authors: Wills, W. H., Przystupa, Paulina F., Williams, Katharine
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
1st century
2nd century
Archaeology
Architecture
Building construction
Canyons
Communication
Households
Houses
Labor force
Masonry
Population
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Summary:The construction of great houses during the Bonito Phase (ca. AD 850–1200) in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, required massive amounts of building material and efficient mobilization and coordination of large labor pools. We employ least cost path analysis (LCA) to explore the potential communication network among great house communities in the Chaco “core” area and its relevance in managing sustained labor for constructing great houses. The results suggest that that the primary sources of labor for communal building projects were agricultural communities located within one to three hours of the largest buildings in the canyon.
ISSN:0002-7316
2325-5064
DOI:10.1017/aaq.2022.33