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Peak of Chaco Canyon
Chaco Canyon was the most important political and religious center of the Ancestral Puebloans in the American Southwest from the 9th to 12th centurie…
Timeline
- 850–950Pueblo Bonito · New MexicoGreat Houses such as Pueblo Bonito underwent large-scale expansion, with intensive felling and masonry activity confirmed by precise tree-ring dating; buildings reached hundreds of rooms and multiple stories, demonstrating centralized labor organization and planning capacity.
- 900–1050Chaco Canyon road system · SouthwestStraight Chaco roads connected the canyon with distant outlier sites, working with hilltop signal stations to enable regional communication; Chaco elites integrated a vast area of the Colorado Plateau through ritual authority and the distribution of goods.
- 950–1100Chaco Canyon ritual precinct · New MexicoArchaeological finds include parrots and copper bells from Mexico's west coast and Arizona turquoise, while building orientations align with the summer and winter solstice sunrise, indicating Chaco's peak influence as a religious and economic hub.
Sources
- The Chaco Meridian: Centers of Political Power in the Ancient Southwest — Stephen H. Lekson (1999)
- People of Chaco: A Canyon and Its Culture — Kendrick Frazier (1999)