The Northern Chaco Outliers Project

The Northern Chaco Outliers Project

Presented by Susan C. Ryan, PhD, Crow Canyon Archaeological Center

Sponsored by the Pikes Peak Chapter of the Colorado Archaeological Society in Colorado Springs.

The Northern Chaco Outliers Project, initiated by the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, focuses on the Haynie site, a multi-component ancestral village with two Pueblo II period (A.D. 950–1150) great houses, located in present-day southwestern Colorado. The great and small houses at the Haynie site were part of the larger Lakeview community, a relatively small area comprised of the densest concentration of great houses found north of the San Juan River. Research suggests the great houses were constructed above earlier architecture dating to the Basketmaker III and Pueblo I periods (A.D. 500–950). Further testing seeks to determine precisely when the site was occupied, when it was depopulated, and how this village related to other great houses in the region. This project contributes to a greater understanding of ancient communities and regional systems, resource sustainability, the natural and cultural impacts of environmental downturns, and migration.

Susan C. Ryan, PhD, has worked at the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center since 1998. As Executive Vice President of the Research Institute, Ryan aligns the Center’s mission with ongoing research initiatives pertaining to human behaviors in the past and present and human-environmental studies. She holds a PhD from the University of Arizona. Her research interests include public archaeology, community formation and dissolution, the built environment, and the relevance of archaeological research to today’s societies.