The Chaco Great North Road: Archaeological Survey and Ceramic Analysis by the San Juan Valley Archaeological Project

Abstract

Research by Cynthia Irwin-Williams and the San Juan Valley Archaeological Project during the 1970s included investigations at Salmon Pueblo, near modern Bloomfield, NM. Interest focused on the construction and early occupation by immigrants from Chaco Canyon. Research also included the 80 km Great North Road, which joined Pueblo Alto at the southern end with Salmon Pueblo at the northern terminus. In order to investigate the North Road, Pierre Morenon conducted an intensive foot survey of the road trajectory and associated features. A large ceramic collection from the road and nearby sites was analyzed by Hayward Franklin. Pottery types dated mostly from 1050 to 1130 CE. A typical assemblage of decorated and utility pottery came northward from Chaco Canyon centers. Smaller amounts of northern San Juan pottery also occurred, signifying transport of ceramics and other goods southward from outliers at Salmon and Aztec Pueblos.

El proyecto arqueológico Valle de San Juan, dirigido por Cynthia Irwin-Williams durante los años 1970s, incluyó investigaciones en Pueblo Salmon, cerca de Bloomfield, Nuevo México. El proyecto estudió la construcción y ocupación inicial del pueblo por inmigrantes del Cañón de Chaco. También estudió al Camino del Norte, de 80 km de largo, entre Pueblo Alto y Pueblo Salmon. Hayward Franklin analizó una muestra cerámica coleccionada por Pierre Morenon, asociada con el camino y los sitios adyacentes. La mayoría de la cerámica se produció entre 1050 y 1130 de la era común, y fue típica de los centros del Cañón de Chaco. La muestra también incluyó cerámica hecha en el norte de la cuenca del río San Juan, indicando transporte hacia el sur de piezas de cerámica y otros productos de las “grandes casas” periféricas de Salmon y Aztec.

KEYWORDS:

• Chaco Canyon
• roadway system
• outlying communities
• communication networks
• transportation methods

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Tom Windes and Larry Baker for their additional information included in this paper. We also appreciate the suggestions by Kiva reviewers. Their help is greatly appreciated. Dave Phillips translated the abstract.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.