Chacoan

Chacoan refers to the culture, people, and architectural tradition centered in Chaco Canyon, a monumental canyon and archaeological area in present-day northwestern New Mexico. It is associated with the Ancestral Puebloans and their regional system of large ceremonial centers and residential settlements occupied between roughly 850 and 1250 CE.

Architectural and ceremonial features define the Chacoan tradition. The centerpiece is the great house, a multi-story, masonry complex built around plazas and courtyards. Notable examples include Pueblo Bonito and Chetro Ketl. These structures, along with kivas—circular, underground or semi-subterranean ceremonial rooms—reflect sophisticated planning, labor organization, and social complexity. Chacoan architecture also includes long, straight avenues and a network of roads that radiate from the canyon to outlying communities, signaling extensive connectivity across the region.

Economy and exchange played significant roles in Chacoan society. Agriculture supported maize, beans, and squash, while craft production and long-distance exchange brought goods such as turquoise, shells, and other prestige items from distant areas. The scale and organization of settlements, along with the distribution of resources, suggest coordinated ceremonial and administrative activity centered in the canyon.

Decline and legacy follow a gradual abandonment of major centers by around 1250 CE, with proposed causes including drought, resource limitations, and social changes. Today, the area is protected as Chaco Culture National Historical Park, and the site is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The term Chacoan remains in archaeology and museology to denote this distinctive regional tradition and its architectural and cultural heritage.