This first volume of our publication series is an excellent example of a research effort which adds to the general body of archaeological knowledge of Chacoan Roads, interprets these sites in easily understood terms, and provides information essential for management in an area subject to multiple-use and development. Subsequent issues in this series will be those studies which can best instill a sense of appreciation for New Mexico’s rich and varied past.
The current volume stems directly from the first Chaco roads study published in 1983. This was titled Chaco Roads Project Phase I: A Reappraisal of Prehistoric Roads in the San Juan Basin. The Phase I study developed methodologies for discovering, evaluating, and interpreting prehistoric roads. Researchers developed new techniques to identify roads from both aerial and ground perspectives. The information potential contained within roads and associated sites and features was defined. It was effectively demonstrated how the analysis of the significance of particular sites is best carried out when the entire road system is understood as a functional entity.
This volume represents the next phase of prehistoric roads research. Here, the authors apply the methodologies developed earlier to evaluate and verify the presence of dispersed prehistoric road systems throughout the San Juan Basin. New and exciting patterns of road-site association are discovered. Methods fine-tuned in this study to locate roads, inventory their characteristics, classify them based on physical traits, and establish clear definitions for terms describing road attributes will greatly aid future research on these fascinating and subtle prehistoric phenomenon.