While archaeologists have studied site building processes in the American Southwest, less is known about the use-life of buildings and abandonment processes. Understanding these processes is critical because they link site occupation and the structural remains and artifacts left in the archaeological record. In the course of this project, the researcher will study the architectural changes and sequential abandonment of houses at Old Oraibi, Hopi reservation, Arizona to test a model of structural abandonment. The research is novel in its use of photographic, cartographic and ethnographic information. This project will enable anthropologists to better understand the abandonment processes at prehistoric and historic Southwestern pueblos. In addition, the data will provide new information on architectural change in contemporary pueblo societies.
