The site of Casas Grandes, located in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, lies immediately adjacent to well known archaeological sites in Arizona and New Mexico. While prior work at Casas Grandes has indicated that this large complex of structures was occupied between ca. 1,000 and 1,200 A.D., it remains relatively unknown in contrast to its northern counterparts. In particular, archaeologists understand neither how it relates to numerous other ruins in northern Chihuahua nor how this entire complex interacted with Chacoan culture in Arizona and New Mexico. Dr. Minnis and his collaborators will attempt to answer these questions through a survey of the area which surrounds the Casas Grandes site. They will conduct a reconnaissance to locate sites, determine the size of each, and collect ceramics from the ground surface. These data will allow the relationships with the Casas Grandes center to be determined and may also permit the establishment of a relative chronology. On this basis it should then be possible to plan a more detailed survey and excavation. In the U.S. southwest before the arrival of the Spaniards, large impressive ruins testify to the rise of an indigenous complex society which integrated large numbers of individuals over thousands of square miles. What archaeologists have been unable to determine is whether this is, in fact, a local development or whether it developed though contact with similar entities to the South. If this latter is the case, then Casas Grandes must have played a major role. Unfortunately, very little data is available for this site or the surrounding region and Dr. Minnis' research will help to fill this gap. This research is important for several reasons. Understanding of southwestern prehistory has been hindered by the fact that the Rio Grande, and international boundary, transects this region. In comparison to the north, very little is known about developments in Mexico and this has hindered our understanding of cultural development. This research should help to redress this imbalance. It will also shed new light on the development of indigenous cultures in the United States.
