Sunrise, Sunset: Sedentism and Mobility in the Chaco East Community

Chaco Canyon has long been known for its massive buildings and perceived dense occupation along its 35-km length (21 miles), with a center located around Pueblo Bonito (Hayes and others 1981; Lekson 1984). This perception, however, is skewed by the lack of indepth studies of communities in and around Chaco Canyon (except see Doyel and others 1984; Windes 1993a). The premise of a population void around Chaco Canyon proper (Lekson 1989: 80) is misleading, because occupations existed immediately to the north, west, and south. Furthermore, numerous communities occurred elsewhere in the San Juan Basin with occupation densities that surpassed those