Long-Distance Transport of Bulk Goods in the Pre-Hispanic American Southwest

The paper examines the limits of efficient foot transport of utilitarian goods and food in the pre-Hispanic American Southwest, basing this assessment on field studies of long-distance portage, both domestic and commercial, in the roadless hills of modern-day eastern Nepal. The paper predicts the effect of load weight on transport costs and energy profits and also examines the relationship between distance and round-trip travel time for portaging 50-kg loads over one-way distances ranging from 50 to 250 km. The Nepali evidence refutes Lightfoot's 50-km operational limit for an “effective redistribution network, based on foot transportation.” The extensive network of domestic and commercial portage operating today in eastern Nepal demonstrates clearly that foot transport of food staples and durable goods would have been feasible in the pre-Hispanic American Southwest on a regular basis over distances of at least 100 to 150 km and on an occasional basis over much longer distances.