Vast Chacoan irrigation infrastructure discovered in American Southwest

What Ancient Builders Knew That We Forgot
Source: What Ancient Builders Knew That We Forgot by The Randall Carlson

The Chacoan (Chakan) culture of the American Southwest constructed enormous irrigation networks with aqueducts and canals stretching across the landscape. Most of these systems have since collapsed and filled with sediment, but researchers are now uncovering just how expansive some of them truly were, a humbling reminder of the engineering ambition of these ancient people. 🌽🏜️

Key facts

  • The Chakan (Chacoan) culture in the American Southwest built a huge irrigation infrastructure
  • The system included aqueducts and canals
  • Most of the irrigation systems have fallen into ruin and filled with sediment
  • Researchers are now realizing how vast some of these ancient systems were

Related stories

Sources

Water Uncertainty, Ritual Predictability, and Agricultural ...researchgate.net
Evidence from our fieldwork confirms the long-suspected operation of canal irrigation in portions of Chaco Canyon between AD 800 and 1130 (e.g., Vivian 1974, ...
Hohokam Canals: Ingenious Engineering and Lasting Impactsaltriverstories.org
The Hohokan people dug a sophisticated network of canals in the Salt River Valley as a foundation for a flourishing civilization.
“9. Conservation and Diversion: Water-Control Systems in the ...open.uapress.arizona.edu
The network of diversion systems developed by the Chacoans, for example, was expanded to encompass virtually all land on the north side of the lower canyon.
Ancestral people of Chaco Canyon likely grew their own foodsciencedaily.com
Chaco Canyon has evidence of constructed canals -- water-diversion channels designed to direct rainfall to farm fields. "If you have a ...
Water uncertainty, ritual predictability and agricultural ...webcentral.uc.edu
by VL Scarborough · 2018 · Cited by 23 — Evidence from our fieldwork confirms the long-suspected operation of canal irrigation in portions of Chaco Canyon between AD 800 and 1130. Quick social ...
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