Capturing Water
Puebloan Resilience and Agricultural Sustainability in Chaco Canyon

R Gwinn Vivian (Author), Samantha G. Fladd (Author), Stephen Plog (Foreword by), Adam Watson (Foreword by)

9781647692216

Hardback, published 29 May 2026

408 pages, 66 b&w illus., 19 tables
25.4 x 17.8 x 3 cm, 0.966 kg

“This volume on Chacoan water control systems documents unpublished research by Gordon Vivian, followed by that of Gwinn Vivian and associates, and is updated by more recent projects carried out by numerous colleagues. It is a significant contribution that will aid our understanding of the complexity of Ancestral Puebloan social organization through time.”—Frances Joan Mathien, University of New Mexico and volunteer, Chaco Culture National Historical Park

An esteemed archaeologist's lifetime of work on water use in Chaco Canyon

The ability of the inhabitants of Chaco Canyon to sustain themselves through farming in an arid environment has long been a topic of debate among scholars. Building upon the work of his father, Gordon, R. Gwinn Vivian dedicated his lifetime of archaeological work to investigating water management and practices at Chaco. These efforts provide compelling evidence of the extensive use of canal irrigation systems and other water management techniques employed by the Ancestral Puebloan people by the ninth century and continuing through recent periods by Navajo farmers.

Rich with archaeological data, ethnographic evidence, maps, and photographs, this volume challenges long-standing assumptions about Chaco Canyon's agricultural potential. By highlighting the adaptability and ingenuity of the canyon's early inhabitants, the book offers a fresh perspective on the role of water management in the development of Chaco Canyon as a sociopolitical center in the northern Southwest.