Archaeology Exam 2 Essay The Chaco Road is a system of several that go from the main sites in the Chaco

Canyon, to the smaller sites in different areas of the canyon. Together, the roads are about 180 miles and were created by the Anasazis. The most famous of these roads is the Great North Road, which was the longest of the Chaco Roads and went even beyond the canyon limits. The road is very long but has barely any communities surrounding it, and seems to go nowhere. However, Archaeologists have different beliefs of the uses and importance of the great road.

According to Marshall and Sofaer, the Great North Road is one of the most mysterious aspects of the Anasazi culture because the purposes for its use by the Anasazi people, does not explain many of the construction features of the road. The roads are thought to have been used by the Anasazi people for trade, transportation, and movement of people. It has also been thought that the Anasazi people were very religious and used the roads for the means of religious ceremonies as well. What makes the roads stand out so much is the width and length of the roads because it shows how well engineered the roads are. The roads were also leveled so well when being engineered, and some areas even have masonary construction where bricks are used. The road has ramps and staircases carved on to cliffs, and also gaps where the roads divide into four different roads. The purpose is a mystery because the extensive construction done to make the roads so long and wide does not make sense since there was no need for such big roads. Also, the roads appear to be very unused, so the reason as to why they were built is unclear.

Though the purpose of the road is a mystery, Marshall and Sofaer believe that the main purpose was for the Anasazis to express their spiritual values through the roads. Since the Great

North Road was originally have thought to be used for trade and travel, further examination of the roads led archaeologists to believe that was not true. The road does not lead to areas with major communities, but instead leads to areas that were not even populated and were isolated. The road also points to the north, like all the other religious structures made by the Anasazis. Further examination of the ceramics found on the Great North Road shows how the ceramics were different from the ones found on other nearby community sites, and looked like they were used for ceremonial purposes. The Great North Road connected the Anasazis communities, with the landscape around them, as a way to spiritually balance both.