A spatial analysis of civic-ceremonial architecture in the central Mesa Verde Region, United States

This study analyzes the spatial and temporal patterning of civic-ceremonial structures in the central Mesa Verde region of the northern Southwest to assess changing patterns of leadership in Pueblo society. Great kivas, as the most ubiquitous and persistent form of Pueblo public architecture in the area prior to 1280 CE, provide a durable means of assessing community membership and for analyzing how the introduction of other civic-ceremonial buildings may reflect shifts in public space and leadership strategies over time. It is suggested here that great kivas represent a fundamental and enduring symbol of community group assembly that underwent changes over time, the most profound of which occurred in the final decades prior to migration from the area in the late 1200s CE. The overall constellation of civic-ceremonial structures over time indicates altering leadership strategies just prior to the depopulation of the region.