06/19/2026
As Crow Canyon continues advancing non-invasive archaeological methods, our researchers are helping demonstrate how we can study ancient architecture without disturbing the ground.
At the 2026 Society for American Archaeology (SAA) Annual Meeting, Crow Canyon Field Archaeologist Steve Copeland presented a co-authored poster titled “Finding Middle Ground: Electrical Resistance Surveys at a Chacoan Great House in Southwest Colorado.”
The research focuses on the Haynie site, a multicomponent Chacoan Great House in the northern San Juan region of southwest Colorado. Archaeological evidence suggests that earlier Pueblo I and early Pueblo II communities may be preserved beneath the site’s central area—remains that are difficult to detect due to extensive modern surface disturbance.
To investigate this, the team used electrical resistance survey techniques, a non-invasive method that measures subtle differences in the soil to help identify possible buried architectural features. This approach allowed researchers to explore what lies beneath the surface without additional excavation.
The results contribute to a growing understanding of how the Haynie site developed over time, including insights into population size and community organization during the Pueblo I and early Pueblo II periods, while preserving the site through minimal disturbance.
Poster Authors: Steve Copeland (Crow Canyon Archaeological Center) and Mona Charles (Powderhorn Research LLC)
Learn more about Steve and his research at https://crowcanyon.org/people/copeland-steven/
