Room size, organization of construction, and archaeological interpretationin the Puebloan Southwest

The size of architectural space (floor area) is a variable that is readily preserved in the archaeological record, is easy to measure, and has been us ed in a variety of types of archaeological interpretations, from determinat ions of room function to reconstructions of social organization. The use of room size in the interpretation of Southwestern pueblos is reviewed here. Assumptions about the meaning of room sizes are explored using data on room s, houses, and households from the historic Hopi Pueblo of Orayvi. Finally, room size is used, along with other variables, to examine the organization of construction at large, late prehistoric pueblos. Planning and coordinat ion of construction identified at some of these sites suggest a more centra lized social system like those of the historic and modern Eastern Pueblos. (C) 1999 Academic Press.