Collapse - Chapter 4

Another chapter, another case study. Its a nice departure from GGS to be able to cover an entire civilization in a chapter instead of reading pieces of information that happen to fit into the structure of an overall thesis. Chapter 4 covers the Anasazi Native Americans, specifically a group centered around the Chaco region. Chaco grew into a mini-empire, but as deforestation started to put a strain on resources, imported trees were brought in from the surrounding area to support population growth. Eventually, the society become more complex and stratified as the population grow, satelitte colonies started and Chaco became the religious and political center that did all the importing and no exporting. The ultimate cause was this unabated population growth and its affect on the environment (deforestation and creation of arroyos that ruined farming), but the proximate cause was a drought that sparked civil unrest (as evidenced by artifacts that suggest fighting and canabalism). Because the society grew so complex and interconnected, reconstruction to a simplier society was impossible in the ruined land.