Settlement Patterns In Americanist Archaeology
Gorden R. Willey

A turn of interest toward prehistoric settlement patterns began in the mid-20th century. In a number of New World areas – Mesoamerica, Peru, the Southwestern United States, mush of Eastern Northern America – archaeologists had achieved basic typological, geographical distributional, and relative chronological controls. Moreover, in some places, such as Mesoamerica and Peru, there was detailed knowledge of what might be called "upper class life": Palace and Temple architecture, rich burial inventories, intensive study of complex art styles and forms, even native writings (Maya). In spite of this, there was still relatively little attention given to overall aspects of society: population sizes, their distributions, the forms and nature of "commoner" residential abodes. In retrospect, it seems obvious that an understanding of this part in the past, of the totality of ancient societies was necessary for any complete anthropological study of the past. A king, after all, is to be fully understood in the light of his subjects, and vice-versa. Beginnings were made in these overall settlement directions in the 1940’s, 1950’s, and 1960’s, especially in Peru and in the Maya area of Mesoamerica. Since then, settlement pattern and settlement system studies have become standard operating procedure in New World archaeology.

Gordon R. Willey
Gordon Randolph Willey, b. 1913 in Chariton Iowa. A.B., A.M., University of Arizona, 1935-6; Ph.D. Columbia University, 1942. (all degrees in anthropology-archaeology). Extensive field experience in Southeastern United States, Peru, Lower Central America, and Mesoamerica (the Maya regions). Anthropologist, Smithsonian Institution, 1943-50. Bowditch Professor of Mexican and Central American Archaeology at Harvard University, 1950-1987. Professor Emeritus, since 1987. Extensive publications in above areas, also general books on New World archaeology. Member National Academy of Science; American Academy of Arts and Sciences; American Philosophical Society; British Academy.