Prologue : Daniel's question
The rhythms of civilization
The roots of Anasazi society
The role of agriculture. Featured research. Experimental comparison : stone boiling versus pot boiling / Mike Smith, Stella Kemper, Roy Huddleston, and T. Bradley-Varner ; Estimating early Four Corners population growth : a preliminary model / Christine Du Bois
The rise of the Chaco Anasazi
The Chaco phenomenon / David E. Stuart and Jenny (Lund) Sherman. Featured research. Four Corners farming : strategy, risks, and crop-calorie yields / Jenny (Lund) Sherman
The fall of Chacoan society. Featured research. Burial goods at small and large Chacoan sites . Holland Sutton and Louis Wilcox ; Babies are expensive : farming and population growth / David E. Stuart ; Long story short : Stuart on Chaco / David E. Stuart
The upland period
Creation of Pueblo society. Featured research. Bone morphology, labor intensity, and economic behavior at Pecos Pueblo / James Medina and Elliott Hubbard
Sustainable and enduring communities
Epilogue : The spirit of community.