The importance of ritual in integrating Southwestern societies has long been recognized. From Steward's study of room-to kiva ratios to more recent analyses, archaeologists have examined the frequency of ceremonial or ritual structures to infer aspects of community organization. The importance of ritual in the initial development of larger regional networks of exchange and alliance has been less frequently addressed. Theoretical and empirical studies are summarized which suggest that an association between ritual and regional networks was an important component of the development of agricultural villages. This association is then tested, using archaeological information from a large survey area on northern Black Mesa in Northeastern Arizona.