Jacob Frank Timothy Bober Anthropology December 8, 2010 The Anasazi: Ancient Pueblo People Long before the

time of English and French occupation of The New World there existed in what we know today as the Four-Corners Region of South-West America, a culture of native peoples known as the Anasazi. Spanning from the years 1200 b.c. to around 1300 a.d., these desert dwelling Indians sustained a very long and impressive civilization in a place where many other humans would not dare to dwell. The name Anasazi in modern day language translates to the term Ancient Enemies by those who trace their lineage to the pre-historical Native American group. Though this name may not be exactly popular with those who call themselves descendants, it does not take away from the fact that the Anasazi people were very successful on many fronts including architecture, agriculture, and art, as well as innovations such as roads and trading. The Anasazi homeland is centered on the red sands of the Colorado Plateau, and extends from the middle of New Mexico to southern Nevada, an area very well known for its huge cliffs, rocky terrain, extreme temperatures and lack of regular rainfall. It would seem likely that any civilization would struggle to flourish in conditions such as these, but the Anasazi peoples simply proved that theory wrong. A streak of increased rainfall over many years and more consistently mild weather enabled the early Anasazi to become less nomadic, and settle into communities with permanent housing structures. These early Anasazi homes consisted of small circular pit-houses consisting of a combination of logs and mud mortar, built a few feet into the ground. Eventually these small un-astonishing houses developed into what perhaps the Anasazi

are most know for, which are the breathtaking stone/adobe dwellings known as Pueblos built along the regions cliff sides. The earliest site that demonstrates the grandness of Pueblo architecture is a site located in Chaco Canyon known as Pueblo Bonito, which consists of 800 rooms covering more than three acres reaching up to five stories high in some places. The site is built snug up against the steep cliffs of the canyon but is yet entirely free standing.