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Time and Culture
By:
Rachel
Maria
Kimmi
Fiona
Ellen
The Anasazi existed around two thousand years ago. The earliest Anasazi people settled in a plateau area because there was a lot of water in the plateau. They were located where now southern Utah, northern New Mexico, and Northern Arizona are located now. People say that the Anasazi are ancestors of the modern day tribes Hopi, the Zuni and the Pueblo. One of the modern day ancestors of the Anasazi are the Pueblo tribe. They live in Arizona , Utah , Nevada and Colorado.
What kind of civilization was this?
The Anasazi were hunters and gatherers who eventually became full time farmers. They grew corn, beans, and squash and they built places to store their surplus. They hunted deer, particularly in the fall and winter when the growing season was over. They had a traditional economy where each family provided for its own survival. Every family made the tools and pottery that they needed so there was no division of labor in the community. However, in the family the men, women, and children had specific jobs. The Anasazi moved around but were not nomads. They formed big settlements with lots of rooms for many families and community gathering places but they would abandon these and move to different locations depending upon the weather and the quality of the farmland. The kivas are evidence that the members of the community had some shared rituals. At Chaco canyon, they built roads and such a large settlement that some archeologists think it was a major social and religious center. There is no evidence of a central government. The Anasazi influenced later cultures by passing on their knowledge of the seasons and the use of natural resources. For instance, they passed on information about good locations for planting crops and dealing with the dry, unpredictable weather in the Southwest. They had irrigation systems such as dams and terraces to control the flow of water. They domesticated turkeys. Other cultures also used some of their building methods and pottery and art.
Fiona What was the phisical setting of the Anasazi?
In the time of the Anasazi, New Mexico was a spread of ragged mountains and platues. The wind and water had dug out the mountains and the climate has little rain and not much habitation. Surprisingly the land was very good for farming for several reasons, one is the land rises 2,400 above the valley floor at its highest point in the north, because the top is cooler in the summer then the valley below. Second is there is more moisture in the Mesa then the nearby lowlands because most of the snow falls on top of the mountains. Another reason why the land is so fertile is because there are many springs that supply water for the people and there crops. The Anasazi had very good land for hunting, gathering and farming.
Who preceded the Anasazi?
The Anasazi were preceded by the Mogollon Indians. The Anasazi got many ideas from the Mogollon Indians. The Mogollon lived in Mesa Verde pit houses. The Anasazi lived in pit houses for sometime before the elaborated on them and eventually became 5 story buildings with 800 rooms. They dug round holes in the ground and lined the sides with stones and built walls and a roof of branches. They smeared mud on the outside walls and piled dirt on the roof for insulation. The Mogollon used human hair net's for catching fish, and a stone hoe's for farming. The Anasazi used these before they started farming and creating irrigation systems. Many ideas were used from the Mogollon and eventually elaborated on and became somewhat of what we use now.
How were the pueblo cultures organized?
The Anasazi's had many unique features about them. One is that the Anasazi's were one of the first cultures to farm instead of hunt and gather. They were very successful at developing irrigation systems. These Irrigation Systems allowed them to become good farmers. Because they farmed and stayed in one spot they were able to build homes. These homes – called pueblos – were very interesting. Pueblos are very different from modern day homes. Many were circular and had entrances through the roof. In a typical pueblo there was a fire pit and an area that had drums and painting tools. Over time, pueblos started to expand. They started to build many rooms as well as many stories. Some pueblos had as many as 5 stores and 800 rooms. Over a 1000 people could live there. They became like villages. Pueblos were made of stone, bricks and had layered roofs with sticks, grass and mud. They were built on cliffs and in canyons in order to protect the people from invaders. Sometimes they could only be accessible by rock climbing. They also had areas called Kivas that were underground and used for ceremonies. These pueblos were the center of Anasazi's culture. They were where the people lived, worked and developed their communities. If you look at some buildings, you can see this is where some of architectural designs of today began.
Works Citied: 17 Oct. 2008
“anasazi Indians.” anasazi Indians. 16 Oct. 2008
