The Anasazi Research Paper

It was during the time period that Christ was born that the Anasazi Indians appeared in the Four Corners area which is the area where the boundaries of Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado meet. For the over a thousand years the Anasazi thrived and built their homes into the side of cliffs. These cliff dwellings could only be reached by climbing and made for a great defense system against enemies; some dwellings reached five stories in height and contained hundreds of rooms. Many of the elaborate cliff dwellings and terraced apartment houses built of stone, mud, and wood that dot the Four Corners region still stand today and date back to about 9,000 CE., but the people who comprised this desert culture did not begin to settle into an agricultural lifestyle until around A.D. 400. The Anasazi, which is a Navajo word meaning “the ancient ones”, likely received corn, squash and beans, which are a prime source of protein, added to their diet and the knowledge to raise them from their southern neighbors in Mexico. Vegetable crops provided a reliable food source that made an increase in population possible and also allowed time for other interests such as religion, art, ritual, public works and handicrafts. This allowed the Anasazi society continued to evolve and progress. The ancient ones also possessed beans, a prime source of protein and new varieties of corn. Other innovations included the bow and arrow which eventually replaced spears and at least two varieties of dogs

The Anasazi lived in New Mexico. Specifically in chaco canyon. Chaco Canyon is now Chaco Culture National Historical Park. cliff Palace is now Cliff Palace Mesa Verde National Park.How they had not as many resources that we have today. The Anasazi are great building skills for their lives. They have very great skills in structuring that a surprise for many people.

The first Anasazi peoples settled in Mesa Verde about A.D. 550. Because it housed an array of biomes from sagebrush shrub lands, to short grass prairie, to riparian, to foothills it meant that it housed an ample amount of land for planting, abundance of materials for building and supply of water that can be readily and easily accessible too them. Beginning as simple nomadic basket weavers, the more settled way of life allowed them evolve their skills. Quickly farming replaced hunting and gathering as their main livelihood. Very generally this shift, from nomadic to a Neolithic / agricultural lifestyle had a positive impact on the animal chain and a more negative impact on the environment. Because people settled in an environment, they began

The Anasazi people used what was available in their environment to meet their needs as a society. According to Source 1 it states, “Fire pits were used for heating the rooms and cooking... To reach the farmlands and hunting grounds, the cliff dwellers used hand-and-toe holds carved into the steep sides of the mesa.” This shows an example of how the Anasazi people used fire pits to heat rooms and how the-cliff dwellers used hand-and-toe holds carved into the mesa. According to Source 2 it also states, “Not only were basket used for collecting seeds, nuts, fruits, and berries, but they were sometimes coated with pitch on the inside, which allowed them to hold water and tolerate heat.” This also shows how they would use the baskets for other needs such as allowing them to hold water and tolerate heat.

There are many different archaeologists who are still studying the abandonment of the Anasazi people and arguing the reasons why they left. Even Keith Kloor stated in the “Insider: Who were the Anasazi?” the whole thing is a controversial claim to an ancient legacy. He goes on to discuss how it wasn't just the Anasazi at the cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde Colorado that abandoned their home there, but it also happened to the Anasazi people in northwestern New Mexico in Chaco Canyon, another ancient site (2009,

The early Anasazi people lived in small groups of a few families, with perhaps 10-25 people living in each village, on average, for about 10-20 years. However, the Anasazi population exploded during the last half of the 11th century, filling the Grand Canyon region of the Southwest. And, as their society grew, the Anasazi villages banded together to control their water supply with earthen dams and irrigation systems, turning parts of the high arid desert into gardens of various crops to feed their people. The old culture was able to develop crops with deep roots, able to reach underground water, and thus afford the Anasazi greater access to food supplies.

Although nobody is certain if they were cannibals it is often talked about that they would eat their defeated enemies. They lived in brush shelter made from grass and reeds. They survived off of hunting and fishing they would hunt buffalo and deer. They fished for oyster,shrimp, and crab. The Atakapa wore breechcloth and wraparound skirts. This tribe are more warlike than other tribes.Their religion was about the worship of the sun. if they did not live in the gulf region they would not be able to fish or hunt like they do.

They’ve built famous temples and pyramids and developed a form of hieroglyphic writing, a complex calendar system. This civilization is considered to be one of the most advanced civilizations, who have contributed to our society. Out of all the reasons we have to remember

They left behind complex society and were building towns while the rest of the civilization was still unsophisticated. This tells us that they were very smart in business and were able to make money by producing businesses and towns.

The Maya were known for their agriculture, trade, science and religion. They had a complex writing system and developed a calendar from observing the earths movements around the sun. One can’t say that just one

The text states, “Andean farmers also battled poor soil, bad frosts, and frequent droughts.” The Incas developed breeds of crops.This shows that the Andean farmers had ways that offered simple solutions to help protect their harvest. The Anasazi,resided in the Four Corners of the region. The text states, “Yet in the Andes people called the Incas built a great civilization and an empire that they named Tahuantinsuyu, “the Four Quarters of

The Sumerians were the most successful ancient civilization. The first reason is they created the first written language. The second reason is they achieved many things. The last reason is that they invented many things.

The Adena people emerged around 500 BC out of the Early Woodland Period. They primarily concentrated in the Ohio River Valley. Known today in the U.S. as Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana. The word “Adena” does not depict the name of a particular Indian tribe of the time period, but more of a culture. We are uncertain what these people may have called themselves. The “Adena Culture” is a term archeologists used. It defines a culture by its burial mounds and small villages. The word Adena comes from the estate of Governor Thomas Worthington in Chillicothe, Ohio. He named a large mound on his property Adena. What we do know about this culture has come from the excavating of the mounds and earthworks left behind.

The Incas were know for being skilled builders. Architecture was most important of the Inca arts. One of the best examples of this is the city of Cusco. Machu Picchu is a good example of their skilled construction. It was built as a home estate for Pachacuti. Stone temples built by the Incas were made using mortaless construction. The stones fit together perfectly.

Last but not least, the Anasazi is also important to the history of American Indians before the European invasion. By 750, the Anasazi built the house that it was raised earth before and it this included the famous "rock Palace”, which was Important places of worship. The Anasazi settled in the Grand Canyon of Colorado in the sixth Century. However, they suddenly abandoned their homes and moved to other areas and never returned.