Social Studies Assignment: Environmental Survival Guide Anasazi Geography and Background The Anasazi culture is believed to have gradually evolved out of a nonagricultural (non-farmers) base of the ancient Desert culture, once widespread in western North America. It may have been in part derived from the Mogollon culture, an older tradition of settled agriculturalists and ceramics producers who flourished from c .100 b.c. to a.d. 1400 in the mountain areas of east central Arizona and west central New Mexico. There is much evidence of trade and cultural interchange between the Mogollon and the Anasazi. The Anasazi built the numerous communal dwellings, or pueblos, many now in ruins, on the high plateau of the southwestern United States. The oldest remains are in the Four Corners region, where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah connect to each other. At the time of its greatest power, the Anasazi culture was spread over most of New Mexico, northern Arizona, southwestern Colorado, and much of Utah. This is a region comparable in size to modern France, but great non-livable stretches lay between the villages (where water was available).
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Social Studies Assignment: Environmental Survival Guide
Anasazi Geography and BackgroundThe Anasazi culture is believed to have gradually evolved out of a nonagricultural (non-farmers) base of the ancient Desert culture, once widespread in western North America. It may have been in part derived from the Mogollon culture, an older tradition of settled agriculturalists and ceramics producers who flourished from c.100 b.c. to a.d. 1400 in the mountain areas of east central Arizona and west central New Mexico. There is much evidence of trade and cultural interchange between the Mogollon and the Anasazi.
The Anasazi built the numerous communal dwellings, or pueblos, many now in ruins, on the high plateau of the southwestern United States. The oldest remains are in the Four Corners region, where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah connect to each other. At the time of its greatest power, the Anasazi culture was spread over most of New Mexico, northern Arizona, southwestern Colorado, and much of Utah. This is a region comparable in size to modern France, but great non-livable stretches lay between the villages (where water was available).
Anasazi Housing
Social Studies Assignment: Environmental Survival Guide
They lived in groups of houses that the Spanish later called pueblos. Pueblo is the Spanish word for "town" or "village." Pueblos were buildings with several levels. They were made of adobe. Adobe is a mixture of sand and straw that is dried into bricks. There was very little wood in the dry lands. The Anasazi had to carry wood from miles away to use for roof beams for their pueblos.
Early pueblos were built on top of mesas or high, flat-topped hills. Pueblos had very few windows or doors on the lower levels. People moved from one level to another by ladder. The Anasazi had no windows and doors on the first level to protect themselves from their enemies. If they were attacked, they pulled up the ladder.
Anasazi Food
Social Studies Assignment: Environmental Survival Guide
The Anasazi learned how to farm in the dry lands. They grew corn, squash, and beans. They planted seeds deep in the dry soil to get the most water. They stored water in holes and ditches to use during droughts. The Anasazi were always prepared for droughts. They saved dried corn in clay jars. They stored enough dried corn to feed their people for two years during a long drought.
In the dry climate, corn could be preserved for a long time. Men and boys did all of the hunting (deer, turkey, rabbits). The most important crop for the Anasazi was corn. They crushed corn with a stone called mano. The corn that the Anasazi grew was multicolored and hard.
Also, The Anasazi ate roots, berries, nuts, greens, cactus seeds, fruits, and wild honey.
(Beans)
(Anasazi Artwork showing a deer.)
Anasazi Transportation
The Anasazi has limited ways of transporting themselves across the region. In most situations, they had to walk. When forced to move a long distance, it was more efficient
Social Studies Assignment: Environmental Survival Guide
to leave the bulky items and replace them after they reached their destination. Transportation roadways linked all Anasazi villages. Since they had no horses or other pack animals, this was all done on foot. Travel from one end of the territory to the other took weeks.
Anasazi Clothing
Female Anasazi wove blankets, robes, kilts, shirts, aprons, belts (etc.). They wove the clothes by animal hair and human hair. They also wove thick robes for winter. Anasazi
Social Studies Assignment: Environmental Survival Guide
footwear included sandals, moccasins, and possibly snowshoes for winter. Animal hides could have had some material needed for weaving. Jewelry was often used too.
Anasazi clothes makers also used yucca leaves and blankets woven from turkey feathers to make, pants, tops, shoes and gown-like clothes. They later grew cotton and used it to make clothes.
(Anasazi Jewelry)
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