Anasazi
Ancient Southwest culture
Anasazi refers to the ancient Pueblo peoples who inhabited the Four Corners region of the American Southwest from roughly 100 to 1300 CE.
They built the famous cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon.
The term, from Navajo, is sometimes translated as "ancient enemies" or "ancient ones," leading some to prefer "Ancestral Puebloans" as more respectful to their modern descendants.
Homes built into rockfaces
- Mesa VerdeColorado cliff-dwelling preserve
- pithousesPartially underground ancient dwellings
- adobeSun-dried clay bricks
- alcovesRecessed wall spaces
Pueblo ceremonial rooms
- potteryFired clay objects
- petroglyphsCarvings on natural stone
- basketryArt of weaving containers
- ceremonialRelating to formal rites
rock art · murals · sandals · textiles · jewelry · bone tools · featherwork · pictographs
Cereal grown on cobs
- beansEdible pod seeds
- squashFlatten by pressure
- irrigationArtificial water supply for agriculture
- terracingCutting slopes into steps
dry farming · storage · manos · wild plants · field houses
Act of unearthing
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- potsherdsFragments of broken ceramics
- ruinsDecayed structural remains
- carbon datingIsotope-based age measurement
stratigraphy · fieldwork · trowel · dig · anthropology · midden · dendrochronology · survey
Blue-green opaque gemstone
- shellHard outer covering
- obsidianGlassy igneous rock
- copper bellsReddish metal resonators
- cacaoTropical pod-bearing tree
Act of going missing
- migrationMovement to new territory
- droughtProlonged water scarcity
- abandonmentAct of leaving permanently
- warfareArmed conflict between groups
collapse · exodus · climate change · deforestation · social upheaval · violence · dispersal
Pueblo people of Arizona
- ZuniNative southwestern pueblo-dwellers
- descendantsThose who come after
- oral traditionsCulture transmitted through speech
- legacyWhat's passed down
continuity · sacred sites · repatriation · stewardship · cultural memory
cliff dwellings
Homes built into rockfaces
- Mesa VerdeColorado cliff-dwelling preserve
- pithousesPartially underground ancient dwellings
- adobeSun-dried clay bricks
kivas
Pueblo ceremonial rooms
- potteryFired clay objects
- petroglyphsCarvings on natural stone
- basketryArt of weaving containers
ceremonial · rock art · murals · sandals · textiles · jewelry · bone tools · featherwork · pictographs
corn
Cereal grown on cobs
- beansEdible pod seeds
- squashFlatten by pressure
- irrigationArtificial water supply for agriculture
terracing · dry farming · storage · manos · wild plants · field houses
excavation
Act of unearthing
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- potsherdsFragments of broken ceramics
- ruinsDecayed structural remains
carbon dating · stratigraphy · fieldwork · trowel · dig · anthropology · midden · dendrochronology · survey · preservation
turquoise
Blue-green opaque gemstone
- shellHard outer covering
- obsidianGlassy igneous rock
- copper bellsReddish metal resonators
cacao · trade routes · Mesoamerica · Pacific coast · long-distance
disappearance
Act of going missing
- migrationMovement to new territory
- droughtProlonged water scarcity
- abandonmentAct of leaving permanently
warfare · collapse · exodus · climate change · deforestation · social upheaval · violence · dispersal
Hopi
Pueblo people of Arizona
- ZuniNative southwestern pueblo-dwellers
- descendantsThose who come after
- oral traditionsCulture transmitted through speech
legacy · continuity · sacred sites · repatriation · stewardship · cultural memory