Who were the Ancestral Puebloans? We begin by finding out where these people lived. We
also can find out where they and other groups who lived nearby at the same time came from. |
The map on the right shows the Colorado Plateau. This region is a huge table land or
plateau ringed by mountains and highlands. It covers some 130,000 square miles in Utah,
Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. |
Click on the map to view a larger version. |
This high table land
averages 5,000 feet above sea level. The area also is very dry (or arid). The dry climate
makes it difficult for many kinds of plants to grow there. It also makes it difficult for
many kinds of animals to live there. Despite what appears to be a harsh environment, the
region had a favorable climate for
humans to live there. |
Click on the map to see more about these three groups.
|
Around 2,300 years ago, three Indian groups came to live in
this region. As you can see on the map on the left, these were the Mogollon (pronounced
moo-gee-yon), the Hohokam
(a Pima Indian word for "those who have vanished") and the Anasazi (a Navajo Indian
word for "ancient ones" or "ancient enemy"). Click on the three links
to see brief introductions to each group. |
| Our journey into the past will focus on the
Anasazi, although you can learn about the other two groups, too. Because Anasazi is a
Navajo word meaning enemy, many Pueblo Indians living now object to using that name. They
prefer the term Ancestral (or Ancient) Puebloan. We will use that term in these pages.
Even so, you will see the term Anasazi often in the web sites you visit from the following
pages. |
|
Click
here to find out find out more about the
Ancestral Puebloans. |
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