Introduction

Paleoindian
  Overview
  Food
  Housing
  Artifacts

Archaic
  Overview
  Food
  Housing
  Artifacts

Basketmaker II
  Overview
  Food
  Housing
  Artifacts

Basketmaker III
  Overview
  Food
  Housing
  Artifacts

Pueblo I
  Overview
  Food
  Housing
  Artifacts

Pueblo II
  Overview
  Food
  Housing
  Artifacts

Pueblo III
  Overview
  Food
  Housing
  Artifacts

 

 

From Mammoth Hunters to Farmers: The Peoples of the Mesa Verde Region

by Samuel B. Fee

American Indians have lived in the Mesa Verde region of the Southwest for thousands of years. From the first arrival of nomadic hunters to the rise of large farming villages, the story of how people adapted to, and thrived in, this beautiful but rugged land is one of the most fascinating stories in human history. And it is a story that is still unfolding, as archaeologists continue to make discoveries that shed new light on the distant past.
    As defined here, the Mesa Verde archaeological region is an area of just under 10,000 square miles bounded by the Colorado, Piedra, and San Juan rivers (Figure 1). It is part of what is popularly known as the Four Corners area, so-called because it is where the four states of Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico meet. The land is one of spectacular contrasts, where deep sandstone canyons dissect sage-covered plains, all against the distant backdrop of the Rocky Mountains. Cold, snowy winters give way to hot, dry summers, and periods of relatively abundant moisture are punctuated by sporadic—but sometimes prolonged—periods of drought. Living off the land has always been, and continues to be, a challenge.

Figure 1: The Mesa Verde Archaeological Region

   This illustrated time line begins with the earliest exploration of the continent, during a time known by archaeologists as the “Paleoindian period.” From those distant beginnings, people endured, gradually making the transition from a nomadic hunting and gathering existence to a settled, farming way of life. And it is the ancient farmers of the Mesa Verde region whose story dominates this time line. Although we will never know by what name or names they called themselves, we call them the Pueblo Indians. To distinguish them from their modern descendants, these ancient farmers are also sometimes called the “ancestral Pueblo” or the Anasazi.

The publication of this work was made possible in part by a State Historical Fund grant from the Colorado Historical Society. In addition, partial funding was provided by Qwest.

   

Additional Acknowledgments