From Pit Houses to Cliff Dwellings: The History and Culture of the Ancestral Puebloans

You may have never heard the term Ancestral Puebloans, although you may know quite a bit about them.  This is the recently adopted term for the group of American Indians formerly (and still commonly) referred to as the Anasazi, which is a term that translates to “ancient ones” or “ancient enemies”.  While both terms are used to characterize Ancestral Puebloans the newly adopted term is more representative of the group, who are considered the ancestors of various modern southwest American Indian groups, including but not limited to the Zuni, Pueblo, Hopi, and Navajo, whereas the former (Anasazi) is identified as a slur/offensive term.  Today’s blog post will provide a short summary of the history and culture of the Ancestral Puebloans, as well as address newly discovered evidence regarding their unexpected demise.

The Ancestral Puebloans were a cultural group that began around 1500 BCE.  The settled in valleys and canyons across the American southwest, existing in the modern-day states of New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, and Arizona.  In the beginning they resided in partially submerged/dug out pit houses along valley and canyon floors.  They were horticulturalists who cultivated corn and supplemented their diets with wild game and plants.  They were skilled craftsmen who wove intricate baskets and sandals.  They hunted with the atlatl, spear thrower, which was common among various American Indian groups of that time. 

Eventually, their culture evolved and they developed pottery (Figure 1), which is one feature for which they are characterized by.  Their primary pottery styles included a gray utilitarian ware and a black on white decorative ware.  There were a series of regional styles that were produced, and the San Juan style, a red on orange or black on orange style from the Ancestral Puebloan groups of Utah, eventually became a third popular style much later.  At this time they also abandoned the use of the atlatl and developed sophisticated lithic points and adopted the bow and arrow for hunting.  Their populations grew, and they developed full scale agriculture, cultivating beans and squash in addition to corn.  Their habitations sites were characterized by large, above ground pueblo (adobe brick) structures.

Figure 2: Cliff Dwellings of the Ancestral Puebloans

Around 1200 CE social unrest caused the Ancestral Puebloans to move into larger habitation sites, as well as to abandon the valley and canyon floors for cliff dwellings (Figure 2).  These cliff dwellings were built at least 600 feet above the canyon floors, and today even with the aid of modern climbing equipment many of these structures remain inaccessible.  It is believed that the Ancestral Puebloans accessed these cliff dwellings through a series of large, fallen trees with carved hand and foot holds and a series of man-made ladders (the latter of which still remain at some sites, including the famous site in Chaco Valley*).  The dangers in accessing these dwellings outweighed the threats from various groups that faced the Ancestral Puebloans.  It is believed that severe drought and environmental degradation led to violence, warfare, and survival cannibalism among these groups, as evidenced by both osteological and coprolite studies.  In less than 100 years the Ancestral Puebloan culture and habitation sites were abandoned as the remaining citizens moved south, giving rise to the various descendant populations that remain today.

While much is known about the Ancestral Puebloans there still remains more than can be learned about this and other ancestral American Indian groups.  *Various archaeological sites, including those related to Ancestral Puebloans, are under threat as the US government plans and is actively opening up the sale of federal lands in Chaco Valley and throughout the American Southwest to private interest groups.  As these lands are sold and developed the archaeological evidence will be lost, thereby removing evidence that can support knowledge already known to American Indians regarding their histories and cultures but also for all of humanity in our collective understanding of what it means to be human.

Bibliography

Arizona Museum of Natural History. (2019). Cultures of the Ancient Americas. Retrieved from Arizona Museum of Natural History: https://arizonamuseumofnaturalhistory.org/explore-the-museum/exhibitions/cultures-of-the-ancient-americas

Hurst, W. (n.d.). Anasazi. In Utah History Encyclopedia.

Roberts, D. (2003, July). Riddles of the Anasazi. Retrieved from Smithsonian Magazine: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/riddles-of-the-anasazi-85274508/

Service, N. P. (n.d.). Mesa Verde. Retrieved from US Department of Interior: https://www.nps.gov/meve/learn/education/upload/ancestral_puebloans.pdf