Ancestral Puebloans

The Ancestral Puebloans, also called the Ancestral Pueblo peoples or the Basketmaker-Pueblo culture, were an ancient Native American culture of Pueblo peoples. They lived in the Four Corners area of the United States. This area includes parts of southeastern Utah, northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southwestern Colorado. Scholars think they grew from the Oshara tradition, which came from the Picosa culture.

These people lived in many types of homes. They had small family pit houses and bigger buildings for their clans. They also built large pueblos and homes in cliffs for safety. They made a big network of hundreds of communities on the Colorado Plateau. They knew a lot about the stars and moons, and this helped them build their homes. One special place in their towns was the kiva, where people met for ceremonies.

Archaeologists still talk about when this culture began. Most think, based on the Pecos Classification, that it started around the 12th century BCE, during a time called the Early Basketmaker II Era. The Ancestral Puebloans are thought to be the ancestors of today’s Pueblo peoples. Three important places in the United States, like Mesa Verde National Park, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, and Taos Pueblo, are famous for their history and are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Etymology

The word "Pueblo" means "village" and "people" in Spanish. Spanish explorers used this word because of how the Ancestral Puebloans built their homes.

The Hopi people call them Hisatsinom, which means "ancient people." The Navajo people used to call them Anaasází. This name can feel hurtful to their modern descendants, so many people today prefer the name "Ancestral Pueblo peoples."

Geography

The Ancestral Puebloans were one of four main ancient cultures in the American Southwest, also called Oasisamerica. The others were the Mogollon, Hohokam, and Patayan. They lived in the northeast part of this area, mainly on the Colorado Plateau, but their homes stretched from central New Mexico on the east to southern Nevada on the west.

Their land included parts of southern Nevada, Utah, and Colorado. The southern edge of their area was near the Little Colorado Rivers in Arizona and the Rio Puerco and Rio Grande in New Mexico. Evidence of their culture has also been found farther east on the American Great Plains, near the Cimarron, Pecos Rivers, and the Galisteo Basin.

The landscape where they lived had many different features and resources. The plateau areas were high, ranging from 4,500 to 8,500 feet above sea level. Wide, flat areas called mesas were covered with woods of junipers, pinyon, and ponderosa pines. Wind and water shaped deep canyons and created natural shelters in the sandstone cliffs.

The Ancestral Puebloans often built their homes under rock overhangs for protection. Their land often faced dry spells and strong winds. Summer rains were sometimes hard to predict and could bring heavy storms. They relied mostly on winter snow for water. When the snow melted in spring, it helped plants grow and provided water from small streams like the Chinle, Animas, Jemez, and Taos Rivers. Larger rivers were less important to them because smaller streams were easier to use for watering their crops.

Cultural characteristics

The Ancestral Puebloans built amazing stone and earth homes along cliff walls, especially between 900 and 1350 CE. Some of the best-preserved homes are now in national parks such as Navajo National Monument, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, Aztec Ruins National Monument, Bandelier National Monument, Hovenweep National Monument, and Canyon de Chelly National Monument. These villages, called pueblos by Spanish explorers, could only be reached by climbing or using ropes.

They were also good potters, making simple gray pots for daily use and beautifully decorated ones for special events. Their pottery often had black designs on a white background, with fine lines and patterns. They also made rock art, including carvings and paintings on rocks, using some of the earliest known ways to show perspective in art.

Architecture

See also: Pueblo architecture and List of dwellings of Pueblo peoples

The Ancestral Pueblo people built special homes for their communities. Famous places like Chaco Canyon, Mesa Verde, and Bandelier National Monument show how they used stone, mud, and other local materials. Some homes were carved into cliffs for safety.

These homes often had many levels and were used for many things. Big open spaces called plazas were surrounded by the buildings, and many families lived together. They held important events and had roads connecting faraway places.

Built long before 1492 CE, these towns were often placed in safe spots, like on tall, steep cliffs. In Chaco Canyon, people cut stone and brought wood from far away to build huge structures.

Huge buildings called "great houses" were important for special ceremonies. Inside, they found items like musical tools and jewelry, showing these were special places. These buildings had hundreds of rooms, with high ceilings and careful planning.

Most of these big buildings faced south, with rooms arranged around open spaces. They often had several stories, with smaller rooms facing the open area and larger rooms further back. Special rooms for ceremonies called kivas were built to match the size of the building.

The walls of these buildings were made using stone blocks filled with rubble and covered with a layer of small stones pressed into mud. Building these structures needed a lot of wood, brought from mountains far away.

Ceremonial infrastructure

The Ancestral Puebloans built an impressive system of roads called the Chaco Road in Chaco Canyon. These roads connected large buildings like Pueblo Bonito, Chetro Ketl, and Una Vida to smaller sites and natural features both inside and outside the canyon.

Scientists found eight main roads that stretch for over 180 miles and are more than 30 feet wide. These roads were made by leveling the ground or clearing away plants and soil. Big ramps and staircases in the cliffs linked the roads to places at the bottom of the canyon. The roads were built at the same time as many large buildings between the years 1000 and 1125 CE. Some of the roads lead to important natural spots such as springs, lakes, and mountain tops.

The Great North Road is the longest and most famous of these roads. It starts near Pueblo Bonito and Chetro Ketl, meets at Pueblo Alto, and continues north past the canyon. Along the roads, there are only a few small structures. Researchers think these roads may have been used for trading valuable items like macaws, turquoise, and seashells from faraway places. The roads also helped transport timber needed for building, since wood was not available nearby.

Cliff communities

The Ancestral Puebloans built homes in shallow caves and under rock overhangs. They did this in the 13th century when more people needed safe places to live together. These homes were made from hard sandstone blocks and adobe mortar. They were used for living, protection, and storing things.

One famous place is Mesa Verde, where many cliff homes still stand. These homes were built very close together because there was little space. For example, Mug House had about 100 people living in just 94 rooms and eight special meeting spaces called kivas. Builders used all the space they could find. Not everyone lived in cliff homes; many lived on canyon edges and slopes in bigger buildings. These buildings often had special T-shaped windows and doors.

History

Origins

From 700 to 1130 CE, the Ancestral Puebloans grew quickly because of good rainfall that helped their farming. Many people moved into the area. They invented new things like pottery and ways to store food.

The Ancestral Puebloans lived in three main places: Chaco Canyon in northwest New Mexico, Kayenta in northeast Arizona, and Northern San Juan, which includes Mesa Verde and Hovenweep National Monument in southwest Colorado and southeastern Utah. Their stories say they came from a place called sipapu, emerging from the underworld and traveling for a long time before settling where they did.

Migration from the homeland

The Ancestral Puebloans left their homes in the 12th and 13th centuries. We don’t fully know why, but it might have been because of changes in the climate, long droughts, or new people moving in. They often moved to adapt to these changes.

During a time from about 900 to 1150 CE, life was good with warm weather and good rain. Villages grew bigger, and people lived in them longer. They made special buildings and pots, and traded with faraway places. Domesticated turkeys also appeared.

Around 1130, a long dry period began, making it hard to grow food. This caused big changes, and some villages were abandoned. People also had to move because of less water.

Warfare

Sometimes, there were conflicts. Near Kayenta, Arizona, some villages moved to higher ground, possibly to protect themselves. New groups of people moved into the area, which may have caused more fighting.

Some places show signs of hard times, but ideas about what happened can vary a lot among scholars.

Cultural distinctions

Scientists use names like Ancestral Puebloan to talk about old tools, buildings, and things left behind by ancient people. These names help us learn about the past, but they can't tell us everything about the people's beliefs, languages, or daily lives because those things don't always leave physical clues.

It's important to know that these groups didn't live in separate, fixed areas like modern countries. Ancient people traded, worked together, and sometimes fought with groups nearby. Differences between cultures grew slowly the farther apart people lived, much like how styles can change from one place to another. Natural features like mountains and rivers also shaped how often different groups met and shared ideas.