Anasazi Civilization: History, Culture, and Chaco Canyon

Introduction to the Anasazi Civilization

The Anasazi civilization developed and prospered in the Four Corners region between 1 AD and 1300 AD, leaving precious traces of a swelling and prosperous culture. Pottery, baskets, ornaments, tools, and especially architectural achievements — including "apartment-house style villages" — were all elements characterizing this civilization.

Anasazi in Navajo means "the ancient ones" or "the ancient enemies," and the Anasazis were the ancestors of the modern Pueblo Indians who live today in New Mexico and Arizona. The several centers of Anasazi civilization included Northern San Juan, Chaco, Kayenta, Virgin, and Rio Grande — directions in which the Anasazi population spread and created local communities.

Historical Evolution

Archaeological evidence discovered in the area proves that the Anasazi first moved into the southern Colorado Plateau sometime at the beginning of the 1st millennium, around 1 AD. The local population of the time became a "settled, agricultural people who valued land and water above all else." This gives us important clues about the later disappearance of the population.

The earliest Anasazi population occupied an area that had been previously abandoned by Archaic Indian populations. Settled in the region, the Anasazi civilization entered the so-called Basketmaker phase — a simple, self-sufficient society. Later, around 500 AD, the Anasazi began to introduce and develop their famous pottery, began using the bow and arrow, built pit dwellings, and cultivated a larger variety of crops, including beans, that were more nutritious than earlier staples.

The year 700 AD marked the beginning of the Pueblo period, as archaeologists refer to it. This is the time when surface dwellings began to appear in the area. Architecture was not the only field where significant advances were made; pottery also underwent modification with the introduction of color in design and more sophisticated decoration.

The Anasazi civilization began to flourish, and philosophy and religious rituals appeared around 900 AD. The kivas emerged during this period — "structures that were originally used for ceremonial and other special purposes." The population grew due to better and more nutritious food, and it is presumed that trading with other communities also began during this period. Different goods and materials appear to have been designated for trade, including pottery and weapons.

The Golden Age of the Anasazi civilization began around 1100 AD and lasted for approximately 200 years. It was during this period that the Anasazis built villages and cliff dwellings, as well as multi-story high buildings. The Anasazis became renowned for their engineering and architectural skills. However, this prosperity was somewhat double-edged, as it also attracted the attention of envious neighbors. As archaeological findings reveal, architecture itself became somewhat militarized: some buildings were constructed in caves or in "easily defensible overhangs," while others served as lookouts on the edges of cliffs. This demonstrates that, beginning in this period, the Anasazis needed to maintain a constant watch for threats from potential enemies — threats that could have come from the "hunter-gatherer, nomadic Ute and Paiute peoples" or from the Apache and Navajo tribes that may already have been settled in the area.

Even considering these wartime conditions, the Anasazi civilization became known throughout the Americas as they developed several trade routes and exchanged "artistic baskets, pots and jewelry" for "seashells, feathers, and parrots" that were brought to the Four Corners region from the south and coastal areas, used as ornaments, jewelry, and in ceremonies.

However, 1300 AD marked the beginning of the downfall of this prosperous civilization. Several causes must be considered. The primary cause was climatic change and an increasingly arid climate. As the Anasazis were fundamentally farmers, several years of poor harvests due to drought forced the local population either to move to other regions in search of food or to resort to hunting and gathering. It is therefore presumed that the Anasazis left the local area to settle in smaller villages in different climates with more reliable water sources.

Additionally, warfare can also be considered a direct cause of the decline of the Anasazi civilization. As the civilization became increasingly attractive to less peaceful neighboring populations, the constant threat of war could only have had a negative impact on the peacetime activities that defined the core of Anasazi culture.

The chronic lack of water was also a cause of increasing disease, especially "gastro-intestinal problems which weakened the various villages." Evidence shows that sanitation was poor in the area during that period. The reasons are relatively straightforward: the local population tended to reduce the quantity of water used for sanitation in order to preserve it for agriculture. As sanitation was increasingly neglected, intestinal illnesses appeared and, even if not reaching epidemic levels, still caused significant hardship for the Anasazis.

Chaco Canyon: Center of Anasazi Civilization

Chaco Canyon was the center of Anasazi life. Despite its very cold winters and extremely dry summers — conditions that might seem hostile to a thriving civilization — the Chaco Canyon left marvelous marks of a prosperous culture. The following sections examine some of the most important activities in the Chaco Canyon area during the height of Anasazi civilization.

Farming Practices and Food Supply

The first period of the Anasazi civilization was called the Basketmaker period. During this time, the Anasazis began the practice of "dry farming," a procedure that "relied on water in the soil from melted snow, summer rainstorms and occasional springs." Farming was intensive and was carried out in both large and small patches of land, the basic principle being that crops could be cultivated wherever water and light were available.

Later, crop varieties diversified to include corn, beans, and squash. Modern experiments have shown that as much as 40 bushels of corn per acre could be achieved using these methods — an impressive figure compared with the approximately 14 bushels per acre obtained today through dry farming. Surplus corn was carefully stored for leaner years, and "large storerooms became prominent features of communities." Estimates suggest that approximately one acre of corn per person per year was considered an adequate food supply.

At the height of the civilization, the local people began to master soil management and constructed small dams and reservoirs to control and make best use of available water. Community planning and organized labor were extensively employed in the Chaco Canyon. This agricultural inventiveness meant that some areas could support as many as 20,000 people at the civilization's peak. Estimates indicate, for example, that the "Montezuma County area may have been occupied by as many as 20,000 people during the peak years between AD 1000 and 1300 — roughly the same number as live there today." Besides farming, the local population also relied on game and on gathering plants such as piñon nuts, yucca fruit, and berries.

Conclusion

A thriving and well-developed civilization appeared around the Chaco Canyon some time after 1 AD and went on to become one of the most representative cultures in the region until its decline in the 14th century. A well-planned network of roads encouraged trade with other local communities and with peoples as far south as Mexico and the Toltec civilization, while the Anasazis locally manufactured pottery, jewelry, and magnificent buildings that can still be admired today. However, as prolonged drought, warfare, and disease combined to undermine the foundations of Anasazi life, these resources eventually proved insufficient to sustain the civilization, bringing about its gradual downfall.