Anasazi Indians, what caused there dissaperance?

Question

ive been to many anasazi cliff dwellings in the four corners area and have heard many schools of thoughts on the reason why they dissapeard or abondoned there homes, the interesting thing for me is they left all there possesions behind such as pottery and tools, does anyone have a theory they want to share

Answer 1

Probably because of natural disasters that caused the population to starve and they had to migrate to better areas when their crops were damaged or foreign invaders might have brought their diseases, which spreads quickly through the population and they die fast because Indians weren't immune to the new diseases.

Answer 2

it is historians that say they are gone...if you want to know the truth then ask Native Americans in the area...but dont be surprised if they dont trust you either with the answer....especially if you are anglo looking...

I have my BA in Native Studies and they say the Anasazi arent gone at all just relocated...

Answer 3

The term Anasazi comes from the Navaho Language and means "Ancient Enemies." The Pueblo Native Americans, who are descended from the Anasazi, prefer the term "Ancient Ones." The Anasazi lived in the American southwest, around the "Four Corners" area. That's the place Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah meet. Native Americans settled in the area at least 12,000 years ago. The began to use agriculture around 2500 - 3000 BC.

The Anasazi culture is dated between 100 AD to 1300 AD. It's demise is linked to a large drought that devastated the American southwest. Prior to these dates is what's termed the "Archaic period" when the Anasazi people lived as nomadic hunter and gatherers. There is controversial evidence that the end of the culture included a breakdown in the social order. Evidence offered includes mass burials and cannibalism.

As farmers the people were supreme in growing corn beans, and squash

. They added to their food supply by hunting.

The Anasazi were the original cliff dwellers. They constructed their homes high up on the cliff sides with limited access. This form of housing was done later in their culture when migrating tribes such as the Apache and Navaho competed for the limited resources in the area.

The Culture is now divided into stages. The two main ones are the Basketmaker and Pueblo. Each stage has a number of intermediate ones. The Pueblo stages can be exactly dated. In fact it can be determined just how many years a pueblo was occupied.

In the Basketmaker stage, we know the Anasazi first lived pit houses. These are holes in the ground and are roofed over with wood, brush or hides. Houses were rectangular, projected above the ground and were entered through a hole in the roof. This hole also was used to let smoke out of the home. Normally a small tunnel was dug in the side of the house. This lead up to the surface and was used to ventilate the house. The people were farmers, growing corn, along with practicing hunting and gathering. They received the name "basketmakers" from the incredibly fine baskets that they made and used.

About 700 AD they changed their lifestyle and began to collect in larger settlements. They built pueblos, above ground buildings that were normally placed on high ground. These structures tend to be square and blocky in appearance. Most entry is by means of ladders. Each room is interconnected. This lifestyle differs from the other tribes in the area. Navahos, for example, prefer to live in widely separated dwellings call hogans. A number of pueblos were constructed during this period. The pueblo of Oraibi, Arizona was founded in the twelfth century. It is the oldest still inhabited town in the United States. Pueblo Benito, in New Mexico, is estimated to have had 800 rooms, 1,200 people and stood four and five stories high.

At the end of their culture, the pueblos were replaced by cliff dwellings. This appears due to the increased need for defense. The culture's end coincides to a twenty year period of drought. Where the Anasazi people dispersed to isn't know. Today they are considered to be the ancestors of the Zunis, Hopis, Pimas, and Papago tribes.

Much of the exact dating and information about the weather is due to the science of dendrochronology, tree rings. Basically, when the weather is wet, the tree rings are wide, showing rapid growth. During droughts, the rings are narrow. As the weather changes, it creates a unique series of rings. Science has created an "endless tree" for the Southwest. This shows the weather patterns back some 2,000 years. Given a sample, the actual dates that the tree lived and died can be established. Cores taken from the wood rafters of cliff houses can thereby be dated.

When the Spanish arrived, they first believed reports that the pueblos were the "Seven Cities of Gold." They conquered the Pueblo Peoples but were thrown out brief in a great revolt. The Zunis, Hopis, Prima, and Papago tribes still live in pueblos.

Answer 4

The accepted explanation is a pervasive drought that lasted decades.  Many think they gradually drifted away to more fertile ground.