Who were the Anasazi people?

They were an ancient Native American people that settled in the southwestern part of the United States, in the area that’s now called the Four Corners. This means: the bottom corners of Utah and Colorado and the top corners of Arizona and New Mexico. Ancient? Archaeologists estimate that the culture began as early as 7000 BC and ended near 1600 AD.

Today, the Anasazi name isn’t used much officially. The preferred name is Ancestral Puebloans. Why? “Ancestral” is used to tell the difference between Puebloans that lived anciently and those that are still living in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.

Anasazi is actually a Navajo word. It means: “Ancestors of the enemy.” The Pueblo people built communities and stayed in them. They planted crops and farmed. The Navajo people were more nomadic. They wandered with their sheep and followed the available game. Over time, the Navajos became the enemy of the pueblo-dwelling people. Those bad feelings have carried over to today. I grew up in Arizona. We were taught the Navajo and the Hopi (descendants of the Ancient Puebloans) were….not friendly to each other.

Pueblos? Spanish explorers and their men first entered this part of North America in the 16th century. They found communities of native people in what appeared to be complex, multi-level villages. These were built of adobe, wood, and stone. The Spanish called these dwellings pueblos. Later, pueblos also came to mean the peoples who live in these villages.

Who are the descendants of the Ancestral Puebloans and where are they today?

There are 19 pueblos that are still inhabited. The most well-known of these are in New Mexico (Acoma, San Ildefonso, Taos, and Zuni) and Arizona (Hopi). There are also pueblos in Texas. These are mostly along the Rio Grande and Colorado rivers.

We started by talking about ancient people in Arizona. Today, at least some of the descendants of these people are the Hopi. Now, they are literally surrounded by the Navajo in northeastern Arizona. The Hopi have a rich heritage, culture, and religion. They deserve their own TCO post. There is one planned. More soon.