One of three major cultural traditions in the American Southwest which engaged in sedentary agriculture (see also Hohokam and Mogollon). The core area is on the plateau where the borders of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado meet (also known as Four Corners). The generally accepted chronological framework of three Basketmaker and five Pueblo stages was first proposed at the 1927 Pecos Conference. Anasazi emerged from local Archaic adaptations (e.g. Oshara). Although the practice of agriculture characterizes the tradition, the gathering of wild food-plants and hunting continued to play some part in subsistence activities throughout their history. The traditional starting date for the culture is 1 AD, though this now appears somewhat arbitrary. Distinctive cultural traits, however, occur mostly in the period c500-1300. Increasing reliance on cultigens, the replacement of basketry with increasingly complex ceramic technology, and the movement from scattered village life to concentrated Pueblo dwellings are all major trends in this period. By 1200 Anasazi influence was widespread in the Southwest. Both the Hohokam and Mogollon cultures show an increased adoption of Anasazi traits, leading to the suggestion that the Anasazi actually migrated into these areas. The virtual abandonment of the plateau heartland by 1300 lends credence to this proposition.
The Macmillan dictionary of archaeology, Ruth D. Whitehouse, 1983Copied