Who were the Anasazi and what happened to them?

Answer 1

Here are some opinions from our community:

• The Anasazi are originally from Siberia. During the Ice age, what became the Native Americans crossed over a land bridge that appeared because of the low sea level. The Anasazi tribe eventually settled in what is now Arizona.
• That is one theory of migration, but don't discount all other just as tangible migratory theroms. Such as from South America northwards and Africa eastward, and from Asia eastward i.e. Japan,or China to the baja peninsula and other points along the western coast of the Americas'. There are more theories than just the Bering land bridge. A side point I believe "Anasazi" means "ancient ones."
• I don't believe they would call themselves the ancient ones. Just like the Apache was a name given by adversaries (It means something along the line of enemy). I think they call themselves the "Denai" but my spelling is spotty.
• A Native American culture flourishing in southern Colorado and Utah and northern New Mexico and Arizona from about AD 100, whose descendants are considered to include the present-day Pueblo peoples.
• It's not known with certainty why the Anasazi declined. Either or a combination of two causes are considered most likely. The climate became bad at the time of their decline. There were long droughts, and shorter growing seasons. Their population had increased and these climatic changes may have made it impossible for them to support their numbers. There's also evidence other aggressive tribes pushed them out of their territories.
• They might have died because the bad climate, fighting, or plague.
• It is not known for sure why the Anasazi left their homes. It is known that they did not all leave at the same time. Some left and traveled north, while others moved south into Hohokam and Mogollon territories. The lack of water may have forced them to leave, as they depended upon nature for water for their crops. There was a severe drought beginning in 1276. Attacks from other nomadic tribes may have also forced some to leave. The migration of the Anasazi may have also been caused by religious reasons, perhaps being connected to the change in climate in some way.
• its thought they actually moved on as a result of a number of variables including a prolonged drought, deforestation (which led to conflict) and the over erosion of irrigation ditches. Not to mention that they were trying to permanently settle in desert areas which could not possibly sustain their growing populations.
• The Anasazi were ancient Native Americans who are documented to have lived in the Four Corners area of the American Southwest. One system of dating places their arrival in the area as early as 1500 B.C. Starting as cave-dwellers, they became cliff-dwellers who disappeared sometime in the 13th century. Archaeological documentation tends to favor the theory that rather than disappearing, they became part of the Pueblo culture.
• It was the Navajo who called these people "Anasazi", meaning "old ones". The Anasazi were not called the 'dine' (or denai). That is what the Navajo call themselves. They sometimes use the name in a broader way to include both the Navajo and the Apache. Elsewhere, it's stated the Anasazi built homes of wood and earth. Actually, most Anasazi settlements were of built of stone with wood used only for roofs and lintels over doors and windows. By the way, "Navajo" is a Spanish word meaning "blade" (in Spanish, the accent is on the second syllable). The Conquistadors called them Navajos because of the large knives they all carried.
• Many reasons why the Anasazi disappeared (or moved somewhere else) have been examined and are supported by archaeological evidence: Climate change, drought, attacks from other tribes, topsoil erosion, religious changes, deforestation, and/or influence by other cultures.

Answer 2

They lived in what is today the present day Four corners area in the States of Colorado, Arizona, Utah and New Mexico. They is also evidence reaching into the Great Plains, in areas near the Cimarron and Pecos rivers, and in the Galisteo Basin. They were one of four main overlapping ancient Southwest cultures. The others were the Mogollon, Hohokam and Patayan.

The earliest evidence in this area was around 7000 to 1500 BC.

The period from 700-1130 CE had the most extensive population, building and reach. After 11150 there was a 300 year drought and many sites were abandoned from then until about 1300. The Mississippi Mound builders culture collapsed around the same time. From 1300 onwards until today they have lived where the Modern Pueblo people live now. They are their direct descendants so the are alive and thriving today.