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=Where the Anasazi lived= = = =__//**The Ancient Pueblo were one of four major archaeological traditions of the American Southwest.The others are the [|Mogollon], [|Hohokam] and [|Patayan]. In relation to neighboring peoples, the Ancient Pueblo occupied the northeast quadrant of the area.[|[1]] The Ancient Pueblo homeland centers on the [|Colorado Plateau], but extends from central [|New Mexico] on the east to southern [|Nevada] on the west. Areas of southern Nevada, [|Utah] and [|Colorado] form a loose northern boundary, while the southern edge is defined by the [|Colorado] and [|Little Colorado rivers] in [|Arizona] and the [|Rio Puerco] and [|Rio Grande] in New Mexico. However, evidence of Ancient Pueblo culture has been found extending east onto the American [|Great Plains], in areas near the [|Cimarron] and [|Pecos rivers] and in the Galisteo Basin.**//__= = = =__//**[|Terrain] and resources within this massive region vary greatly. The [|plateau] regions are generally high, with elevations ranging from 4500 to 8500 feet (1350–2600 meters). Extensive horizontal [|mesas] are capped by sedimentary formations and support woodlands of [|junipers], [|pinon], [|ponderosa pines], and yellow pines, each favoring different elevations. Wind and water erosion have created steep walled canyons, and sculpted windows and bridges out of the [|sandstone] landscape. In areas where erosionally resistant strata (sedimentary rock layers) such as sandstone or [|limestone] overlie more easily eroded strata such as shale, rock overhangs formed. These overhangs were favored sites for shelters and building sites. The range country in areas such as the**//__ __//**[|Gallup] and [|Albuquerque] basins is low and arid, supporting desert grasses and shrubs. Streams in these regions allow the growth of willows and reeds, and were utilized by the Ancient Pueblo for agriculture. Mountains in the region are as tall as 12,000 feet (3650 meters), and provided timber, game, minerals, and the specialized stone used for flaked tools.**//__= = = = =__//**In the Southwest, access to water was essential. All areas of the Ancient Pueblo homeland suffered from periods of drought and wind and water erosion. Summer rains could be undependable and often arrived in destructive thunderstorms. While the amount of winter snowfall varied greatly, the Ancient Pueblo depended on the snow for most of their water. Snow melt allowed the germination of seeds, both wild and cultivated, in the spring. Where sandstone layers overlay shale, snow melt can accumulate and create seeps and springs, which the Ancient Pueblo used as water sources. Snow also fed the smaller, more predictable tributaries, such as the Chinle, Animas, Jemez and Taos rivers. The larger rivers were less important to the ancient culture, as smaller streams were more easily diverted or controlled for irrigation.**//__= = = = = == = = =__//**Pueblo Bonito**//__= =__//**Quick Facts:One of the Anasazi's major settlements was Pueblo Bonito,Pueblo Bonito was made entirely of sand,rock,and clay,and Pueblo Bonito was the largest of the Chacoan Great Houses.**//__= = = = = =__//**Origin of Anasazi**//__= =__//**The time from 700 AD through 1130 AD saw a rapid increase in population because of consistent and regular rainfall.From studies of skeleton remains, this growth was due to increased birthrate rather than decreased death.However,10-fold increase in density over the course of a few generations could not be achieved by increased birthrate alone.It is likely it also involved moving of different people from surrounding areas.Innovations such as pottery, food storage, and agriculture let this rapid growth happen.Over seven decades the Ancient Pueblo culture spread across the landscape.The Anasazi culture was divided into three main areas or branches that were based on geographical location: [|Chaco Canyon],[|Kayenta],and Northern San Juan.Modern Pueblo oral traditions hold that they originated to the north of their current settlements.For unknown ages they were led by war chiefs.They settled first in t**//____//**he Anasazi areas for a few hundred years, then migrated to their current location.**//__= Most of info found on wikipedia.org.

Vocabulary:Artifact=An object left behind by people who lived long ago (75),Drought=A long period of time with very little rain (75),Irrigation=A method of supplying dry land with water through a series of ditches or pipes (75),Cahokia=A city founded around1,300 years ago by mound building peoples near the Mississippi River,in present day Illinois;38ºN 90ºW,Four Corners=The place at which the states of Arizona,New Mexico,Utah,and Colorado meet;37ºN 109ºW,Pueblo Bonito=An Anasazi village that flourished from about A.D 950 to 1,300,now in ruins,located in what is now northwestern New Mexico;36ºNº 108ºW,Mesa Verde=The name of an Anasazi village built in A.D. 900 into the side of a cliff,located in present day Colorado;57ºN 108ºW,Beringia=A sunken land bridge that once connected North America and Asia.The first people to come to North America may have used this route across what is now the Bering Strait;62ºN 167ºW. ==