Uhtatse becomes the "One Who Smells the Wind" for his Anasazi clan, and sends his mind searching outward for enemy tribes in the Great Plains. When he finally senses peril, he fails to convince his Elders to seek shelter. The attack, when it comes, decimates the Anasazi, forcing them finally to build their cliffside cave dwellings at Mesa Verde. "Ardath Mayhar is superb at creating an alien world from another time and place"--Robert Reginald.

Black Mesa, Arizona, has sheltered human beings for over 8000 years. For two decades, with the support and assistance of the Peabody Coal Company, archaeologists and other scientists have sought an understanding of how and why those ancient peoples lived as they did. Powell and Gumerman, the principal researchers of one of the largest and longest-running projects in the history of North American archaeology, recognize that only parts of past cultures survive to be discovered and analyzed, but they stress that the material items archaeologists do recover can tell us a great deal about the nonmaterial aspects of the culture in which they were used. In four cultural historical chapters Powell and Gumerman focus in turn on each of the major occupations of Black Mesa: the Archaic (6000 B.C.), Basketmaker II (ca. the time of Christ), Puebloan (A.D. 800-1150), and the Navajo (A.D. 1825 to the present). The 125 photographs, 41 line drawings by Thomas W. Gatlin, and 20 pages of full-color illustrations communicate the fascination of archaeological discovery and add an extra dimension to the authors' stories of ancient and modern life on Black Mesa.

The Mesa Verde migrations in the thirteenth century were an integral part of a transformative period that forever changed the course of Pueblo history. For more than seven hundred years, Pueblo people lived in the Northern San Juan region of the U.S. Southwest. Yet by the end of the 1200s, tens of thousands of Pueblo people had left the region. Understanding how it happened and where they went are enduring questions central to Southwestern archaeology. Much of the focus on this topic has been directed at understanding the role of climate change, drought, violence, and population pressure. The role of social factors, particularly religious change and sociopolitical organization, are less well understood. Bringing together multiple lines of evidence, including settlement patterns, pottery exchange networks, and changes in ceremonial and civic architecture, this book takes a historical perspective that naturally forefronts the social factors underlying the depopulation of Mesa Verde. Author Donna M. Glowacki shows how “living and leaving” were experienced across the region and what role differing stressors and enablers had in causing emigration. The author’s analysis explains how different histories and contingencies—which were shaped by deeply rooted eastern and western identities, a broad-reaching Aztec-Chaco ideology, and the McElmo Intensification—converged, prompting everyone to leave the region. This book will be of interest to southwestern specialists and anyone interested in societal collapse, transformation, and resilience.

Discusses the Native Americans known as the Anasazi, who migrated to southwestern Colorado in the first century A.D.

The Navajo called them the Anasazi, the “ancient enemy,” and their abandoned cities haunt the canyons and plateaus of the Southwest. For centuries the sudden disappearance of these people baffled historians. Summoned to a dark desert plateau by a desperate letter from an old friend, renowned investigator Mike Raglan is drawn into a world of mystery, violence, and explosive revelations. Crossing a border beyond the laws of man and nature, he will learn of the astonishing world of the Anasazi and discover the most extraordinary frontier ever encountered.

It is one of the great mysteries in the archaeology of the Americas: the depopulation of the northern Southwest in the late thirteenth-century AD. Considering the numbers of people affected, the distances moved, the permanence of the departures, the severity of the surrounding conditions, and the human suffering and culture change that accompanied them, the abrupt conclusion to the farming way of life in this region is one of the greatest disruptions in recorded history. Much new paleoenvironmental data, and a great deal of archaeological survey and excavation, permit the fifteen scientists represented here much greater precision in determining the timing of the depopulation, the number of people affected, and the ways in which northern Pueblo peoples coped—and failed to cope—with the rapidly changing environmental and demographic conditions they encountered throughout the 1200s. In addition, some of the scientists in this volume use models to provide insights into the processes behind the patterns they find, helping to narrow the range of plausible explanations. What emerges from these investigations is a highly pertinent story of conflict and disruption as a result of climate change, environmental degradation, social rigidity, and conflict. Taken as a whole, these contributions recognize this era as having witnessed a competition between differing social and economic organizations, in which selective migration was considerably hastened by severe climatic, environmental, and social upheaval. Moreover, the chapters show that it is at least as true that emigration led to the collapse of the northern Southwest as it is that collapse led to emigration.

In 'Indians of the Mesa Verde', Don Watson delves deep into the archaeological history of the Ancestral Puebloans who inhabited the Mesa Verde region. Through meticulous research and vivid descriptions, Watson brings to life the culture, daily life, and architectural achievements of these ancient people. Drawing from primary sources and fieldwork, the book offers a comprehensive look at the Mesa Verde civilization, making it an essential read for anyone interested in Native American history. The author's narrative style seamlessly weaves together historical facts and cultural insights, providing a compelling and informative read. Don Watson, a renowned archaeologist with over two decades of fieldwork experience in the Southwest, brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to 'Indians of the Mesa Verde'. His passion for understanding and preserving Native American heritage shines through in this book, making it a valuable contribution to the field of Southwestern archaeology. Watson's expertise and dedication to the subject make him a credible and reliable source of information on the Ancestral Puebloans. I highly recommend 'Indians of the Mesa Verde' to anyone interested in exploring the rich history of the Ancestral Puebloans and the cultural heritage of the Southwest. Watson's meticulous research and engaging writing style make this book a must-read for both scholars and general readers seeking a deeper understanding of the Mesa Verde civilization.