![Wilderness in Your Pocket_ Southwest Indian Country [Part 2]](https://gmjohnsonmaps.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Wilderness-in-Your-Pocket_-Southwest-Indian-Country-Part-2.png)
Basket Makers were predecessors of the Pueblo, they are jointly referred to by archaeologists as the Anasazi culture. One system of dating places their arrival in the area as early as 1500 BCE. They lived chiefly in houses with adobe floors and learned to grow corn and squash, probably from southern neighbors in Mexico.
History and Culture of Southwest Indians
The name “Pueblo” was given by the Spanish to the sedentary Native Americans. Their prehistoric settlements are known as the Anasazi and Mogollon cultures. These settlements extended southward from S. Utah and S. Colorado into Arizona. As well as, into New Mexico into adjacent territory in Mexico. Pottery manufacture began about 400 CE and was used primarily for cooking and water storage. Clothing was woven from cotton, grown in warmer areas, and yucca fiber. Early houses of the Anasazi and Mogollon were structures called pit houses.
The Pueblo villages were variable in size and architectural content. However, most included circular, often subterranean structures known as kivas. Large Pueblo settlements were found at Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde, dating back to the 11th and early 12th century. Changing climatic conditions forced the abandonment of much of the region by the early 14th century. These populations migrated to their present-day locations in the Rio Grande valley and other isolated areas including the Hopi mesas.
In 1540, when the Spaniards led by Coronado entered the Rio Grande area, the seven Zuni towns there were thought to be the fabulous Seven Cities of Cibola. In 1598, missionary work increased and Spanish colonial government reigned from Santa Fe. By 1630, 60,000 Pueblos had converted to Christianity. Determined to put an end to the suffering caused by their Spanish oppressors, the Pueblos staged a successful revolt in 1680. In 1692 De Vargas, with the cooperation of some Pueblo leaders, reconquered the Pueblos in New Mexico. The Western Pueblos, however, including the Hopi, remained independent.
Take your own adventure through the Southwest Native American area. Here’s our Southwest Indian Country Map.