Overview of the Anasazi
The Anasazi Native Americans lived in the four corners region of the United States. This region includes Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona. Their civilization lasted from around 100 B.C. until 1300 A.D. The Anasazi were a great mystery in United States history, but they are known for living in cliff housing, and making intricately designed baskets and pottery. Along with this, they had several other parts of their culture that are not as widely known. One of these parts of their culture was that they had a large trade system, and traded with other cultures (including the Aztecs) all the way to the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean. Very little is known about their religion, form of government, or daily life. It is believed that they worshiped priests who caused rain, and spoke Nahuatl, an Aztec language, or another language very similar to Japanese. Towards the end of their civilization’s time, great violence broke out during a long period of drought. They were believed to have practiced cannibalism during this time, and eventually their civilization disappeared. They may have dispersed into other southwestern Native American tribes, such as the Hopi or the Zuni. This civilization was important because they had great influence on the Native American culture in the southwest, and they taught us much about how those cultures developed.
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