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Ancient Pueblo People or '''Ancestral Puebloans''' are preferred terms for the cultural group of people often known as '''Anasazi,''' the ancestors of the modern Pueblo People s. The ancestral Puebloans were a Prehistoric Native American civilization centered around the present-day Four Corners area of the Southwest United States . Archaeologists still debate when a distinct Culture emerged, but the current consensus, based on terminology defined by the Pecos Classification , suggests their emergence around 1200 B.C. , the Basketmaker II Era . The civilization is perhaps best-known for the Jacal , Adobe and Sandstone dwellings that they built along cliff walls, particularly during the Pueblo II and Pueblo III eras. The best-preserved examples of those dwellings are in Parks such as Chaco Culture National Historical Park , Mesa Verde National Park , Hovenweep National Monument , Bandelier National Monument , and Canyon De Chelly National Monument . These Village s, called Pueblo s by Mexican settlers, were often only accessible by rope or through Rock Climbing . The Ancestral Puebloans are also known for their unique style of Pottery , today considered valuable for their rarity. They also created many Petroglyph s and Pictograph s. Anasazi as a cultural label The term "Anasazi" was established in archaeological terminology through the Pecos Classification system in 1927. Archaeologist Linda Cordell discussed the word's etymology and use: :"''The name "Anasazi" has come to mean "ancient people," although the word itself is Navajo , meaning "enemy ancestors."'' Navajo word is ''anaasází'' (<''anaa-'' "enemy", ''sází'' "ancestor"). ''It is unfortunate that a non-Pueblo word has come to stand for a tradition that is certainly ancestral Pueblo. The term was first applied to ruins of the Mesa Verde by Richard Wetherill , a rancher and trader who, in 1888-1889, was the first Anglo-American to explore the sites in that area. Wetherill knew and worked with Navajos and understood what the word meant. The name was further sanctioned in archaeology when it was adopted by Alfred V. Kidder, the acknowledged dean of Southwestern Archaeology. Kidder felt that is was less cumbersome than a more technical term he might have used. Subsequently some archaeologists who would try to change the term have worried that because the Pueblos speak different languages, there are different words for "ancestor," and using one might be offensive to people speaking other languages.'' Some modern Pueblo peoples object to the use of the term ''Anasazi'', although there is still controversy among them on a native alternative. The modern Hopi use the word "''Hisatsinom''" in preference to Anasazi. However, Navajo Nation Historic Preservation Department (NNHPD) spokeman Ronald Maldonado has indicated the Navajo do not favor use of the term "Ancestral Puebloan." In fact, reports submitted for review by NNHPD are rejected if they include use of the term. Migration from the homeland During the Twentieth century, archaeologists and academics debated why the Ancestral Puebloans migrated from their established homes. Factors examined and discussed included prolonged periods of drought, environmental degradation, de-forestation, hostility from new arrivals, religious or cultural change, and even influence from MesoAmerican cultures. Many of these possibilities are supported by archaeological evidence. Current opinion holds that the Ancestral Puebloans responded to pressure from Numic -speaking peoples moving onto the Colorado Plateau as well as climate change which resulted in Agricultural failures. The archaeological record indicates that it was not unusual for ancient Pueblo peoples to adapt to climatic change by changing residences and locations. Early Pueblo I sites may have housed up to 600 individuals in a few separate but closely spaced settlement clusters. However, they were generally occupied for a mere 30 years or less. Archaeologist Timothy A. Kohler excavated large Pueblo I sites near Dolores, Colorado , and discovered that they were established during periods of above-average rainfall. This would allow crops to be grown without benefit of irrigation. At the same time, nearby areas experiencing significantly dryer patterns were abandoned. The ancient Pueblos attained a cultural "Golden Age" between about 900 and 1130 A.D. During this time, generally classed as Pueblo II, the climate was relatively warm and rainfall mostly adequate. Communities grew larger and were inhabited for longer periods of time. Highly specific local traditions in architecture and pottery emerged, and trade over long distances appears to have been common. Turkeys were domesticated. After approximately 1150 A.D. North America experienced significant climatic change. Confirming evidence is found in excavations of western regions in the Mississippi Valley between A.D. 1150 and 1350 which show long lasting patterns of warmer, wetter winters and cooler, dryer summers. In this later period, the Pueblo II became more self-contained, decreasing trade and interaction with more distant communities. Southwest farmers developed irrigation techniques appropriate to seasonal rainfall, including soil and water control features such as check dams and terraces. However, the population of the region continued to be mobile, abandoning settlements and fields under adverse conditions. Stress on the evironment by have been reflected in the social structure, leading to conflict and warfare. Near Kayenta, Arizona , Jonathan Haas of the Field Museum in Chicago has been studying a group of Anasazi villages that relocated from the canyons to the high mesa tops around 1250 A.D. The only reason Haas can see for a move so far from water and arable land is defense against enemies. He asserts that isolated communities relied on raiding for food and supplies, and that warfare became common in the 13th century. This conflict may have been aggravated by the influx of less settled peoples, Numic-speakers such as the Ute s, Shoshone s and Piute s, who may have originated in what is today California . Most modern Pueblo peoples (whether Keresans, Hopi, or Tanoans) and historians like James W. Loewen, in his book ''Lies Across America'', assert the ancient Pueblo did not "vanish" as is commonly portrayed in media presentations or popular books, but migrated to areas in the Southwest with more favorable rainfall and dependable streams. They merged into the various pueblo peoples whose descendants still live in Arizona and New Mexico . This perspective is not new and was also presented in reports from early 20th century anthropologists, including Frank Hamilton Cushing , J. Walter Fewkes and Alfred V. Kidder . Many modern Pueblo tribes trace their lineage from settlements in the Anasazi area and areas inhabited by their cultural neighbors, the Mogollon . For example, the San Ildefonso Pueblo People believe that their ancestors lived in both the Mesa Verde area and the current Bandelier . Cultural divisions Archaeological cultural units such as "Anasazi", Hohokam , Patayan or Mogollon are used by Archaeologists to define material culture similarities and differences that may identify prehistoric socio-cultural units which may be understood as equivalent to modern tribes, societies or peoples. The names and divisions are classificatory devices based on theoretical perspectives, analytical methods and data available at the time of analysis and publication. They are subject to change, not only on the basis of new information and discoveries, but also as attitudes and perspectives change within the scientific community. It should not be assumed that an archaeological division or culture unit corresponds to a particular language group or to a socio-political entity such as a ''tribe''. When making use of modern cultural divisions in the American Southwest, it is important to understand three limitations in the current conventions:
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