Anasazi Indian History

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The abrupt disappearance of all the Anasazi civilizations in the Four Corners region may be the biggest mystery in Native American culture. Around A.D. 1300, the Southwest region of the United States was abandoned. Many different theories attempt to explain the phenomenon, however; none have proved to be one hundred percent correct.
One of the most commonly discussed explanations is drought. Tree ring dating, or Dendrochronology, proves that a severe drought occurred during the years between A.D. 1275 and 1300 (Cordell, 1994). Many scientists support this explanation because there is hard evidence. On the other hand, it has also been proved that droughts had occurred many times before A.D. 1275. Opponents to this theory say that "people who …show more content…
This warfare is thought to be with either invading enemy tribes, or other Anasazi (Cordell, 1994). The Ute and Navajo Indians, who were thought to be the enemy tribes, were not in the Southwest region during the time period of the abandonment. Many suggest that Numic-speaking Indians were to blame for the warfare (Torres, 2003). A discouraging fact to upset this theory is that "physical evidence of conflict, such as burned village, or skeletons bearing mortal wounds, is lacking" (Cordell, …show more content…
Most Anasazi villages were built with the paranoia of an attack on the minds of the architects (Pueblo Indian, 2002).
Of course disease, malnutrition and differences in population are theories as well. Bones found at Anasazi sites have proven positive for porotic hyperostosis. The bones with this condition generally have a spongy-like texture, and appear to have large holes throughout the sample. Porotic hypertosis is caused by malnutrition (Cordell, 1994).
During the time period of the abandonment, Anasazi pueblos became very populated. This resulted in more unsanitary situations, which may have been the cause of many diseases. Once the Anasazi were plagued with disease, the birth rate dropped dramatically. Some researchers believe that this caused depression throughout the villages, causing the people to migrate (Williams, 1991).
Still others believe that the system of roads connecting almost all of the Anasazi sites was to blame for the abandonment. They feel the Anasazi "may have abandoned the Four Corners region because of failure of the system - overextended lines of trade" (Ferguson,
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