Changing Ways of Life

When the Anasazi first settled in the region, small family groups lived in rock alcoves, or shallow recesses. Because these early settlers made finely crafted baskets, archaeologists named them the Basket Makers. The tightly woven baskets were used for carrying and storing food and water and even for cooking. Stones heated in a fire were dropped into a basket containing water and food. The hot stones made the water boil, which then cooked the food. However, this method was slow and often cooked the food unevenly.

About A.D. 550, some Anasazi moved to Mesa Verde. There they began to build permanent houses. Archaeologists call these structures pithouses because the floors were formed by digging shallow pits in the ground. The sloping walls and the roof were made of wooden poles covered with mud. Archaeologists have found the remains of several pithouses close together.

Another important change during this time was that the people learned to make pottery. Clay pots and bowls improved the way food was cooked. Unlike baskets, which burn, clay containers could be placed directly over a fire. Thus food could be cooked more quickly and thoroughly than before.

The Anasazi’s way of life changed again in about A.D. 750. Instead of pithouses, they began building square rooms with vertical walls. These rooms were often connected to form a small community of homes. This type of building is called a pueblo, from the Spanish word for “village.” Pueblos at Mesa Verde were constructed on top of the mesa. A mesa is a raised, flat land form often found in the Southwest.

In about 1100, small villages began to join together to form large towns. Pueblos were built with many connected rooms used for sleeping, storage, and social gatherings. The people stored water in ditches and reservoirs for drier times.

In front of each pueblo was a single room dug into the ground, much like the earlier pithouses. This room, called a kiva, was used for community meetings and religious ceremonies. People would gather in the kiva to conduct healing ceremonies and to pray for rain, a good harvest, and success in hunting.

Between 1150 and 1200, the Anasazi began building their pueblos in large alcoves in the canyon walls. Many pueblos consisted of hundreds of rooms built in rows on top of one another. The roof of one room formed a porch for the room above it. The families who lived in the upper rooms had to climb ladders to reach them.

A major disadvantage of the cliff pueblos was that the people had to climb up and down the steep cliff walls to tend their fields on the mesa top and in the canyon below. Perhaps, some archaeologists suggest, the Anasazi moved to the cliffs because pueblos there would be easier to defend in case of an enemy attack. During their final years at Mesa Verde, the Anasazi began to build towers, which may have been used for sending signals or watching for approaching enemies.



Which paragraph represents a good summary of the main idea of the article?


A.
The article discusses how the Anasazi people formed a community called a pueblo.


B.
The article discusses how the Anasazi people prepared food and used water.


C.
The article discusses the culture of the Anasazi people and how their way of life changed over time.