Paula Baxter’s Blog
The Ancient Inhabitants of Indian Country
What is a landscape without evidence of humanity? Some cynics (and the late Edward Abbey) would tell you that it’s simply heavenly. The truth is that man-made monuments vie with natural wonders for visitor interest. For a long time until scientific investigation laid the issue to rest, Indian Country was subject to a great mystery. What had become of the ancient inhabitants of the land who left behind enigmatic stone dwellings, often perched on a canyon wall ledge, or fascinating ruins in a romantic landscape? Pottery vessels and shards shown in museums displayed the work of imaginative people, makers of vivid geometric designs or realistic animal portrayals on clay. Speculations abounded as to what had made these people disappear sometime a few centuries before the coming of the Europeans. Names were provided for the ancient Hohokam, Salado, Sinagua, Fremont, and Mimbres peoples, and especially for the Anasazi, a variation of the Navajo term “ancient enemies.”
The kiva at Lowry Ruin, near Cortez
The truth proved to be that they hadn’t really disappeared at all, but had relocated from their original habitations to become the ancestors of the Pueblo peoples of the region. “Anasazi” fell into disfavor as a term, to be replaced by the more accurate label “Ancestral Puebloans.” Occasionally, someone complains now and then about political correctness destroying the romanticism associated with the term Anasazi; you will still see that word being used as a result. The theories behind the transition from ancient inhabitants to modern Puebloans vary, and include claims of massive drought and environmental change, unspecified threats from new peoples moving into the region such as early migration Navajos, Apaches, and Utes, and the spread of an unifying kachina cult.
The ruins of the ancient inhabitants are a major sightseeing factor, along with the remnants of their petroglyph and pictograph images, painted or pecked into the rocks. These sights are often marked on the Guide to Indian Country maps and other travel guides. Whole travel books are devoted to discovering them. One of our favorite book titles is for Ruins Seldom Seen. The architectural artistry of the ancients has made places such as Chaco Canyon, Mesa Verde, and Bandelier National Monument popular tourist destinations.
We know of travelers who come out regularly just to follow the tracks of the ancient inhabitants. We enjoy visiting their haunts, too, but find that these enthusiasts of Indians past are missing out on the greatest treasure of Indian Country—its modern Native peoples.
Tags: American Southwest, Anaszi, ancestral Puebloans, archaeology, Mimbres, petroglyphs, ruins, tourism