WHO WERE THE INHABITANTS OF THIS REGION?

Eight hundred plus years ago a group of people referred to as the Anasazi (or ancient ones) lived and roamed this region.  For about 1,000 years they were here until they suddenly disappeared.  Their departure corresponds closely with the migration into the area of a new people sometimes referenced as Shoshonean Native Americans; Navajo, Paiute, Ute and others.  Based on the way these new tribes interacted with each other, one possible theory is that this new people may have forced the Anasazi out of the area, but some claim that the Hopi, Zuni, and Puebloan tribes are descendants of the Anasazi.

The Anasazi left their mark on the land with rock art seemingly pecked or painted on the walls of nearly every canyon of the southwest.  Their homes of rock, and pit houses are still readily found among the rock formations and across plateaus where there is close access to water.  At the height of the success of their culture the Anasazi may had a population in excess of 200,000 people in the four corners area (Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona).  Their must have been a significant system of trade among this large group of people that inhabited the region.

In the 1700’s the Spanish explored the region, and then in the mid 1800’s European pioneers ventured into the area and began to build homes of their own.  Today people from around the world live in this region which is still inhabited by the descendants of the various tribes of Native Americans, and European pioneers.