The Disappearance Of Mesa Verde

In the Mesa Verde region in the South Western corner of Colorado, existed a group of people known as the Anasazi, or Puebloans. Mesa Verde was occupied by farmers who lived in cliff dwellings. Due to its high elevation, it was believed that when the surrounding areas were experiencing bad conditions, people would move to Mesa Verde. The Anasazi existed in this region from about 600 AD to 1300 A.D. Between 700 and 850 AD, the population in this region doubled in size. However, just a few hundred years later, between the mid-1200s and 1285 A.D, nearly 30,000 people disappeared from the area. There are multiple theories to explain why they disappeared from this region. The first early theory blamed violent displacement from the Apache and Navajo for their disappearance. Other theories blame climate, overpopulation, political instability, and cultural conflict. Chaco Canyon, located in the North Western corner of New Mexico, was occupied by the same people that occupied Mesa Verde, the …show more content…
For one, descendant communities such as the Pueblo, Hopi, and Zuni people are concerned with this topic in order to learn more about the past of their ancestors. They rely on oral histories to discover why the Anasazi actually left, but do not reveal these stories to the public. Additionally, archaeologists are concerned with this topic as they want to uncover the truth about why the Anasazi disappeared. They believe that drought, political corruption, warfare, and changing weather patters are some of the causes. Lastly, authors, such as Jared Diamond, are interested in this topic. In his book Collapse, Diamond discusses how impressive it is that Native Americans in the Southwest developed complex farming societies regardless of the environmental problems they faced. He believes that multiple factors led to the collapse of the Anasazi