Ancient peoples of the American Southwest

by Stephen Plog

Paper Book, 1997

Status

Available

Call number

E78 .S7P556 1997

Publication

New York, N.Y. : Thames and Hudson, 1997.

Description

Most people are familiar with the famous pre-Columbian civilizations of the Aztecs and Maya of Mexico, but few realize just how advanced were contemporary cultures in the American Southwest. Here lie some of the monuments of America's prehistoric past, such as Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde. Ten thousand years ago, humans first colonized this seemingly inhospitable landscape with its scorching hot deserts and upland areas that drop below freezing even during the early summer months. The initial hunter-gatherer bands gradually adapted to become sedentary village groups. The high point of Southwestern civilization was reached with the emergence of cultures known as Anasazi, Hohokam, and Mogollon in the first millennium AD. Interweaving the latest archaeological evidence with early first-person accounts, Stephen Plog explains the rise and mysterious fall of Southwestern cultures. For this revised edition, he discusses new research and its implications for our understanding of the prehistoric Southwest. As he concludes, the Southwest is still home to vibrant Native American communities who carry on many of the old traditions. 150 illustrations, 17 in color. --From publisher's description.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member ahystorianII
Good. This is just a basic history of the Prehistoric Indians of the Southwest. Lots of pictures. Nice format. It was an introductroy book for me, so i can't really give a good review. Talks about paleo, archaic and village indians. Breaks village indians down into the three bigger cultural groups
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of Anasazi, Mogollon, and Hohokam.
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LibraryThing member antiquary
This is a clear description of the cultures usually called Anasazi, Mogollon, and Hohokom, as well as the previous peoples who lived in the same region (the American southwest) and brief accounts of the people who followed them into historical (post-European-contact) times. The author had
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experience as a field archaeologist in the area from his teens onward and does well at conveying the landscapes in which these cultures developed and their interaction wit their environments.
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Language

Physical description

224 p.; 25 cm

ISBN

0500021163 / 9780500021163

Barcode

34662000663713

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