In anthropology, the “Anasazi” refers to the Ancestral Puebloan peoples of the U.S. Southwest, who flourished between c. 600–1300 CE in the Four Corners region. Today, the term “Anasazi” is considered outdated and controversial, with “Ancestral Puebloans” preferred.

🌍 Identity and Terminology

• Name Origin: “Anasazi” is a Navajo word often translated as “ancient enemies” or “ancient outsiders.” Because of its negative connotation, many Native communities and scholars now use Ancestral Puebloans.
• Archaeological Classification: The term was introduced in 1927 during the Pecos Classification system to describe prehistoric Pueblo cultures.
• Modern Usage: Pueblo descendants (Hopi, Zuni, Acoma, Laguna, and others) prefer “Ancestral Puebloans” to emphasize continuity and respect.

🔑 Anthropological Contexts

• Geographic Range: The Four Corners region (Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado).
• Architecture: Famous for cliff dwellings (Mesa Verde, Canyon de Chelly) and monumental sites like Chaco Canyon with multi-story “great houses”.
• Subsistence:
  • Farming of maize, beans, squash.
  • Irrigation and water management systems adapted to arid environments.
• Social Organization:
  • Complex communities with ceremonial kivas (underground ritual chambers).
  • Evidence of trade networks reaching Mesoamerica (turquoise, macaw feathers).
• Astronomy & Ritual: Chaco Canyon’s architecture aligned with solar and lunar cycles, reflecting advanced astronomical knowledge.

📚 Importance in Anthropology

• Cultural Continuity: The Ancestral Puebloans are direct ancestors of modern Pueblo peoples, making them central to studies of cultural persistence.
• Environmental Adaptation: Their rise and decline illustrate how societies adapt—or fail to adapt—to climate shifts (e.g., droughts during the Altithermal).
• Archaeological Insight: Excavations reveal sophisticated craftsmanship in pottery, textiles, and mineral use (turquoise, obsidian).
• Colonial Impact: Later Spanish colonization disrupted Pueblo lifeways, but many traditions survived.

In short: In anthropology, the Anasazi (Ancestral Puebloans) are studied as a major prehistoric culture of the Southwest, known for their architecture, agriculture, and trade, but the term itself is controversial—modern scholarship prefers “Ancestral Puebloans.”

Sources: Indian Pueblo Cultural Center on the term “Anasazi”; World History Encyclopedia; Smithsonian Anasazi Origins Project; Archae Interactive overview; ThoughtCo chronology of Ancestral Puebloans.