In a very readable narrative,University of New Mexico archaeologist David E. Stuart tells the 1,700-year story of the pueblo people of the Four Corners’ states. They have maintained a vibrant culture that is unique in the United States.
Focusing on the Chaco Canyon aspect of the Anasazi, Stuart details how it took 700 years to develop the technological, agricultural, and organizational foundations for the great Chacoan culture. Stuart asserts a general theory of Chaco Canyon—a sophisticated culture that has perplexed archeologists since its discovery. Yet it all collapsed in just 40 years
of minor droughts.Why? Because of social inequality between the rich elite in the great houses and the poor workers in hovels.
Skip ahead 850 years to the current descendents of the Anasazi living in modern pueblos of New Mexico and Arizona. They survived Spanish and American conquests with their culture intact—an egalitarian society that learned the lessons of the past. Anasazi America draws a fascinating dichotomy between modern pueblos and modern America,which has failed to learn history’s lessons. Stuart makes a powerful case for the way of the pueblos.
—Mark Michel
