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ARCHITECTURE Before the emergence of the Anasazi as a distinct culture, the Southwestern peoples generally lived in caves and camped in the open or in temporary shelters. The beginning of the Anasazi era is defined largely by changes in lifestyle as the hunter-gatherers became more serious about agriculture and they began to stay in one place for a number of years. Part of settling down involved building more permanent living quarters. Pithouses Over a shallow pit in the earth the Ancient Ones built semi-permanent houses of poles and brush plastered with mud. These pithouses were essentially the same as those first built in northeastern Europe 25,000 years ago. Pithouse technology was probably transmitted east through Siberia, across the ice bridge between Asia and North America about 12,000 to 14,000 years ago, down through Alaska and Canada to the American Southwest. An individual pithouse was occupied for an average of about 15 years. By modern standards (in the developed world), these early habitations of the Anasazi were cramped, smelly, crude, dark, smoky, and cold most of the time during the winter, but probably far superior to the caves and temporary shelters the nomads were used to. In places where soil and water were present in quality and quantity suitable for growing food, a number of Anasazi families would build pithouses and create a small community. Out of the pit Most early Anasazi were cave dwellers. The advent of the pithouse brought them out into the open, though they still lived largely in the earth. As early as A.D. 350, but aggressively from around 700-750, the Anasazi began to build above-ground structures of mud (jacal or adobe) and stone. They gradually raised the floor to ground level. The transition wasn't immediate, however. Many masonry structures still had sunken floors. In time they made an even greater transition, to the mesa tops. Some of the most haunting and thought-provoking ruins lie above the canyons on gently sloping islands of land dotted with cedar and piñon. In some regions, like Kayenta, they never gave up the pithouse altogether. In most, however, above-ground masonry buildings ultimately became the standard that lasted to the end of the 13th century. More about Above-ground structures Parallel evolution Architecture evolved with cultural advances, especially the gradual expansion of Anasazi communities from a few scattered dwellings to a hamlet to a village to a town. In time, architecture must have become a highly respected profession as Anasazi engineers and stone masons built increasingly elaborate buildings. Almost all Anasazi buildings faced south in order to capitalize on the warmth of the winter sun. To individual walled rooms, others were added to create rectangular blocks of rooms that housed many families. Most had at least one super-pithouse, a kiva. Often at the center of the community, the underground kiva is thought to have been used for ceremonial, religious or community purposes. Today, we use the term pueblo to describe the larger Anasazi buildings, groups of buildings, and communities. Many Anasazi communities were vacated and lay empty only to be reoccupied years later, often by people from different clans and, sometimes, different cultures than those of the original builders. Some Anasazi towns were quite large. Yellow Jacket, near Cortez, Colorado, is the largest prehistoric town we know of in the Four Corners Area. More than 1,800 rooms are believed to have housed about 3,000 people. Ancient high rises Some of the individual structures were as big as present day apartment buildings. Many had several levels, up to five stories. One partially restored building at Aztec Ruins National Monument in New Mexico had at least 220 ground-floor rooms, 119 second-story rooms and more than 12 third-story rooms. The Great House may have had as many as 450 rooms aggregating 161,000 square feet. In addition, there were 29 kivas and one Great Kiva. Fifty feet in diameter, the Great Kiva had four massive columns set on 375-pound hand-carved limestone bases supporting a 95-ton roof. Pueblo Bonito, at Chaco, occupied more than three acres and rose five stories. With more than 800 rooms it was home to about 1,000 people. Until 1882 it was the largest apartment house in the world! Cliff dwellings Cliff dwellings — stone houses, villages and towns built in caves or on large shelves in sheer rock canyon walls — are generally considered most representative of Anasazi architecture. In fact, before much was known about the inhabitants of places like Mesa Verde, the ancient builders were called simply Cliff Dwellers. Though these dwellings may be the most spectacular of the Anasazi architecture, they constitute less than ten percent of all Anasazi habitations built from about 1200 B.C. to the end of the Anasazi era, about A.D. 1300. When you consider the enormous amount of work that went into constructing a cliff dwelling, it seems surprising that they were rarely occupied continuously for more than 80 years. Most cliff dwellings were built on south-facing ledges in deep sandstone canyons. Thanks to the southern exposure, the low-riding sun provided heat in the winter. The overhanging lip of the cliff offered cool shade from the high summer sun. Agricultural fields were maintained on the mesas above and, sometimes, in broader canyons below the dwellings. Access to most cliff dwellings consisted of a series of small hand- and toeholds in the steep sandstone walls. Sometimes there was a slender bridge of rock to cross. There were no handrails. Today, few of us besides seasoned climbers and committed archaeologists would dare to scale a sheer rock wall without ladder or rope to enter a cliff dwelling 75 feet above the canyon floor. More about cliff dwellings; towers It seems ironic that the ancestors of modern Puebloans may have reached their cultural peak in the 13th century only to "disappear." Most of the cliff dwellings were built and vacated in less than 100 years. Though that time period represented several generations for the Anasazi, 100 years is a very short lifetime for a village, especially an elaborately constructed stone village in the side of a cliff. By 1300 Keet Seel, Mesa Verde and all the other cliff dwellings were abandoned. Early archaeologists found evidence that cliff dwellers may have left hastily. Pottery, tools, baskets, woven fabrics, grain and ears of corn were often left behind, as if the inhabitants were out on an errand and intended to return shortly. The rotted and collapsed roofs and cold fire hearths, however, gave mute testimony to the centuries that had passed since the dwellers had departed. For more about why they left, see Solving the Mystery of Anasazi "Disappearance"
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