Archaic Southwest facts for kids

The Archaic Southwest was a time in history for the Native Americans living in the southwestern part of North America. This period lasted from about 6500 BC to 200 AD. During this time, people slowly changed from hunting and gathering food to farming and living in more settled places.

What Was the Paleo-Indian Era Like?

The time before the Archaic Southwest was called the Paleo-Indian era. This was from about 10,500 BC to 7500 BC. People in the Southwest during the Archaic period lived differently in two main ways:

• They used many ways to get food, each with their own methods. They grew crops like corn, beans, and squash. The first known corn farming in the Southwest was around 2100 BC. As farming became more important, their settlements grew bigger.
• They did not have kings, big cities, writing, or huge buildings. Their societies were not set up with strict social classes.

Life During the Archaic Era

As the Ice Age ended, the weather got warmer. Large animals like mammoths, horses, and camels started to disappear. Hunters and gatherers slowly changed how they lived. They began to eat more plants and hunt smaller animals.

How Did Archaic People Hunt and Gather?

The Archaic people used nets and a tool called an atlatl to hunt. They hunted water fowl, ducks, small animals, and antelope. Hunting was very important in winter and spring. This was when plant foods were hard to find.

The Archaic period shows a shift from just hunting and gathering to also farming. People started to live in more permanent places, even if only for part of the year. In the Southwest, this time is usually dated from 8,000 years ago to about 1,800 to 2,000 years ago.

New Ways to Find Food

During this time, people in the Southwest found many new ways to get food. They learned that weed and grass seeds were good to eat. They used flat rocks to grind these seeds into flour. This flour was used to make gruels and breads. Using these grinding stones around 7500 BCE marks the start of the Archaic tradition.

Small groups of people traveled around the area. They gathered plants like cactus fruits, mesquite beans, acorns, and pine nuts. Archaic people set up camps where they collected food. They would come back to these same spots year after year. They mostly lived outdoors but likely built simple, temporary shelters.

Tools and Artifacts

Some things we know they made include:

• Nets woven from plant fibers and rabbit skin.
• Woven sandals.
• Gaming sticks for games.
• Animal figures made from split twigs.

The Start of Farming

Later in the Archaic Period, corn was brought to the region. It probably came from central Mexico. People planted corn near camps where there was always water. After planting, the hunter-gatherers would move to other areas. They would gather wild foods and then return later to harvest the corn.

Archaeologist Wirt H. Wills believes corn first came to the Southwest when the climate was wetter and cooler. Different kinds of corn grew in the wet highlands and the dry desert. This might mean new types grew locally or different kinds were brought in over time. Other plants they started to grow were beans and squash.

Climate Change and Settlements

About 3,500 years ago, the climate changed. This affected water sources. The number of Desert Archaic people seemed to drop a lot. However, family groups found shelter in caves and rock overhangs in canyon walls. Many of these faced south to get warmth from the sun in winter. Sometimes, these people lived in small, partly settled villages in open areas. We have found signs of many people living in the northern Southwest. This includes areas from Utah to Colorado, especially near modern Durango, Colorado.

Archaic Cultural Groups

Some of the Archaic cultural traditions include:

• Archaic–Early Basketmaker Era (7000 BC – 1500 BC)
• San Dieguito–Pinto (6500 BC – 200 AD)
• Oshara (5500 BC – 600 AD)
• The Cochise (before 5000 BC – 200 BC)
• Chihuahua (6000 BC – 250 AD)
• Oasisamerica cultures (3500 BC – 1300 AD)

Who Lives in the Southwest Today?

Many Native American groups live in the Southwest today. Four main groups have roots in these ancient cultures:

• Yuman-speaking peoples: This group includes the Paipai, Havasupai, Yavapai, Walapai, Mohave, Quechan, Maricopa, Tipai-Ipai, Cocopa, and Kiliwa people. They live near the Colorado River valley, in the uplands, and in Baja California.
• O'odham peoples: This group includes the Akimel O'odham and Tohono O'odham. They live in Southern Arizona and northern Sonora.
• Pueblo peoples: These are descendants of the Basketmaker and Cochise cultures. They once lived in the Four Corners Region. Today, they live in the Rio Grande Valley in New Mexico and areas to the west in Arizona and New Mexico. Different Pueblos speak completely different languages.
• Southern Athabaskan: This group includes the Apache and the Navajo peoples. Their ancestors came from Athabaskan-speaking peoples in Canada and eastern Alaska. They likely entered the Southwest between the 12th and 16th centuries.