The current agreement, based on terminology defined by the Pecos Classification, suggests their emergence around the 12th century BC, during the archaeologically designated Early Basketmaker II Era. The kiva, a congregational space that was used mostly for ceremonies, was an integral part of the community structure.Īrchaeologists continue to debate when this distinct culture emerged. They held a distinct knowledge of celestial sciences that found form in their architecture. They had a complex network linking hundreds of communities and population centers across the Colorado Plateau. The Ancestral Puebloans lived in a range of structures that included small family pit houses, larger structures to house clans, grand pueblos, and cliff-sited dwellings for defense.

Contemporary Puebloans object to the use of this term, with some viewing it as derogatory. The people and their archaeological culture are often referred to as Anasazi, meaning 'ancient enemies', as they were called by Navajo. They are believed to have developed, at least in part, from the Oshara tradition, which developed from the Picosa culture. The Ancestral Puebloans, also known as the Anasazi, were an ancient Native American culture that spanned the present-day Four Corners region of the United States, comprising southeastern Utah, northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southwestern Colorado. Horseshoe Tower in the snow, Hovenweep National Monument

Where were the hohokam located