Pueblo Indian History

This brief history explains when and how Pueblo culture developed in the American Southwest, and it provides a broad overview of how lifestyles changed through time.

For a more in-depth view of the cultures and chronology of the Four Corners area, go to Peoples of the Mesa Verde Region.

Pueblo Indian History: Chronology of American Indian Cultures in the Four Corners Region

Paleoindian (9,500 or earlier to 5500 B.C.)

During this time period, small bands of hunters and gatherers traveled great distances to hunt large game (such as mammoth and bison) and gather wild plants. It is believed that human population density at this time was very low, with small, nomadic bands constantly moving across the landscape. Because Paleoindian people lived so long ago, archaeologists find few of their artifacts. The most common artifacts dating from this time period are large, well-made stone spear points (also called "projectile points"). Paleoindian evidence in the Four Corners area consists almost exclusively of scattered spear points, but also includes a few small campsites. We still have much to learn about this culture.

Archaic (5500 to 1000 B.C.)

During the Archaic period, people hunted smaller animals (such as deer, elk, and bighorn sheep) and gathered wild plant foods. They lived in natural shelters and temporary structures. They moved their residences seasonally, traveling from place to place as different resources became available. Population density at this time was still relatively low. Atlatls (spear throwers), darts, and projectile points were the principal weapons. Archaeologists have found woven materials, such as sandals, dating from this time period, but no evidence of pottery.

Basketmaker (1000 B.C. to A.D. 750)

Early Basketmaker people relied on hunting and gathering for much of their food, but domesticated plants were added to the diet. Farming of corn, beans, and squash brought important lifestyle changes. People began to settle down and build more permanent houses, called "pithouses" because they were dug partly belowground. Elaborate coiled and twined basketry is associated with this time period, and people began to make plain pottery for the first time. The principal weapons were still the atlatl and the dart, in addition to large projectile points. At the end of the Basketmaker time period, the bow and arrow began to be used.

Pueblo I (A.D. 750 to 900)

This time period was characterized by large villages in some areas, dispersed settlements in others. Large Pueblo I communities have been documented in the Dolores River valley. Houses include aboveground roomblocks (with both storage and living rooms), as well as deep pithouses. These pithouses are deeper than Basketmaker pithouses, and they may have been used for community or ceremonial activities. Buildings were constructed of wood and adobe or crude masonry. Plain and neckbanded gray pottery is abundant at Pueblo I sites. There is some black-on-white and decorated red ware pottery as well.

Pueblo II (A.D. 900 to 1150)

During this time period, people aggregated into larger communities. Some villages had public architecture where many people could gather for special events, but many residential pueblos still existed in the area. During this time period, structures changed from being built primarily with earth and wooden posts to being built primarily of stone masonry. The pithouses of the earlier periods gave way to belowground, masonry-lined kivas, and roomblocks were built of masonry as well. Corrugated gray and elaborate black-on-white pottery was common during the Pueblo II period.

Pueblo III (A.D. 1150 to 1300)

During the Pueblo III time period, people built large pueblos in some areas and small, dispersed farmsteads in others. In the Montezuma Valley, some Pueblo III sites—such as Sand Canyon and Goodman Point pueblos—are located around the heads of canyons. Cliff dwellings, towers, and tri-wall structures are common in some areas. The pottery made during this time consisted of corrugated gray and very beautiful and elaborate black-on-white vessels. Near the end of this time period, the ancestral Pueblo people migrated from the Four Corners area to areas to the south. They joined or established large pueblos in the Rio Grande, Hopi, Zuni, and Mogollon rim areas in New Mexico and Arizona.

Pueblo IV (A.D. 1300 to 1600)

During this time period, Pueblo communities concentrated into large villages. These large, plaza-oriented pueblos developed in the Rio Grande valley and Western Pueblo areas. Corrugated pottery was replaced by plain types; black-on-white pottery declined in relation to red, orange, and yellow types. Present-day Pueblo groups are identifiable during this period. Most archaeologists believe that the ancestors of the Navajo and Ute peoples entered the Four Corners area during this period.

Pueblo V (A.D. 1600 to present)

The Pueblo Indians were affected by the Spanish arrival in the area during the sixteenth century, their continued presence in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and the arrival of Anglo-Americans during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The Pueblo population declined due to European diseases and oppression, and as a result of raiding by native groups who had incorporated horses into their cultures. During the Pueblo V time period, Indian reservations were established by the U.S. government. Pueblo people incorporated many elements of European material and economic culture, but they tenaciously preserved their languages, religion, social organization, and other aspects of their culture.

Populations among native peoples are now increasing. Today, Pueblo people live in the modern world while maintaining their distinct culture and rich traditional heritage.