Anasazi Art, History, and Culture

The term Anasazi was developed by the archaeologist Alfred V. Kidder in the 1920's. It means “ancient ones' in Navajo. We do not know what the Anasazi actually called themselves. We do know that they had no written language and that they spoke at least six separate languages. We also know that starting in 1260 AD, severe drought forced the entire Anasazi population to emigrate to other parts of the southwest.