in search of the anasazi

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IN SEARCH OF THE ANCIENT ANASAZI

By Anna Karyl

I stand near the boat ramp at Callville Bay on the part of Lake Mead that is situated between Overton and Las Vegas, Nevada.  It’s a mild, sunny day in spring with a slight breeze, characteristics typical of weather in the southern part of this state.  I look out over the brilliant blue expanse of lake waters and wonder about a tribe of Native Americans who once ruled in this part of the world.  The Navajo people called them the Anasazi.  For centuries, the Anasazi lived in this area, built magnificent homes, traded with other tribes, and created beautiful art objects.  But by 1300 A.D., the Anasazi were no more.  They had mysteriously vanished from the face of the earth, and scientists are still debating as to why.

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What do we know about the Anasazi?  We know that they are the ancestors of the Hopi people who prefer to call them “Pueblo Ancestors” rather than to use the more dubious Navajo’s term which means either “ancient enemies” or “ancient ones.”  It is clear that the Anasazi disappeared around 1300 A.D.  However, there is little data to explain how nearly 20,000 people could simply depart from their home without leaving any traces.  Some of the explanations for their disappearance involve drought, war, or migration.  But no one knows for sure.  

Archaelogists have also uncovered a vast ...

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