Final answer:
The Anasazi or Ancestral Puebloan peoples were agriculturalists who built advanced settlements in the Four Corners region of the United States from 700-1300 CE. Their society included impressive structures like cliff dwellings and kivas, extensive trade networks, and adaptability to environmental and social changes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Settlement of Anasazi
The Ancestral Puebloan peoples, also known as the Anasazi, thrived in the Four Corners area of the modern United States (Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico) from around 700-1300 CE. As agriculturalists, they cultivated the Mesoamerican triad, including corn, which led them to build elaborate and strategic towns. These towns featured large multi-storied structures and kivas, serving as both residential dwellings and ceremonial centers. Over time, as the climate changed and other pressures arose, the Anasazi adapted their agricultural practices and ultimately migrated, assimilating into what became modern Pueblo cultures such as the Hopi and Zuni. Distinguished archaeological features of these settlements include the impressive cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde and the well-planned communal areas like those found at Pueblo Bonito.
Economic prosperity in these societies was also evident through their extensive trade networks, which included a system of roads extending into the surrounding regions. Artifacts such as macaw feathers, obsidian, and marine shell from distant locations have been discovered, indicating a wide-reaching economic exchange. The Anasazi also employed advanced architectural techniques to construct their homes, with dwellings being accessible only by ladder or rope, offering protection against raids.