In search of the Old Ones
For hundreds of years, the southwestern United States was home to three major cultures - the Hohokam, Mogollon and the Anasazi (also known as the Ancient Puebloans). Regional sub groups such as the Sinagua and Salado, also added their influence while little is still known about the highly mobile Patayan who occupied the harshest desert regions.
By 1400 A.D., these cultures seemingly disappeared without a trace, leaving behind intricately designed pottery, weavings, petroglyphs and mysterious cliff dwellings. Multiple theories ranging from the mundane to the fantastic have been spun to explain their departure.
Their descendants simply call them “The Old Ones” and leave it at that.
The Hohokam
The Hohokam lived in the southern part of Arizona (Casa Grande, Painted Rocks Park and Pueblo Grande) from approximately 100 A.D. – 1150 A.D.. They were considered master farmers of the desert, developing canal irrigation systems that helped produce cotton, tobacco, maize, beans and squash out of the harsh Sonoran climate.
Over time, technological ingenuity included the establishment of water reservoirs. Designed for catching and collecting both surface and groundwater supplies, the reservoirs allowed year-round occupation in an otherwise hostile environment. These irrigation skills played an integral part in eventually aggregating Hohokam rural communities into more developed urban centers.
The Hohokam timeline can be divided into four parts: Pioneer, Colonial, Sedentary and the Classic Period. It was during the Colonial and Sedentary periods that their signature style, buff-on-red pottery emerged, holding its own until the polychromatic style from the Classic period overtook it.
Both styles show distinct animal, geometric and human figurines, easily demonstrating why collectors would eventually place such a premium on attaining a piece for their collections.
The Mogollon:
(pronounced mug-ee-own)
The Mogollon lived in the high desert mountain regions of New Mexico, Sonora, Chihuahua and western Texas (Gila Cliff Dwellings, Three Rivers Petroglyph Site, Casa Malpais) from approximately 200 A.D. – 1400 A.D.. They retained their hunter/gatherer tendencies for many centuries and only sought fertile agricultural lands toward the end of their time.
Two of the more well-known Mogollon subgroups include:
• The Jornada Mogollon, creators of the mysterious characters at Hueco Tanks and the Three Rivers Petroglyph site, and;
• The Mimbres, who climbed the heights of creative power with their pottery designs.
Mimbres pottery occupies a unique niche in southwestern pottery traditions. From 825 A.D. to 1000 A.D., their early pottery styles encompassed a more generic black on white and red cream construction. However, it was in the Classic era, 1000 A.D. to 1150 A.D., where spectacular pottery creations came into being.
For the Mimbres, pots had significant spiritual representations.
An unbroken one meant being alive, fulfilling daily responsibilities, being useful to one’s tribe. Thus a broken pot, or one with a hole drilled into the bottom, represented death, the completion of one’s time here on earth. These broken pots were then placed over the head or face of a deceased tribe member at the time of burial.
Bold geometrics, animal and human designs painted in black on a white background became their hallmark.
The Anasazi:
Also known as the Ancient Pueblo People, the Anasazi are perhaps the most familiar of the Old Ones, living predominantly in the northeastern partition of the Four Corners (Canyon de Chelly, Chaco Canyon, Hovenweep) from approximately 1200 B.C. until 1300 A.D.. They are best known for their cliff dwellings, stone petroglyph carvings and their own unique pottery designs.
While the Anasazi heartland centered in the Four Corners’ region, their cultural development stemmed from the massive amount of territory they occupied. Varied climate, terrain and 8,500 foot elevations in the Colorado Plateau, was suitable for a hunter/gatherer lifestyle while the lower range areas were better adapted to agricultural pursuits.
Between 900 A.D. and 1130 A.D., overall rainfall and climate temperatures became more consistent and ushered in a kind of Golden Age. Stable habitat, an increase in population and trading relations with other cultures helped develop their own traditional pottery styling.
Tomorrow, Part II…Without a trace.
Resources:
• The Four Corners Region
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