Questions about Ancestral Puebloans

Short answers, pulled from the story.

What does the term Ancestral Pueblo mean and why do modern descendants reject the name anasazi?

The word pueblo translates directly to mean both village and people in their language. Modern descendants reject the label anasazi as derogatory because Navajo speakers applied it with meanings ranging from ancestors of enemies to savage or barbarian depending on the source.

Where is the Colorado Plateau located and what are the elevation ranges for Ancestral Pueblo homeland?

The Colorado Plateau forms the heart of the Ancestral Pueblo homeland extending across four modern states. High elevations range between five thousand and eight thousand feet above sea level within this region.

How many rooms did Pueblo Bonito have and when was the Pecos Classification system published by Alfred V. Kidder?

Pueblo Bonito averaged more than two hundred rooms per structure with some reaching seven hundred total. Anthropologist Alfred V. Kidder popularized the older term during his 1927 Pecos Classification system work.

When did the fifty-year drought begin that triggered the collapse of communities across the Colorado Plateau?

A fifty-year drought beginning around 1130 CE triggered collapse of communities across the Colorado Plateau. This climatic shift also led to fall of Tiwanaku civilization near Lake Titicaca in Bolivia simultaneously.

What evidence exists regarding violence and cannibalism at Cowboy Wash near Dolores Colorado?

Excavations at Cowboy Wash near Dolores Colorado uncovered remains of at least twenty-four human skeletons showing signs of violence. Dismemberment and strong indications of cannibalism appeared alongside evidence suggesting community abandonment during late thirteenth century.