 | To many archaeologists, the American Southwest is a haunted Garden of Eden. This desert landscape of sandstone mountains and hidden canyons is also home to the spectacular ruins of a legendary people who flourished there one thousand years ago. Artifacts of this ancient civilization are scattered throughout the ruins, making the area a treasure trove for archaeologists. Many of the objects they have found, such as painted pottery and delicate fabrics, hint at the impressive sophistication of this lost world. Yet archaeologists have also found great mystery there. This ancient civilization that cultivated crops, made art, and read the stars, mysteriously vanished around A.D. 1200.
The Navaho Indians, who occupy the region today, call these lost people the Anasazi -- a word meaning "ancient enemy." They generally avoid the ruins, believing them to be inhabited by ghosts.
Click on the maps above to explore the ancient world of the Anasazi. | | |
