Anasazi

UTAH STATE PARKS Anasazi State Park Museum Cultural Resources T he Four Corners area contains archeological and historical evidence of people who lived from hundreds to thousands of years ago. These fragile and irreplaceable clues to the past provide opportunities for the professional and nonprofessional alike to study how prehistoric people lived. Please treat the sites with respect, consideration, and care to ensure that future generations have a chance to appreciate our heritage. Address inquiries to: Anasazi State Park Museum PO Box 1429 Boulder, UT 84716-1429 (435) 335-7308 Utah State Parks and Recreation PO Box 146001 Salt Lake City, UT 84114-6001 (801) 538-7220 (877) UT-PARKS (801) 538-7458 (TTY) www.stateparks.utah.gov Utah State Parks mission… To enhance the quality of life through outdoor recreation, leisure and educational experiences. Museum hours: May 16 – September 15 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. September 16 – May 15 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The park is closed New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Anasazi State Park Museum is in south central Utah along Utah Highway 12 in the beautiful ranching community of Boulder. The Utah Department of Natural Resources receives federal aid and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, age, national origin or disability. For information or complaints regarding discrimination, contact Executive Director, Utah Department of Natural Resources, PO Box 145610, Salt Lake City, UT 841145610 or Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 1801 L Street, NW, Washington, DC 20507-0001. Anasazi state park museum Who Were Coombs Site Excavation Village Abandonment uring the 15th and 16th centuries, the Navajo arrived in what is now the southwestern United States. Anasazi is a Navajo word interpreted to mean ancient enemies or enemy ancestors. M V Ancestors of their foe, the modern Pueblo Indians, inhabited the area prior to the Navajo. What the Anasazi called themselves, however, probably never will be known. More recently, some archeologists adopted the term Ancestral Pueblo, which suggests common ties with modern Pueblos. Excavations uncovered 97 rooms, 10 pit structures, and hundreds of thousands of artifacts. Although major structures have been identified, only about half the site has been investigated. Outlines of unexcavated rooms can be glimpsed across the site. Future excavations would undoubtedly modify some interpretations of the site. the Anasazi? D Although Ancestral Pueblo is probably more accurate, archeologists have used the term Anasazi for many decades, and it now is generally accepted. It refers to villagedwelling farmers who existed in the southern Colorado Plateau of the Four Corners region of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and southern Nevada between about A.D. 1 and 1300. ajor excavations at the Coombs Site were undertaken by the University of Utah in 1958 and 1959. Small-scale excavations occurred in 1927 by the Peabody Museum and again by state parks staff between 1970 and 1991. Puebloan Life I nhabitants of this site maintained cultural ties with the Kayenta Anasazi region of northeastern Arizona. However, trade items from Mesa Verde, Chaco Canyon, western Utah, and Arizona imply contact with many different people. Tree ring dates indicate that timbers used in structures were cut between A.D. 1129 and 1169, suggesting the site was in use during the middle of the 12th century. illage inhabitants departed about A.D. 1175 and never returned. Some possible causes may have been resource exhaustion, pressure from outsiders or population growth. Whatever the reason or reasons, the region was not reoccupied until the latter part of the 19th century. At or shortly after abandonment, the village was burned, possibly by the inhabitants. The villagers’ fate is unclear, but they may have returned to the Kayenta region and reestablished themselves. A short trail from the visitor center leads to the Coombs Site Ruins and a life-size, sixroom replica of part of the pueblo. The replica gives the visitor an idea of what life was like for the Anasazi between 800 and 900 years ago. Museum Unexcavated Portion of Ruin I nteractive exhibits provide visitors the opportunity to grind corn using a mano and metate, identify seeds with a microscope, make Coombs Site Ruins N More resources were available in this area than at many ancestral Pueblo villages. Inhabitants raised corn, beans, and squash but also depended upon wild game and native plants to supplement their diets. Surrounding mountains and canyons contained bighorn sheep, deer, small game and various plants that produced seeds, nuts and berries. In spite of these advantages, life for ancestral Puebloans was tough by modern standards. Men averaged 5 feet 4 inches tall and women 5 feet 2 inches. Few people lived past 45 years, and average life expectancy was 33 to 35 years. Tooth decay and arthritis were frequent diseases. Famine may have been a constant challange and quite often a reality. rubbings of pottery designs and listen to American Indians and archeologists discuss the importance of preserving archeological sites. There is an auditorium and gift shop. Replica Museum Parking To Torrey Utah Highway 12 To Escalante