As a little context, 1000 years ago, Chaco was the equivalent of Chicago, today. It was the midpoint of a trading route from New England all the way to South America. Their most convertible currency was chips of turquoise, and tens of thousands of such chips have been found at Chaco. Something of an abandoned bank.
This is not what might be thought of as primitive, as even the stonework in their buildings is of three different types, showing technological innovation. And South of there, in the great empires in Mexico, were lots of great cities built of stone, often with multistory buildings.
Likewise, heading East from Chaco were the great Plains and Mississippi River tribes, the latter of whom also built great cities, that were, unfortunately, far more biodegradable.
Then around the year 1,000, there was a heck of an extended drought, which pretty much wiped out the Indians of the southwest.
Thank you for the very nice synopsis.
Has there ever been any DNA analysis of the Anazazi and comparing them with Puebloan Dine, Ute, etc? I understand the Apache’s are closely related to the Dine. But the Hopi are not???