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Paleoindian Archaic Basketmaker II Basketmaker III Pueblo I Pueblo II Pueblo III
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The Basketmaker II Period : 1000 B.C. to A.D. 500For several thousand years, people have been constantly on the move—walking to wherever the food happened to be. But with the introduction of agriculture about 1000 B.C., the seeds of Pueblo culture are planted, and life in the Mesa Verde region is forever changed. The introduction of agriculture marked the transition from the Archaic period to the Basketmaker II period. Corn (also called maize) and squash were introduced into the Four Corners area about 1000 B.C.; the earliest documented evidence of these plants in the Mesa Verde region proper dates from about 400 B.C. Archaeologists believe that agriculture originated farther south, in what today is Mexico, and then moved into southern Arizona. From there, both seeds and an understanding of agriculture made their way north into the Four Corners, probably as the result of immigrants moving into the area, as well as the importation of seeds through trade. Farming, and particularly a reliance on corn, was one of the distinguishing characteristics of later Pueblo culture. Because people during the Basketmaker II period practiced agriculture, many archaeologists consider them to be the first Pueblo Indians. In addition, the Basketmaker people, just like later Pueblo peoples, built more-permanent structures and began settling down in farmsteads located close to good agricultural land. So why is this period called “Basketmaker”? People living in the Mesa Verde region during this time had not yet learned how to make pottery vessels. Instead, they used other kinds of containers, including baskets made of woven plant materials. Although people during the Paleoindian and Archaic periods also made baskets, people during the Basketmaker II period were especially skilled at it. Many beautiful baskets dating from this time have been found at sites in the Mesa Verde region.
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