Introduction

Paleoindian
  Overview
  Food
  Housing
  Artifacts

Archaic
  Overview
  Food
  Housing
  Artifacts

Basketmaker II
  Overview
  Food
  Housing
  Artifacts

Basketmaker III
  Overview
  Food
  Housing
  Artifacts

Pueblo I
  Overview
  Food
  Housing
  Artifacts

Pueblo II
  Overview
  Food
  Housing
  Artifacts

Pueblo III
  Overview
  Food
  Housing
  Artifacts

 

The Pueblo I Period: A.D. 750 to 900

For the last two centuries, the people of the Mesa Verde region have been living on small farmsteads scattered across the landscape. But by the end of this period, most are residents of much larger settlements, with dozens—if not hundreds—of near neighbors.

During the Pueblo I period, large villages of up to several hundred people came into existence. Although communities were known from the earlier Basketmaker III time period, they had consisted primarily of clusters of small farmsteads. In contrast, by the end of the Pueblo I period, the majority of people were living in communities that consisted of densely populated villages, some quite large (Figure 1).

Pueblo 1 settlement pattern. Copyright Crow Canyon Archaeological Center.
Figure 1: Pueblo 1 Settlement Pattern

Pithouses continued to be built throughout the Pueblo I period, but people increasingly spent part of their time in structures built aboveground, structures that included both living space and storage space (Figure 2). Large public buildings became more common, which may indicate that society was becoming more complex. Archaeologists believe that religious, economic, and political institutions were developed during this time to deal with large numbers of people living near one another.

Pueblo I period lifestyles. Courtesy Mesa Verde National Park.

Figure 2: Pueblo I Period Lifestyles

At the very end of the Pueblo I period, after many decades of population growth, there was a sudden decline in population throughout much of the Mesa Verde region. It appears that many people left the area, possibly because climatic changes made it difficult for them to grow corn. Archaeologists believe that people moved south into present-day New Mexico, perhaps in and near Chaco Canyon, an area that was to play a pivotal role in the developments of the next period.