Woods Canyon Pueblo

The people who lived at Woods Canyon Pueblo during the A.D. 1200s might have been worried about conflict with people from other pueblos or other cultures. When we examine the village, it looks like an easy place to protect. The towers constructed on boulders in the bottom of the canyon and the rooms built high on the canyon edge could have been used as lookout posts or as safe places during times of danger. A low wall around sections of the village might have acted as a barrier to outsiders.

Mark Varien has studied many large Pueblo villages.

Learn what Mark thinks about the possible need for protection at Woods Canyon Pueblo by clicking on his photograph.

During the late A.D. 1200s, the Pueblo people moved from the Mesa Verde region southward to the Rio Grande Valley, the Zuni area in New Mexico, and the Hopi mesas in Arizona. Some archaeologists think the people moved to escape conflict in the Mesa Verde region, but not everyone agrees.

Jessica Lee was a student archaeologist at Woods Canyon Pueblo in 1995.

To learn Jessica's perspective on life at the pueblo, click on her photograph.

Did Pueblo people choose to live on the edge of Woods Canyon because it provided them with the protection they needed?

Explore all five theories, then select which theory you think best explains why Pueblo people lived at Woods Canyon Pueblo.