The Anasazi

Examines what is known about the Anasazi civilization, from the arrival of the Ancient Ones in North America 14,000 years ago to the lives of their present-day descendants, the Pueblo.

"The amount of information (Ayer) offers about the Anasazi's origins, life-style, history, dissolution, and descendants is impressive". -- BL. "A welcome addition to a Native American collection". -- NYHS. AAAS, KR, SLJ. 1993.

School Library Journal

Gr 6-9-Ayer covers the development and dispersement of the Anasazi civilization in a workmanlike manner, from the prehistoric Basket Makers to the historic Pueblo peoples. She describes the methods used by archaeologists to unearth physical evidence of the Anasazi culture and how such relics can lead to theories about the practices of a long-gone population. The book is at its best in describing development in architecture and artifacts, and the progression of technology. On the looser ground of daily living or religious rituals, the author occasionally slips from the possible to the probable (e.g., ``The Anasazi seem to have had great respect for nature''). Also, inferring backwards from modern Pueblo to the Anasazi is tempting, but not necessarily accurate. A roster of Anasazi and Pueblo sites to visit is included. A smattering of small black-and-white photos provides scant decoration. This title will be useful to practitioners of whole language, and those studying the beginnings of Native American culture. Scott Warren's briefer Cities in the Sand (Chronicle, 1991) covers some of the same information. Caroline Arnold's The Ancient Cliff Dwellers of Mesa Verde (Clarion, 1992) is more limited and aimed at a much younger audience, and David Petersen's The Anasazi (Childrens, 1991) is briefer still.-Patricia Manning, Eastchester Public Library, NY