The Lost World of the Anasazi: Exploring the Mysteries of Chaco Canyon

The Anasazi lived around the American Southwest for many years, but suddenly they disappeared. They left many ruins behind, and their descendants are the Zuni and Hopi people from Arizona. There are many theories about the Anasazi, and they left no written record. Their culture only had drawings on cave walls. It is believed that the Anasazi established themselves during a wet period in the canyon, and after many years of drought they were forced to move to the east and west. The Anasazi had beautiful pottery, and the pottery of the Zuni reflects Anasazi’s pottery. The architecture of the Anasazi consists of many rooms. There are approximately five hundred rooms, and some rooms are called Kivas. Kivas are special rooms that the show more Anasazi people did ceremonies in, and their descendants follow their tradition in Pueblo Bonito. There are also many paintings on the stone walls. I never heard of Anasazi people, and it was interesting to learn about this culture. The book provided basic theories about the Anasazi, and included the adventure of the archeologist Peter Lourie and Gwinn Vivian. By reading the book, it takes one back into time. Students could learn a lot about this civilization as I did. It was fun to follow the adventure of these two archeologists, and at the same time discover the culture of the Anasazi. I would require students to draw some of the artifacts of the Anasazi, and write a few facts about them. show less

I chose this book because I will be introducing the First Americans or pre-Columbian Americans as a part of US History. The content of the book is unfamiliar because I know about the Pueblo Indians, but not the Anasazi. This book provides academic vernacular within in the narrative content. It also had maps of the Anasazi territory and pictures of modern Anasazi descendents. The book also provides great details about the first discoveries of the Anasazi's dwellings and ways of life. Readers are introduced to the first man to begin archaeological digs to uncover and restore the Anasazi homes, temples, and roads.