Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The End Of Farming In The Northern Periphery Of The Southwest, James R. Allison

Faculty Publications

The area once called the northern periphery of the Southwest was occupied for approximately 1,000 years by prehistoric farmers identified by archaeologists as Fremont and Virgin Anasazi, although hunter-gatherers occupied the area at European contact. Although the timing is similar, possible relationships between the end of farming in the northern periphery and the Four Corners abandonments have not often been considered. This paper reviews the cultural context and timing of, as well as explanations for, the end of the Fremont and Virgin Anasazi sequences, and explores the linkages with the better documented abandonments in the Four Corners region.