The beginning of all human societies and the development of their communities, traditions, technologies, and cultures were influenced by the environment in which they lived.
The Southwest Region stretches from the Southwestern states of Arizona and New Mexico, parts of Colorado, Utah, and Texas all the way to northern Mexico. It is filled with very dry deserts as well as mesas, canyons, and mountains. These activities will allow students explore the culture and traditions of these First Nations people.
Create a spider map illustrating the culture and environment of the indigenous people of the Southwest.
Storyboard Text
LOCATION
ENVIRONMENT
NATURAL RESOURCES
FIRST NATIONS OF THE SOUTHWEST
The Southwest Cultural region stretches from the southwestern states of Arizona and New Mexico, parts of Colorado, Utah and Texas all the way to northern Mexico.
The Southwest has deserts, mesas, canyons, and mountains. The deserts have extreme temperatures of very hot days and freezing nights. There is very little rainfall and very little vegetation. Summers are very hot and winters are mild.
Plants like agave, yucca, cacti, wildflowers. Some people were nomadic, and some learned to farm with little water. Animals include the coyote, bighorn sheep, jackrabbit, rattlesnake, and whiptail lizard.
HOMES
Some of the First Nations of the Southwest include the Puebloan people: ancient Anasazi, Hopi, Zuni, Yaqui and Yuma as well as the Apaches and the Navajo (Dine)
TRADITIONS
NATIVE AMERICANS OF THE SOUTHWEST
CLOTHING AND OTHER ARTIFACTS
Permanent settlements (pueblos) were built of stone and adobe clay into multistory dwellings similar to apartments. Many villages also had large ceremonial pit houses, or kivas, in the centers.
Kivas were usually in the center of the village, sometimes underground, and were places where communities could come together to talk, work, perform religious ceremonies, or tell stories..
They wove cotton for blankets and clothing, which helped them stay cool in the heat. Plants made dyes in colors like orange, yellow, red, green, and black. They also created clay pots with geometric designs for cooking, serving, and storing food.