Southwest+Culture

The people who settled in the "Four Corners" area of the United States built villages high on the sides of cliffs, perhaps as a deterrent to invasions. Many of these cliff dwellings are still in existence, and are preserved as archeological sites.

The Anasazi disappeared around 800 AD -- what happened to them? Are the people who live in what is now Arizona and New Mexico descended from these people? Theories abound, but no one knows the real truth.

The Pueblo people are divided into two major subgroups, with differences in language and culture. We can focus on the Hopi and take a closer look at their religious beliefs and customs.