Table of Contents
What is Pueblo agriculture?
The colonial government at this period introduced a pueblo agriculture, a system wherein native rural communities were organized into pueblo and each Christianized native family is given a four (4) to five (5) hectares of land to cultivate. The pueblo agriculture practiced no share cropper class or landless class.
Why was farming so difficult for the Pueblo group?
A persistent drought, lasting from about 1130-1180 CE, decimated Anasazis’ crops, while a major flood in 1358 destroyed the Hohokam irrigation system. These disasters led the Ancestral Pueblos to hold spiritual ceremonies, praying to their gods for a bountiful harvest and good weather.
Which crop did the Pueblo not grow for food?
For all of their reliance on domestic crops, the Ancient Ones did not abandon the foods of their nomadic forebears. Even in A.D. 1300, corn, squash and beans, alone, would not sustain them. They still hunted animals like deer, rabbits and prairie dogs. And they gathered wild plants for sustenance.
How did Pueblo Indians farm?
Pueblo farming techniques vary, but share one major factor: water conservation. The most widely used technique was dry land farming, also known as precipitation based farming. The Hopi farmers of central Arizona are famous for their rows of corn along mesa tops in the desert.
What kind of crops did the Pueblo people grow?
Corn, beans, and squash were the most important crops. The Ancestral Pueblo people depended on agriculture to sustain them in their more sedentary lifestyle. Corn, beans, and squash were the most important crop items.
Where did the Pueblo people live in Arizona?
Photo courtesy of the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center. The ancestral Pueblo people residing in the Mesa Verde region and surrounding areas became agricultural societies, likely during the Basketmaker II period (about 500 BC to AD 500) as domesticated corn found its way north from what is now Arizona.
Why was pumice important to the Pueblo people?
Water is the most important ingredient for successful agriculture in this arid climate. The Ancestral Pueblo people developed a number of farming techniques that conserve water. Pumice (a light, frothy rock that is full of gas) is a major component of the local volcanic tuff.
How did the Pueblos help the Spanish to survive?
When the Spanish came to New Mexico, the pueblos were thriving. They had seven years-worth of food stored. The stored food kept the Spanish from conquering the Pueblos. It was the generosity of the Pueblo people that helped the Spanish survive in this harsh environment.