Ancient Puebloan Southwest traces the evolution of Puebloan society in the American Southwest from the emergence of the Chaco and Mimbres traditions in the AD 1000s through the early decades of contact with the Spanish in the sixteenth century. The book focuses on the social and political changes that shaped Puebloan people over the centuries, emphasizing how factors internal to society impacted on cultural evolution, even in the face of the challenging environment that characterizes the American Southwest. The underlying argument is that while the physical environment both provides opportunities and sets limitations to social and political change, even more important evolutionary forces are the tensions between co-operation and competition for status and leadership. Although relying primarily on archaeological data, the book also includes oral histories, historical accounts, and ethnographic records as it introduces readers to the deep history of the Puebloan Southwest.
