Academics, Amateurs, and the Anasazi
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hiker in San Juan County cannot move far beyond the paved streets and watered lawns of a town before encountering some type of prehistoric remains-potsherds, mounds, projectile points, or rock art. The Anasazi and other Native American groups who left these remains contributed to a fascinating, frequently studied aspect of heritage of the San Juan Basin of the Four Corners region. The literature relating to this interest is voluminous, generated by a hundred years of exploration, mapping, digging, and investigating. While new information surfaces continuously, enough is already known to piece together some of the puzzle of the origin of these people, how they lived, and what were some of their beliefs and concerns. This chapter will provide a brief overview of thousands of years of Native American prehistory as well as some of the history of those who have studied this early human life in San Juan County. Many interesting connections outside of this specific area will not be discussed, such as the regional ties beyond the Anasazi epicenter of Mesa Verde; Meso-American trade and influence; and the florescence of other groups in Arizona, New Mexico, and the southeastern United
