Canyonlands: The Archeology of Horseshoe Canyon

For over a hundred years, Americans have been intrigued by the ancient remains of human art, activities, and settlements in the Greater Southwest. By the turn of the century archaeologists knew that the haunting cliff dwellings were left by the Anasazi farmers who lived in the region 700 to 900 years ago. But it was only in the 1930’s and 1940’s that archaeologists discovered evidence of the first people in the southwest.

Although these people lived for over 6000 years in the Canyonlands section of the Colorado Plateau essentially unchanged, we now recognize that they did not simply live in caves, hunt animals and collect wild plants. They also participated in a full cultural lifestyle, social events with friends and neighbors, and possibly, when times got bad and resources were scarce, they tried to improve their lot by shamanistic activities or imitative magic to help them cope with the changing environment.

The essays in this collection come from other publications about the early occupants of the Canyonlands area of Utah, in particular the rock art and other artifacts from this ancient time.