GEOS 220: Environmental History of Southwest
Human Chronology
Dates Designation Comments 15,000 years bp humans arrive in North America encountered megafauna 5500 BC to 500 BC Archaic hunters and gatherers, generalists 2000 BC beginning of agriculture in the SW introduction of cultigens from Mesoamerica AD 500 beginning of sedentary prehistoric cultures Anasazi, Hohokam, Mogollon, Sinagua, Pueblos AD 1130-1150 Chaco Canyon abandoned drought AD 1300 Mesa Verde, Kayenta, northern Sinagua abandoned Great Drought by AD 1350 Mogollon abandoned drought by AD 1400 Hohokam abandoned drought/flooding AD 1450 Athapaskan immigration Navajo and Apache AD 1540 first Spanish contact Coronado Entrada AD 1598 to 1821 Spanish colonization and rule European livestock, crops AD 1821 to 1848 Mexican rule grazing rancheros in AZ AD 1848 Mexican-American War,
begin United States ruleMuch of SW becomes part of USA AD 1854 Gadsden Purchase land south of the Gila River acquired by US AD 1912 statehood for both New Mexico (47th) and Arizona (48th) last states of continental US
Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, The University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona 85721 USA
Main Office: (520) 621-1608, Fax: (520) 621-8229
Comments to Paul Sheppard: sheppard @ ltrr.arizona.edu
Copyright © 2001-2010, Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, The University of Arizona
Revised — October, 2010
URL: http://www.ltrr.arizona.edu/geos220/swhumanchronology.html