Southwest Desert Native Americans
The Desert Native Americans lived in what is now western Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada.
Land and Climate
The air is very dry, so in the daytime it is very hot and in the night it can be colder. It doesn’t rain much in the desert; some places only get 10 inches of rain in a year!
The land in this region is very rocky. There are tall mountains and deep canyons where rivers flow. In the northern part of this region, there are some forests that grow in the mountains. The southern part is mostly a sandy desert.
The land in this region is very rocky. There are tall mountains and deep canyons where rivers flow. In the northern part of this region, there are some forests that grow in the mountains. The southern part is mostly a sandy desert.
Shelter
Most Desert Native Americans lived in pueblos. A pueblo is a multi-story house that was made out of clay and straw bricks that were baked in the sun. They were like apartment buildings; each family had its own unit. Ladders were used to get to upper levels. The ladders could be pulled up so that intruders could not get into the pueblo. Some of the Desert Native Americans were called “Cliff Dwellers” because they built their pueblos up against rocky cliffs.
Food
Most Desert Native Americans were farmers, even though they lived in the desert. They grew corn, beans, and squash. They also looked for wild food growing in nature. They would hunt and eat deer, antelope, mice, rabbits, coyotes, and mountain lions. They would also raise turkeys to eat. The women would gather nuts, herbs, and wild fruit.
Transportation
Before the Europeans brought horses to North America, the Desert Native Americans usually walked from place to place. Sometimes they would use dogs to help them carry large items. The dogs would pull the load behind them. When Native Americans got horses from the Europeans, they used the horses to carry their things instead of dogs. The horses allowed the Native Americans to travel faster.