History and Economy of the Southwest

Region

How did the environment of the southwest affect the American Indians who lived there?

• Early cultures adapted to the hot, dry environment.• Irrigation was developed to make agriculture possible.•Housing was built out of available resources, including cliffs and adobe (sun dried brick), which made living in the desert tolerable.•Navajo Indians raised sheep and moved from area to area to prevent the sheep from eating all the grass.• Rain is an important resource, but scarce. The Hopi religion included worshipping Kachinas and praying for rain.

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Why did people settle in the southwest?•Navajo, Pueblo, and Anasazi were 3 of the earliest cultures to settle in the region.•American Indian cultures began as hunters and gathers. •Navajo Indians learned to farm and make pottery. They also developed basket weaving, using grasses available, from the Pueblos.

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Hopi woman making pottery (1910)

Why did people settle in the southwest?•Spanish explorers settled the Southwest to search for gold and, eventually, spread Christianity.•Missionaries supported themselves by raising livestock (cows, pigs, sheep) and growing crops (corn, beans, fruit, pumpkins).•Missionaries purpose was to claim land and convert the Indians to Christianity.•During Westward expansion, settlers found cattle left by missionaries and raised them on wide open ranges.

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Why did people settle in the southwest?

•More people came to the Southwest when oil and other important minerals were discovered. Industries also came to the area.•How European-Americans arrive in the Southwest? Railroads!•Technology is another reason people move to the Southwest and settle there.

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What makes the Southwest unique?•Climate and desert landscape•Oil industry of Texas and New Mexico•Shared border with Mexico•Economic and political issues surrounding availability of water