Southwest

Environment

This is the driest region of North America, with most places receiving less than 15 inches of rain per year. Yet the peoples in this region FARMED!! How did they do this? When occasional rains fell, mostly in the winter months, natives stored the water through irrigation ditches and dams. By controlling some of the water, natives were able to save and redirect enough to water their crops. Again, we see that the 3 main crops in this region were maize/corn, beans, and squash; the same as those grown across the entire continent (at least in regions where people farmed).

Climate

The Southwest is a huge dry region that is very windy with high temperatures and low precipitation. Also since it was so windy the wind and water would form steep-walled canyons, sandy ares, buttes and mesas.

Tribes

 Pueblo and Hopi

Human Culture

• Some tribes migrated seasonally 

• Some built huge cliff houses that housed whole families or villages, while others have tipis or brush shelters

• Built long irrigation canals for farming that were sometimes longer than 20 miles

• They made Kachina dolls that represent spiritual beings 

• Made many woven items made out of cotton

  Only region in America that grew cotton

Human Culture

Adobe is a kind of mud-brick that, when used in housing, tends to be very sturdy but also keeps the interior of houses cooler than structures made of wood. This makes sense in a hot desert!  Note the COTTON clothing. Some of their clothes were also made of leather/animal skins (the clothing that was common in every other region), but it makes sense that the people who would use cotton cloth would be those living in the hottest part of North American