Park Brochure

Family

[ Page 6 ]

[ Painting Is for NPS Use Only ]

The social structure of Ancestral Puebloan life remains unknown. Archeology has yielded some information, but without written documents, there is no way to be sure about their social, political, or religious ideas. Today, we rely on comparisons with the modern Pueblo people of New Mexico and Arizona to understand the lives of those who lived in the past. In classic times at Mesa Verde, several generations probably lived together as a household. Each family occupied several rooms and built additional ones as it grew. Related families probably constituted a clan, which may well have been matrilineal (descent through the female line) in organization. If the analogy with current Hopi practice is correct, each clan had its own kiva and rights to its own agricultural plots. The figures displayed here are an idealized view of the Ancestral Puebloan people as individuals. The family is dressed for winter in hides, feathercloth robes, and warm foot wear. The skills of the people as hunters and artisans are evident. The turkey is an important part of their economy. It provided food, feathers for weaving and bones for tools.

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