Eva Jensen

Pueblo Grande de Nevada: Lost City

Beginning about 300 BC, a native culture developed and flourished for over 1000 years in the Moapa Valley of Southern Nevada. This culture's development paralleled the well-known Puebloan cultures of the Southwest in the Four Corners area of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. It was related to neighboring Southwest cultures by its technology and agricultural lifestyle. It may or may not have shared language and kinship. The modern Hopi culture in Arizona claims all of these people as their ancestors. In the Hopi language these "ancient ones" are known as Hisatsinom.

Prehistoric Trade at Lost City

Many artifacts found in the Lost City sites at Pueblo Grande de Nevada in the southern part of the state were transported long distances by prehistoric people. Members of the Anasazi community may have traveled seasonally or traded with other travelers for "exotic" items. Some of the non-local goods found at the Lost City are shell beads from California coastal areas, obsidian from Utah or central Nevada, turquoise from California, and pottery from Anasazi groups in what is now Arizona and Utah.

Anasazi Rock Art

Anasazi and other Native American groups in Nevada came over 8,000 years ago and created a lasting legacy in rock art images carved or painted on stone surfaces. While we do not know what many of the images mean, native people living in Nevada today have traditional stories that incorporate some of the images or scenes.

Abandonment of Lost City

The end of the Anasazi occupation of Nevada's Lost City is an ongoing research question for archaeologists. Some of the reasons considered are long-term drought, overpopulation, disease, or competition for resources. Social issues and religion may have also contributed. A combination of all of these was probably responsible for the end of Anasazi culture in this area.

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